Best Circuit Workouts: A Six-Step Guide

Some people make excuses for not being able to work out, while others stay committed to their gym routine. If you think you’re too busy for the gym or aren’t really sure where to start, this article may be for you.

Today, we’re going to walk you through how to create your very own circuit workout. The great thing about this type of workout is it’s quick and customizable.

All skill levels can use this method to create their own workout, either at home or in the gym.

No matter what your workout goal is, you can create a circuit workout to meet it. First, let’s take a look at what a circuit workout is. Then, we’ll go into specifics that can help beginners and bodybuilders alike.

This article will discuss:

• What a circuit workout is
• If it’s effective for bodybuilders
• Tips to get you started
• A step by step process to create your own circuit workout routine
• Consideration if you plan to use a gym

What is a Circuit Workout?

A circuit workout is a fast-paced, full-body workout that can be done in 45 minutes or less. It’s a mix of strength and cardio training to give you the best benefits in less time.

Whether you have access to gym equipment or not, you can complete a circuit workout. Here is the basic framework of a circuit workout, which we’ll expand on in the next sections:

1. Set a time limit
2. Choose an upper-body exercise
3. Pick a lower-body exercise
4. Choose a compound exercise
5. Select a sprint
6. Rest

You can choose from one to twenty different circuits (based on a time limit and skill level). Pick the same exercise for each circuit or choose a different one for each.

It’s really up to you to figure out based on your goals what fits your best circuit workout routine.

Circuit workouts are quicker due to shortened rest periods between each exercise. You’ll move through the circuit by completing each exercise at high-intensity for a set period of time.

Once done, you’ll rest for no more than 30 seconds as you transition and get in place for your next exercise.

Not sure how to do it? Don’t worry, we’ll give you plenty of ideas and exercises to use to help you create the best circuit workout.

There are quite a few benefits to high-intensity circuit training (HICT) other than it being quick and customizable.

Benefits of Circuit Training

Circuit training workouts can be highly effective for weight loss. Not only do high-intensity workouts elicit greater fat burning, but it can also prolong the time calories are burned.

When comparing a one-set high-intensity whole body workout to a three-set workout, 8 overweight men were studied for 12 weeks. At the end of each workout, the one-set group had higher resting energy expenditure than the other group.

Higher energy expenditure was elevated up to 72 hours after working out. This means more calories burned, which can accelerate weight loss.

Not only can circuit training work for weight loss, but it also has other metabolic health benefits. In another study, a group of 58 participants was able to see reductions in the following health conditions:

• High blood pressure
• Fat mass
• Total cholesterol
• Triglycerides
• LDL (bad) cholesterol

And an increase in HDL (good) cholesterol. Circuit training workouts can also have positive effects on mental health as well. 

Sixty male workers with social anxiety were able to improve their anxiety disorder and felt their emotional health improved overall. They also improved their body fat mass and body fat percentages as well.

In this study, 20 women participated in a 12-week study doing circuit training 3 times a week. At the end of the study, those in the circuit training group saw improvement in:

• Waist circumference
• Bodyweight
• Body mass index
• Body fat percentage
• Triglycerides
• Total cholesterol

Most studies didn’t include longer timeframes past the 12-week mark. While circuit training could be effective past this point, it shouldn’t be used exclusively past that point.

Before you start an HICT program or want to continue past this point, it’s best to consult your doctor. Especially if you have any sort of health condition, as this type of intensive training might not work for you.

Circuit Training and Bodybuilding

If you are a bodybuilder, do you think circuit training can help you get results? It can, but that really depends on the type of results you’re looking for.

Bodybuilders typically train to the point of failure, using heavy weights with low reps per set. While this is great to increase strength and muscle mass, it doesn’t work during a circuit routine.

Depending on how many rounds you commit to for your circuit workout, you could be doing 40+ reps.

For many bodybuilders, they don’t have the stamina to pull this type of workout routine off. Plus, the leaning effects of high-intensity cardio workouts can actually reduce the amount of overall muscle mass.

However, there may be some positives that make bodybuilders want to consider this type of workout.

Studies have shown that high-intensity training can elicit higher levels of human growth hormone and testosterone. As we age, our hormones naturally deplete over time, so it’s more important to maintain hormone levels.

The best ways to produce hormones naturally are sleeping and exercising. When exercising above the lactate threshold for at least 10 minutes, men and women show the highest levels of HGH.

