This article looks at a typical circuit training workout and some sample workouts. It also covers circuit training workout benefits and drawbacks, how to get started, and more.
Circuit training workouts offer plenty of variety in their intensity, aim, and exercise options.
Some exercises focus on improving muscle tone and strength, while others aim to improve aerobic capacity.
You can utilize dumbbells, a weight machine, a medicine ball, fitness bands, a jump rope, etc. You can also use less traditional training tools such as ropes or chains.
If you don’t have any equipment, you can use your body weight for resistance, doing exercises such as Push-Ups, Sit-Ups, Lunges, Squats, Burpees, Man Makers, etc.
Regardless of whether you use equipment or don’t, the nature of the exercises can dramatically increase your pulse rate, improve your heart health, burn calories, and more.
Whom does it suit?
This type of fitness program burns more calories than steady-state and creates an afterburn, making circuit training workouts an excellent choice for those wanting to lose weight without spending a lot of time exercising.
It is not the best choice if your primary goals are to improve your endurance and get buff.
NB: If you are new to exercise or have high blood pressure or another medical condition that may preclude you from intense exercise, please get the okay from your doctor before undertaking this type of workout.
Table of Contents
How it works
With circuit training, you complete a pre-determined number of exercises and reps for a specific number of sets or circuits. Some exercises are time-based rather than rep-based, with 30 seconds to 3 minutes being usual.
When done in a class setting, you will typically do between 8 and 12 exercises, up to 20 reps, and 3 to 5 sets. You get a 15 to 60-second break between sets, with 20 to 30 seconds standard. You will then move to the next “station.”
Each subsequent station targets a different muscle group, for example, your upper body, core, lower body, or total body. Exercising in this manner helps to prevent overstressing a muscle group and causing an injury.
When you reach the end of a circuit – meaning you have done each exercise – you will get a short break, then start at the beginning again.
Next, we will look at the main circuit training benefits, followed by the drawbacks.
NB: The outline above is a guideline only. The number of exercises, reps, and circuits varies greatly, as do the rest periods between these.
Circuit Training Workouts Benefits
Circuit training has valuable benefits that make it a popular choice for people of all fitness levels. Included are the following.
Suitable for all fitness levels –
Circuit training workouts are easy to customize.
Whether you are an elite athlete or a beginner, it is possible to personalize your workout to your fitness level.
Beginners can do less challenging exercises, fewer reps and sets, and take longer breaks. Those who want to increase the challenge can do more reps and sets and, therefore, longer sessions and take shorter breaks.
The intensity of the circuit can be altered when using fitness equipment such as weights, with newbies going light and those with more experience lifting heavier.
Time-efficient –
With circuit training, you can get an effective workout in 30 minutes or less. Workouts are less time-consuming because next to no time is wasted between sets.
Numerous studies have proven that, though time-efficient, this type of workout can improve your cardiorespiratory endurance, which is the efficiency with which your heart, lungs, and muscles work during extended periods of exercise.
A further benefit of brisk-paced workouts that you are more likely to be engaged from start to finish.
Offers a total-body workout –
Circuit training workouts target the entire body. As referenced above, each successive station targets a different muscle group. Along with helping to prevent injury, your muscles won’t tire as quickly. This is particularly beneficial since there’s a minimal break between exercises.
By exercising your upper body, then your core, then your lower body, then doing a total body exercise, each muscle group can rest briefly and recover between sets.
Can promote weight loss –
Circuit training exercises burn many calories, so you will likely lose weight and reduce your BMI if you do them regularly. 
A primary reason for the high-calorie burn is that your heart rate will rapidly increase and remain elevated throughout the workout and beyond.
One report of nine studies involving a total of 837 participants concluded that circuit training workouts are highly effective for weight loss and body fat reduction in the overweight and obese.
Various other studies, including several cited by NCBI – the National Center for Biotechnology Information – have the same conclusion.
NB: The exercises you do and how much effort you put into them will affect how much weight you lose. Factors such as diet, stress management, and sleep quality and quantity also impact weight loss.
Can improve heart health –
Circuit training involving aerobic and strength training helps build cardiovascular endurance.
