Work It Circuits

Another thing people often want to know is *exactly* what my workouts look like.  It's never enough to tell people I do 30 minutes of cardio 5x/week and 3 weight-training sessions 3x/week.  People want specifics.  I get that.  When I was first starting out, I didn't know enough about exercise to mentally fill in the blanks, and it was frustrating and intimidating not to be told *exactly* what to do.  Unfortunately, I can't actually write workouts for everyone on the planet.  One, I'm not a personal trainer, and two, my workouts are choreographed by me, to challenge myself.  I have no idea how much weight *you* can lift, how many reps *you* can do, how long is too long for *you*.  Some of the moves I do, you will not be able to pull off.  Others, you will be able to do that I have not yet attained the strength to accomplish.  But if what you need is a general idea of what a good workout should look like, here are three different sets for you to use as a starting point.

I always do 30 minutes of interval training first, before each workout, and on non-weight-training days (Tuesdays and Fridays). Hop on the elliptical and set it to intervals for 30 minutes; on the low intervals catch your breath, go a moderate pace, difficulty of 5 on a scale of 1-10. On the high intervals go all out, as fast as you can, difficulty of 9 on a scale of 1-10. Repeat for the full 30 minutes. Get off the elliptical and head straight in for your workout; you're warm and all you need is some light stretching.

 

Set 1: Core (these are my Monday workouts). 

1. Bicycle Crunches: Bicycle crunches, L knee to R elbow, R knee to L elbow, repeat 2 minutes
2. Dumbbell Side Dips:  With a dumbbell in each hand, stand feet shoulder-width apart. Bend the body to one side, lowering the weight as far as you can, then return to erect position. Repeat to the opposite side. Repeat the entire sequence for 2 minutes. 
3. Ab Series: Lying with back arched over an exercise ball, legs elevated and bent at the knees (resting on a dumbbell rack, weight bench, etc.), do two minutes of each workout: right hip crunch, left hip crunch, center ab crunch, right knee crunch, left knee crunch.  2 minutes each move, 10 minutes total. 
4. Medicine Ball Mini-Twists:  Hands holding ball in front of chest, feet wider than shoulder width apart, feet and hips stay facing forward, twist rapidly from one side to the other. Don't swing/use momentum to twist; control the move.  Perform for 2 minutes. 
5. Bosu Ball Oblique Crunches:  On the bosu ball, lying on your side, oblique arched over the bosu ball, bottom leg extended to the front and top leg extended to the back, bracing against a wall, bottom arm wrapped around oblique and upper hand behind ear, perform oblique crunches, 2 minutes per side (4 minutes total). 
6. "Axe" Twists or Sword Pulls:  Holding a medicine ball or heavy dumbbell, feet wider than shoulder-width apart, face body to the R side, holding weight above the head in both hands. Lower (chop) the weight down and to the Left while also lunging slightly to the left, bending the knees. Return back to the starting position. Repeat for 1 minute, then change sides and repeat for another minute. 1 minute each side. 
7. Hanging Leg Raises:  Hanging by your arms from a bar, lift legs to a 90-degree angle. Contracting lower abs, bring knees to chest, then return to starting position. Repeat 1-2 minutes.  Do NOT swing but control the movement.

 Set 2: Upper Body (these are my Wednesday workouts). 

 

1. Shoulder V-hops:  Hopping up and down in place, start with arms down at sides, then raise them to shoulder height, one arm to the front, the other to the side in an V shape. While hopping, drop arms down, then lift arms again, alternating which arm is in front and to the side (V to the left then V to the right). 1 minute using 5lb dumbbells. 
2. Lunges with a Hammer Curl and Shoulder Press Combo:  Sink into a deep lunge, both legs at 90 degree angles. Start at the bottom of lunge, arms at sides. Curl biceps (KEEP ELBOWS IN!) up into a hammer curl, then push up out of lunge while continuing the arm movement into a shoulder press. Release the shoulder press back down to curl position, then release curl back down to sides while dropping back into lunge. Repeat for 15 reps, then switch legs and do another 15 reps. 15 reps per leg using 12lb dumbbells.
3. Tricep Dips:  On the edge of a weight bench, perform tricep dips, legs extended out in front, keep back CLOSE to bench! 2 minutes 
4. Jumping Jacks with Shoulder Press:  Jumping-jack movement with the legs, while shoulder pressing weights with arms. Feet together/arms down, jump feet apart, press arms up. Repeat 50 seconds using 10lb dumbbells. 
5. Alternating Bicep Curls, Fast Pace:  Perform bicep curls, and as you curl the R arm, release the left arm, then reverse the motion. Keep a fairly quick pace for 2 minutes using 8lb dumbbells. 
6. Tricep Pushups on Bosu:  Bosu ball upside down, hands together in the center, legs wide apart in a wide-stance plank position, balancing on toes like a pushup, lower down as far as you can go (it's not far!) and then push back up. 15 reps.  
7. Shoulder V-Hops:  Hopping up and down in place, start with arms down at sides, then raise them to shoulder height, one arm to the front, the other to the side in an V shape. While hoping, drop arms down, then lift arms again, alternating which arm is in front and to the side (V to the left then V to the right). 35-45 seconds using 8lb dumbbells. 
8. Lunges with a Hammer Curl and Shoulder Press Combo: Sink into a deep lunge, both legs at 90 degree angles. Start at the bottom of lunge, arms at sides. Curl biceps (KEEP ELBOWS IN!) up into a hammer curl, then push up out of lunge while continuing the arm movement into a shoulder press. Release the shoulder press back down to curl position, then release curl back down to sides while dropping back into lunge.  Repeat for 12 reps, then switch legs and do another 12 reps.  Use15lb dumbbells. 
9. Tricep Dips: 1 leg only using the bench, legs out in front, but crossed at the ankles so only 1 ankle rests on the floor; for 2 minutes alternate in 20 second intervals, switching feet in between intervals. 2 minutes total, 20 second intervals per leg. 
10. Jumping Jacks with Shoulder Press:  Jumping-jack movement with the legs, while shoulder pressing weights with arms. Feet together/arms down, jump feet apart, press arms up. Repeat 40 seconds using 12lb dumbbells. 
11. Alternating Bicep Curls, Fast Pace: Perform bicep curls, and as you curl the R arm, release the left arm, then reverse the motion. Keep a fairly quick pace for 1.5 minutes using 10lb dumbbells. 
12. Tricep Pushups on Bosu:  Bosu ball upside down, hands together in the center, legs wide apart in a wide-stance plank position, balancing on toes like a pushup, lower down as far as you can go (it's not far!) and then push back up. 15 reps.