This is also true for athletes, who may benefit more from circuit workouts than bodybuilders. If using the bulking and cutting phases, bodybuilders and weight lifters might find benefit from circuit workouts.

Though not a typical bodybuilder, Jack LaLanne used circuit training to maintain his physique until his death.

Some Golden Era greats used a form of circuit training, though theirs were much higher intensity. They required up to a week in between workouts to recuperate and rest.

Tips for an Effective and Safe Circuit Workout

Before we get started with creating your best circuit workout to meet your goals, we have some tips for you.

1. Beginners

If you are a beginner to working out and/or circuit workouts in general, start out slow. Choose easier exercises using bodyweight and only ones you can do with perfect form.

Set a low time limit and number of rounds. You can increase as you get more confident and your stamina increases.

2. Form

Don’t choose any exercise you haven’t done before. You need perfect form to do anything with high-intensity to avoid injury.

Before you add a new exercise to your circuit workout, make sure you practice it alone. Ask for assistance or watch videos to make sure you are doing it correctly before it goes into your rotation.

3. Health

We said it before and we’ll say it again, if you have any health concerns, address this type of workout with your doctor before starting. Especially any type of heart or cardiovascular conditions.

Once you’ve got the all-clear, go ahead and start.

4. Recovery

For most workouts, you can continue the next day with a different muscle group or take a rest day. For high-intensity workouts, you want to take at least two rest days in between.

You shouldn’t be doing these types of workouts more than three times a week. Your muscles need ample time to rest and recover.

Are you ready to create your best circuit workout routine? Let’s get started.

Creating Your Best Circuit Workouts

Here is the formula you will use to create a circuit workout. Stick to the same routine at least for one week, but feel free to switch it up after that.

Here is our formula again:

1. Set a time limit
2. Choose an upper-body exercise
3. Pick a lower-body exercise
4. Choose a compound exercise
5. Select a sprint
6. Rest

Step One – Set a Time Limit

If you are a beginner, pick a time limit of 5 – 10 minutes to start with. It may not sound like much, but you will definitely feel the workout intensity once you get started. 

Once you’ve determined your total time, you need to determine how many rounds you want to go. Beginners should probably pick two or three rounds to get started. 

If you are more advanced, your circuit workout can include up to twenty rounds if you have the ability. Keep in mind that you should try to limit your circuit workouts to no more than 45-minutes total.

A beginner choosing two rounds will then need to figure out how many seconds to do each exercise. For eight minutes, you can do each exercise for 30 seconds with 15 seconds rest in between.

Here’s an example:

• Upper-body exercise – 30 seconds each round, 15 seconds rest in between each round
• Lower-body exercise – 30 seconds each round, 15 seconds rest in between each round
• Compound exercise – 30/15
• Sprint – 30/15
• Rest – 1 minute between rounds

When creating the best circuit workout routine, remember to incorporate the rest between rounds. If you increase your rest between exercises, you’ll go longer throughout the entire routine.

If the entire time doesn’t matter as much, then focus on time spent on each exercise. You’ll want at least half that time to rest between each exercise.

For example, 60 seconds per exercise needs at least 30 seconds between exercises, maybe more.

You may find that when you first start, you need more rest and that’s okay. Remember, this style of working out takes less time than a typical gym session.

So you will spend less time working out even if you need more rest in between each exercise or round.

Step Two – Choose an Upper-Body Exercise

Now that you’ve got your times figured out, your next step is to pick upper-body exercises. You can do either one upper-body exercise for all rounds or choose a different one for each.

If you want to take advantage of working different muscle groups, choose a different exercise for each round. You can focus on triceps first, then biceps, then shoulders, and so on. 

Keep in mind when picking your upper-body exercises that you will also be including compound exercises in the circuit. We’ve got a list of some of the best upper-body exercises to include in your circuit workout.

Also, consider if you are doing this circuit training at home or the gym and if you are using the equipment. 

Here are some examples of bodyweight upper-body exercises to choose from:

• Diamond push-ups
• Plank ups
• Superman hold and squeeze
• Tricep dips
• Burpees
• Biceps curl (with or without dumbbell)
• Arm circles
• Side push-ups

If you plan to do circuit training at home, you should consider investing in dumbbells and a bench at least. It gives you a lot more options, but again, make sure you perfect form before adding to your circuit.

