In addition, circuit training gives you a cardio workout. Because you move quickly from one exercise to the next, your heart rate stays up, and you burn more calories while you’re lifting weights. (Traditional strength training has more rest time.) To add flexibility benefits–an essential fitness component, especially as you get older–we’ve mixed in a few yoga poses. These easy moves stretch your muscles, while also helping to further increase your strength. (Research shows that stretching while you lift weights can boost strength gains by 20 percent.) “With circuit training, you can get a good cardiovascular workout and great muscle definition in a short time,” says Vern Gambetta, a conditioning coach in Sarasota, FL, who often trains Olympic and pro athletes using circuit training. Get this workout to go! Download it to your iPod, iPhone, or media player.
Lifting Weights Versus Jogging
Total-Body Toning Plan
Do this workout, and you’ll see results in as little as 4 weeks. Remember to rest for 15-second intervals between each exercise within each circuit. The exercises are bunched into groups of three followed by a stretch. Perform each exercise for 60 seconds, doing as many repetitions as possible. (It helps to have a clock with a second hand or a timer nearby.)
Eat for Success
Circuit 1
Twisting Crunch on a Ball: Sit on an exercise ball with your feet on the floor shoulder-width apart. Place your fingertips lightly behind your head. Lean back (the ball will roll slightly forward) so your rear and the small of your back are pressing against the ball. Using your abs, lift your shoulders up and forward, twisting your right shoulder toward your left side as you lift. Pause, then lower. Repeat, alternating sides, for a total of 60 seconds. Dumbbell Squat: Stand with your back to a chair and your feet about shoulder width apart. Hold the dumbbells at your shoulders, palms facing in. Keeping your back straight, bend at the knees and hips as though you are sitting down. Don’t let your knees move forward beyond your toes. Stop just shy of touching the chair, then stand back up. Repeat for 60 seconds.
Chest Press: Lying on the floor (or a bench), hold the dumbbells end to end just above chest height; your elbows should be pointing out. Press the dumbbells straight up, extending your arms. Hold, then lower. Repeat for 60 seconds.
Stretch, Cobra: Lie facedown with your feet together, your toes pointed, and your hands on the floor, palms down just in front of your shoulders. Pressing your hands into the floor, gently extend your arms, lifting your upper body off the floor as far as comfortably possible. If you feel any strain in your back, alter the pose so that you keep your elbows bent and your forearms on the floor. Hold for 15 seconds. Quick Tip: Perform to a soundtrack. Because it’s rhythmic and consistent, circuit training works well to music. Pick a CD with a steady groove that will keep you humming along. Anything R&B works well.
Circuit 2
Reverse Curl: Lie with your arms at your sides, your palms down. Bend your hips and knees so that your legs are over your midsection and relaxed. Slowly contract your abdominal muscles, lifting your hips 2 to 4 inches off the floor. Hold, then slowly lower. Repeat for 60 seconds. Biceps Curl: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells at your sides. Bending your elbows and turning your wrists upward, lift the dumbbells toward your shoulders. Don’t move your upper arms. Stop when the dumbbells are at chest height, palms facing your body. Pause, then lower. Repeat for 60 seconds.
Step Up: Stand facing an aerobic step or regular stair, holding dumbbells at your sides. Place your right foot on the step, and lift yourself up. Just tap your left foot on the top of the step, slowly lower your left foot to the floor, then step off with your right foot. Repeat, alternating feet, for a total of 60 seconds.
Stretch, Praise pose: Kneel with toes pointed behind you. Sit back onto your heels, and lower your chest to your thighs. Stretch your arms overhead, and rest your palms and forehead on the floor (or as close as comfortable). Hold for 15 seconds.
Quick Tip: Do the shuffle. Keep the workout fresh and interesting by changing the order whenever it feels too familiar. Since the exercises are bundled in groups of three followed by a stretch, just rearrange the groups, one week starting with group two, the next week group three, and so on.
Circuit 3
Chest Lift: Lie facedown on the floor with your hands under your chin. Lift your head, chest, and arms about 5 to 6 inches off the floor. Hold, then lower. Repeat for 60 seconds. Lunge: Standing with your feet together, hold dumbbells down at your sides, your palms facing in. Take one big step forward with your left leg. Plant your left foot, then slowly lower your right knee toward the floor. Your left knee should be at a 90-degree angle and your back straight. Press into your left foot, and push yourself back to the starting position. Repeat, alternating legs, for a total of 60 seconds.
Dip: Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair, hands grasping the seat on either side of your rear. Walk your feet out slightly, and inch your butt off the chair. Keeping your shoulders down and your back straight, bend your elbows back, and lower your butt toward the floor as far as comfortably possible. Slowly push back up. Repeat for 60 seconds.
Stretch, Downward Dog: Position yourself on the floor on your hands and knees, your feet flexed. Press your hands and feet into the floor, raising your hips toward the ceiling. Your body should look like an upside-down V. Keep lifting your tailbone toward the ceiling as you lower your heels to the floor as far as comfortably possible. Hold for 15 seconds.
Quick Tip: Keep it fun: Form a circuit circle. First there were sewing circles, then book groups. Invite a friend or two to work out with you. Each person starts at a different point in the circuit; every 60 seconds, shout “Switch,” and move to the next exercise.
Circuit 4