 Set 3:  Lower Body (This is my Thursday workout). 

1. Plyometric Lunge Hops with a Squat:  Lunge, jump up and land in a squat; squat deeply, jump up and land in alternate leg lunge. Repeat for 2 minutes. 
2. Hamstring Curls using Balance Ball:  Lie flat on your back, ankles resting on top of a balance ball. Elevate hips as high as possible and curl balance ball toward buttocks by bending knees and squeezing glutes and hamstrings. Keep hips high. Release back to straight position, keeping hips off of floor. After 25 reps do a 25 second hold, then release slowly. 
3. Balance-Ball Squats:  Bosu ball upside down, standing on the flat surface, squatting as quickly as possible while maintaining good form, squat deeply into a chair squat, then rise back up and repeat. On the last squat, hold down for 30 seconds, then SLOWLY release upwards. 1 minute 30 seconds, 30 minute hold at the end. 
4. Standing Fire-Hydrant Kicks:  Holding onto a bar or wall, standing on one leg, body leaning over so it is at a 90 degree angle and parallel to the floor, upper leg bent at the knee and tucked into chest, kick straight out and slightly BACK, maintaining a 90 degree angle with supporting leg. Repeat 1 minute 30 seconds each leg. 
5. One-legged Hops:  Hop on one leg, pointing toe downwards at the top of each hop in an exaggerated motion, 45 seconds each leg.  
6. Rolling Leg Extensions:  Standing erect, one leg bent at the knee with a small balance ball underneath the top of the ankle, slowly bend the supporting knee while extending the balance-ball supported leg out behind, then slowly stand up straight again. Repeat. 1 minute 30 seconds each leg. 
7. High Bench Step-Ups: 1 leg step up onto a tall weight bench while holding 8lb dumbbells in each hand. Do not bring the rear leg up to rest on the bench. Drop the rear leg back down JUST so the toe taps the floor but do NOT push off with the toe; use the leg on the bench to do all the movements. Repeat for 1 minute, then switch to other leg. 1 minute per leg. 
8. Chair Kicks:  Kicking high, over a chair back or lowered pulley, etc., do a windmill kick over the object with the right leg, then the left leg. Then windmill kick back the opposite direction over the object, first left leg, then right leg. Repeat. 2 minutes. 
9. One-legged Hamstring Hip Raises:  (Lying on back, feet at an incline, knees bent, resting on a weight bench)-raise one leg straight up into the air and hold it there. Raise hips up off of the floor high, making a straight line with the body from chest to bent knee. Release hips back down but don't touch the floor, and don't completely release contraction. Do 15 sets, then hold at the top for 15 seconds. So four sets of 15 reps each with a 15 second hold at the end, PER LEG. 

The body has many muscles, and it is difficult to adequately challenge every upper, lower or core muscle in a single workout.  Therefore I recommend you focus on three major muscles for each workout; for example, low abdominals, mid abdominals, and obliques, or hamstrings/glutes/quads, or biceps/triceps/upper back.  Then switch the next week and work the muscle groups you missed (mid back, lats, calves, chest, etc.).  The workouts above are all 35-45 minutes long, not including equipment setup, stretching, warm-up or cool-downs.  You need to make sure you warm up for at least 5 minutes directly before your workout and stretch for a few minutes before AND after working out.  I also recommend eating IMMEDIATELY after a workout, and keeping the meal fairly high-glycemic (bananas, whey protein, grapes, etc.); you will need your blood sugar levels restored.  I also recommend eating an hour before your workout; that way your blood sugar will be sufficient to maintain you throughout your workout, as will your energy levels correspondingly, but your stomach won't be full so you won't be nauseated or sluggish.

There you have it; a week's worth of workouts to get you started and give you an idea of what's worked for me.  There are many workout theories there, and all of them will do different things for you depending on your goals, weights, reps and body type.  Keep this in mind as your training experience evolves and progresses.  Good luck to you, and remember, when you're having a hard time geting out the door for that workout, Don't Think.  Just GO!