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Prepare to get strong… and sweaty.
If you’re anything like me, you have two constants in your life. A) You love to workout and B) You never have time! It’s for these reasons that whenever I go to the gym I try to hit it hard and fast. Today as part of the “What I Worked Wednesday” series I’m sharing one of my favorite gym days from this last week – a total-body circuit that will work muscles in ways that you never thought possible! Ready for it?! Here we go!
Complete Circuit 1 in the order of 1A, 1B, 1C until all sets are complete. Then move on to Circuit 2 in the order of 2A, 2B, 2C until all sets are complete. Then move on to Circuit 3 for 3A, 3B, 3C until all sets are complete. All three of these circuits should take you about an hour to complete. If you only have 40 minutes – do 2 of them! If you only have 20 minutes – pick one! The important thing is that you make it work for you!!
Warm up – pick your favorite piece of cardio equipment and spend 5 minutes on it. I prefer the elliptical or the rower on “total-body days” just because it’s a great way to warm up your arms, too!
Circuit #1 – 3 sets of each exercise
1A – Squats: keep your back straight, chest up, and head held high. Great for the legs, hips, and lower back. 10 reps
1B – Incline bench press: get on an incline bench to hit the upper chest, shoulders, and triceps. 10 reps1C – Roman chair back extensions: my go-to for lumbar strengthening. Great also for the glutes! 15 reps
Circuit #2 – 3 sets of each exercise
2A – Thrusters: combining the squat with a military press; one of my favorite total-body exercises. 10 reps2B – Pull ups: If you can’t do one on your own most gyms have a
pull-up assist machine. If you still don’t have one of those grab a lat pulldown on the cables. No better exercise for the lats! 10 reps
pull-up assist machine. If you still don’t have one of those grab a lat pulldown on the cables. No better exercise for the lats! 10 reps
2C – Decline sit-ups: Take your abs through more range of motion against gravity to work them harder! 15 reps
Circuit #3 – 3 sets of each exercise
3A – Single-arm kettle bell swings: Shoulders, back, butt, and legs. If you’ve never done one of these bad boys stop reading this right now and go try it out immediately! 10 reps on each arm
3B – Bent-over rows: Stabilize with your lower back while working your upper back. Remember, posture is important to prevent injury! 10 reps
3C – Ab wheel (or suspension straps) roll-outs: Just to make sure the core is good and tapped-out! 15 reps
Congratulations!! You nailed it!
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Looking for more great gym workouts? Check out other posts in our “What I Worked Wednesday” series:
Make it happen,
Jared
By Jared Beckstrand