Step Three – Choose a Lower-body Exercise

Just like the previous step, you can choose to do the same lower-body exercise for each round or mix it up. Choose which muscle groups you want to work on, which can help narrow down your choices.

Here are some bodyweight exercises you can consider:

• Walking lunges (optional dumbbell)
• Reverse lunges (optional dumbbell)
• Calf raises
• Wall sit
• Squats
• Single leg deadlift (optional dumbbell or kettlebell)

Step Four – Choose a Compound Exercise

Compound exercises work out more than one muscle group at a time. You can choose a compound exercise that works out any muscle group.

Consider the upper and lower body exercises you already chose when creating your best circuit workout.

These exercises will help elevate your heart rate more than the other two, which focus more on resistance training.

Here are some bodyweight compound exercises to consider:

• Mountain climbers
• Bench hop over
• Jumping lunges
• Squats
• Lunges
• Dips
• Push-ups

Now, you’re ready to add in your sprints and consider your rest periods. Then, we’ll put it all together to create your personal best circuit workout fit for men and women.

Step Five – Sprints

For this section, you’ll ramp up your cardio using sprint exercises. If you are athletic and putting together a circuit workout, you can use another sprint in place of the compound exercises.

The best part about creating your own circuit workout is being able to tailor it to your preferences and goals. Remember, you can change up your circuit training routine each week if you want.

Let’s take a look at some sprint exercises:

• Jumping rope
• Cycling
• Jogging (best uphill for the increased challenge)
• Rowing
• Stair climbing
• Running

Step Six – Rest

You can’t forget rest periods when completing circuit training workouts. You’ll want a shorter rest period in between exercises and then a longer period between each round.

Rest periods between exercises should be no longer than twice the time of the exercise duration. For example, a 30-second exercise should have no more than a minute rest period. Go for the least amount of rest and increase if necessary.

As for the rest period between each round, take at least a minute and up to three minutes. Start on the lower end and increase if needed. 

Putting It All Together

Now that we’ve got a framework for creating the circuit workout, let’s put a sample together to see how it works.

For this sample, we’re going to do five rounds with alternating exercises for each round.

1. Burpees, walking lunges, dips, rowing
2. Diamond push-ups, walking sit, mountain climbers, jumping rope
3. Superman hold and squeeze, calf raises, bench hop over, running
4. Bicep curl, single-leg deadlift, push-ups, cycling
5. Arm circles, squats, jumping lunges, stair climbing

For this circuit, complete each exercise for 30 seconds with 20 seconds of rest in between. Also, take 75 seconds between each round. This entire circuit will be finished in 22 minutes.

Not too bad when you don’t even have to hit the gym to get in a full-body workout! 

Of course, choose exercises that match your skill level and goals. Focus on a specific type of machine or mix it up. The choice is yours and you are free to change your routine up.

Gym Circuit Workouts

If you plan to complete your circuit workout at the gym, consider other patrons when doing it. Some gyms actually have a separate section for circuit training, which would be perfect to get started. 

Gym setups can limit the exercise types, but it’s designed to get your circuit workout done in 30 minutes or less.

If there isn’t a designated circuit training section, you’ll have to create your own. This can be hard during a busy time, so consider doing this during slow times.

Also, consider the distance between machines if you are using them to complete your circuit workout. If you have a short rest period between exercises, you might be using that time to move between machines.

That can reduce the amount of rest you get between exercises.

Be strategic when creating your own circuit training routine to do in the gym. If someone gets to a machine or weights before you do, it can throw off your routine or bring it to a halt.

The Bottom Line

With a little bit of work and creativity, you can create your own best circuit training workout. You can adapt the routine for the amount of time and equipment you have.

Both beginners and advanced exercisers can benefit from creating their own plans to meet their goals.

Be considerate if you are in a shared gym situation or get yourself some equipment if you’d rather do it at home. If you do it at home, consider having a friend there to work out with and act as a spotter.

Once you’ve created your workout, change it up as needed. If you are working on weight loss, you can increase the time and rounds as you lose weight.

Circuit workouts are great for people who lack time and aren’t focused on muscle gains.

If you’ve created your own circuit workout, we’d love to read what you’re working out in the comments. What do you like (or not like) about circuit training? Do you prefer a specific format or timeframe?