Because there is no break between exercises and only a brief pause between sets, your heart rate will stay high throughout every circuit. Over time, the heart muscle strengthens, pumping blood throughout the body more efficiently.
It also improves lung capacity, enabling you to breathe more freely as you exercise, enhancing your stamina and endurance.
Other circuit training benefits linked to improved heart health include:
Prevents boredom –
Boredom is a common reason for people to abandon their workout routine. Circuit training offers endless variety, so you will look forward to the sessions rather than dread them.
If you find the sessions becoming a little stale, switch up your chosen activities, and you will quickly be back on track.
Equipment isn’t necessary –
If your budget is tight and you don’t want to shell out for fitness equipment, or you want to start exercising immediately, with circuit training, you can get an excellent workout using bodyweight alone.
Circuit Training Workout Drawbacks
Circuit training benefits far outweigh the drawbacks, but it’s vital to know that some negatives exist.
The following are some of the most common drawbacks of circuit training:
Not the best choice for building bulk –
While circuit training exercises can increase your strength and improve your muscle tone, workouts won’t build as much bulk as traditional weight training workouts and compound exercises.
Circuit training typically involves lighter weights and more reps, with medium to hefty weights and fewer reps being the best choice for adding bulk.
Increasing muscle mass also requires more extended breaks between sets than circuit training provides.
There are better choices to improve endurance –
There’s no disputing that circuit training will improve your endurance to a certain extent, but the speed of the exercise is not conducive to increasing it to help you run a marathon, for example.
Not the best option for beginners –
As with most exercises, circuit training is customizable to suit individuals of most fitness levels. However, if you are at the beginning of your fitness journey and don’t have a lot of stamina, the fast pace and limited rest time may be too challenging.
Space requirement –
You may have to avoid some exercises if you plan to do your workouts outside of a gym or large outdoor space.
While there are still plenty of exercises you will be able to do, some, such as walking lunges, may not be possible.
Beginner circuit training workout
Getting started
Choose your exercises.
Begin your workout with a 5-minute Warm-Up of stretching and light cardio exercise. This will prepare your body for the training ahead.
After your Warm-Up, do each exercise you’ve set yourself in a cycle, moving from one to the next, with minimal rest in between.
For example: if you’re doing 6 exercises, do each for 1-minute, fitting in as many reps as possible while maintaining your form to avoid injury and get the most from your workout.
Rotate the body area you work to target your upper body, core, lower body, and total body rather than do Lunges followed by Squats, as both focus primarily on the lower body.
Take a 30-second break before moving on to the next exercise. Complete all the circuits.
The number of cycles you do will vary depending on your fitness level and goals.
Some examples of circuit training exercises
The following body weight circuit training exercises will increase your heart rate and boost your metabolism, so you will burn a lot of calories. 
Do each using the 40/20 protocol. In other words, do as many reps as you can for 40 seconds, rest for twenty seconds, then move to the next exercise.
- Run In Place
- Planks
- Squats
- Regular or bent-knee Push-Ups
- Jumping Jacks
- Reverse Lunges (Jump Lunges if you’re advanced)
- Skater Hops
- Mountain Climbers
- Side to Side Hops
- Jump Rope
Rest for one to two minutes, then repeat the entire sequence once or twice.
Other things to try
You may also like to try Complexes. This involves using one fitness aid, such as a kettlebell, a barbell, or dumbbells, only putting it, or them, down after you’ve finished your workout.
“Every Minute on the Minute,” or EMOM, is another option.
To do this:
- Decide if you want to do one, two, or three minutes per exercise in total, then choose your exercises.
- Determine how many reps you can do in 60 seconds, maintaining the proper form. Depending on the exercise, this could be 6, 8, or 10 reps.
- When the minute is up, take a break until the start of the next minute, at which time you will move to the next exercise.
If you finish a set in 45 seconds, you will have a 50-second rest. Finish it in 55 seconds, and you get a 55-second rest, etc.
Final Thoughts on Circuit Training Workouts
Circuit training is a great way of keeping your body in shape and helping you achieve your fitness goals. It’s effective for any person, whether a beginner or an expert.
And with workouts being short, it is ideal for people who don’t have much free time to work out.
Are you looking for more quick workouts? If so, click here to read an article on Tabata training – the 4 Minute workout.
