Circuit Training Workouts and Exercises

Circuit training workout and exercises can be a great way to accelerate the results you get from your training.

However, I’m not talking about the circuit training workouts from the past. We aren’t doing a bunch of easy circuits on a variety of machines (or one of those multi-exercise stations) to “isolate” different muscles.

Nope, today’s circuit training exercises are much more effective than the routines of the past. A more popular name is metabolic resistance training, which can also be described as another form of intense interval training.

But we’re using traditional free weight training exercises or bodyweight resistance training, as well as non-mainstream exercises like ropes, chains, resistance bands, etc. as opposed to using traditional circuit training exercises (like the old time all in one machines).

Sure, you can use isolation machines. I’m not saying they don’t work but you’ll get more out of your training by including more compound exercises in your workouts, exercises that involve more of your body to be involved.

One great variation of circuit training exercises is known as barbell complexes, utilized by MMA legend Randy Couture that for a lot of people it became known as the Randy Couture Workout.

Here’s a great video by Eric Wong, creator of MMA Ripped giving you a fantastic barbell complex designed properly to hep you get the most out of it.

This barbell complex, while obviously burning calories, is geared a bit more toward strength because of the low reps per exercise. But you’ll also get a great cardio workout, burn calories and boost your metabolism.

As you can see, with a barbell complex circuit, you never let go of the bar or change the weight. This is a bit different than traditional circuit training workouts.

The typical circuits most of us remember involve the old time all in one multi-exericse machines like Nautilus workout stations.

These workouts usually involved doing one set per exercise for each individual body part. With the Nautilus machine, it also usually meant doing an isolation exercise and a compound exercise for each body part.

For the chest this would involve a flye movement as well as the machine bench press. The shoulders would be a lateral raise (the isolation exercise) and a seated machine shoulder press.

A typical Nautilus training circuit will utilize anywhere from four to twelve exercises, each done for 10 to 20 repetitions. You’ll rest after each circuit and do it 2 to 4 times.

If you’re new to training, or even new to this type of training, a typical Nautilus style workout may be the way to go for you.

An old time circuit might look like this:

15 Reps x Leg Curl
12 Reps x Bench Press
15 Reps x Leg Extension
12 Reps x Lat Pulldown
15 Reps x Leg Press
12 Reps x Seated Row
15 Reps x Calf Raise
10 Reps x Seated Press
10 Reps x Biceps Curl
10 Reps x Tricep Pushdown

Rest 2 minutes and repeat 2 more times

These are all isolation exercises on machines. This is a more inefficient way to perform a circuit workout. You can get better results in less time by utilizing more full body and compound exercises that utilize more muscle mass, core strength, balance and agility.

This will allow you to work more muscle, burn more calories during the workout and accelerate your metabolism to burn even more calories AFTER your workout is completed.

There are many, many ways to put together effective circuit training workouts that utilize not only different weights for various exercises but different pieces of equipment as well, from barbells to dumbbells to kettlebells to bodyweight exercises and more.

For example, here’s a bodyweight workout, focusing more on getting your heat rate up, burning calories and boosting your metabolism, as opposed to a strength training circuit.

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds

• Jumping Jacks
• Plank
• Bodyweight Squats (or Jump Squats, or 180 Jump Squats, depending on your fitness level)
• Spider Man Push Ups (or regular push ups or push ups from the knees)
• Reverse Lunges (Jump Lunges if you’re advanced)

Rest two minutes

• Mountain Climbers
• Hip Thrusts
• Push ups (on knees if necessary)
• Side to Side Hops
• Jump Rope

Rest two minutes

Repeat entire circuit 2 to 3 times

You can do timed circuits like the bodyweight example above (you can do them with equipment, by the way). You can vary the time as well. You could also do the same workout above, but perform a set number of reps instead of using time.

You can do:

• Strength training circuits
• Bodyweight Exercises
• Kettlebell circuits
• Barbell Complexes (see above)
• Dumbbell
• Dumbbell / Barbell
• Kettlebell / Bodyweight
• Resistance Bands
• Ropes
• Combos of any of the above

You get the idea.

Here’s a more traditional full body circuit training workout:

2x (10 reps per exercise)

A1. Bulgarian Split Squat
A2. Flat DB Bench Press
A3. Forward Lunge

Rest 2 minutes after each circuit

2x (10 reps per exercise)

B1. (Almost) Stiff Legged Deadlift
B2. Incline DB Rows
B3. Reverse Lunge

Rest 2 minutes after each circuit

2x (8 reps per exercise)

C1. Standing DB Arnold Press
C2. Bodyweight Jump Squat
C3. Sit Ups

Rest 90 seconds between circuits

Another great option is every minute on the minute circuit training. With this you have one minute to complete your circuit. Whatever time is leftover, that’s your rest time until the top of the next minute.

If you finish the circuit in 43 seconds, you get 17 seconds of rest. If you finish it in 57 seconds, you only get 3 seconds of rest. And you’ll have X number of rounds you need to complete for the workout.

I’ll put an article together specifically on this method and when it’s up, I’ll link to it right here in this article.

Any type or total reps workout, like the 300 workout, is a form of a circuit as well, such as the Kettlebell 300 Workout

There are a LOT of ways to put together circuit training workouts (lots of right ways and lots of wrong ways!) and I’ll be adding plenty more variations and exercises in upcoming articles. Stay tuned!

Finished your circuit training? Here’s a great way to cool off and relax!