3-2-1 Sweaty Circuit

So yesterday, I had a session with one of my favorite clients. She’s always up for a good butt-kicking (even if she does swear at me – all in fun, of course!), so I decided to take part of our session to complete a circuit workout very similar to the one I’m sharing with you all today.

(sorry that it looks a little blurry – I tried everything under the sun to fix it…)

I thought this circuit was great (although she may beg to differ) because it incorporates a little bit of everything: 2 sets of 3 compound strength moves, 2 cardio cardio bursts, and one ab move.

I also decided to switch it up and track the time of each movement, rather than counting reps. This way, if you’re a beginner, feel free to even start at 30 seconds of each movement, then gradually work your way up to 1 minute.

If you complete each strength move for the full minute, one round will take you about 10 minutes; do three rounds, and you’ve got yourself a full body workout, all in 30 minutes!

And since I know you guys really love visuals, I made sure to add ‘em in this time, too.

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Squat with Front Kick – Stand with feet together and elbows at your sides, a weight in each hand, pulling abs in. Bring your right knee up, then extend the leg in a front kick, as shown. Lower leg and bend both knees to sit back into a squat; stand and kick with your left leg.

Alternating Dumbbell Cross Jab on Bosu – Stand with feet a bit wider than hip-width apart and knees slightly bent. Hold a weight in each hand at chest height with elbows bent, palms facing each other. Punch your right arm out, as shown, stepping onto the bosu with your right foot. As you bring it back in, punch out with your left arm and step onto the bosu with your left foot. Step off bosu and continue punching/ stepping motion (if you don’t have a bosu, just step forward on the ground).

Reverse Lunge with Bicep Curl – Hold dumbbells at sides and stand with feet hip-width apart. Step back with left foot, and lunge, bending both knees to lower body until right knee is bent at least 90 degrees. At the same time, curl the dumbbells to your chest. Reverse the movement by lowering the weights and returning to standing.

Mountain Climbers – Begin in a pushup position on hands and toes. Bring right knee in towards the chest, resting foot on the floor. Jump up and switch feet in the air, bringing left foot in and the right foot back. Continue alternating the feet as fast as you can.

Fast Feet on Box/Step – Stand facing a step or sturdy box at a height you can step on and off of without having to jump. Moving feet as quickly as possible, step up onto box with both feet and then back down with both feet. Repeat quickly.

Oblique Twist with Medicine Ball – Sit with knees bent and lean back slightly (about 45 degrees) while holding a medicine ball. Draw belly button in and twist from side to side, tapping your elbow or palm down to the floor. Twist from side to side, keeping the movement slow and controlled.

<—Hey look, it’s Tina!

Alternating Lunge with Shoulder Press: Stand with feet hip-width apart. Hold a weight in each hand, elbows bent, palms in, hands directly at shoulder height. Take a step forward with your left foot and lower into a lunge as you press weights overhead and extend arms. Step your left foot back as you lower weights to your shoulders, and return to standing. Alternate legs.

Kettlebell Swing – Grab a kettlebell with both hands and stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Squat down until thighs are nearly parallel to the floor; immediately stand back up, swinging the kettlebell out and up until it’s at shoulder height. As the kettlebell begins to arc back down, bend your knees and squat, swinging kettlebell between your legs.

Burpees – Begin in a squatted position with hands on floor in front of you. Jump feet back behind you as you lower torso to the ground (like in the bottom phase of a push-up). Jump your feet back up towards your hands as if in the starting position again. Jump straight up into the air extending your arms vertically to the sky, and repeat.

Split Jumps – Stand with feet in a staggered stance, left foot in front of your right, two or three feet apart. Lower your body into a split squat. Quickly jump up and scissor-kick your legs so that you land with your right leg forward. As soon as your feet land, lower your body into a split squat. Repeat.

Straight Arm Plank with Toe Taps – Begin with hands and toes touching the ground, with your body in a straight line from head to feet. Flex abs and glutes as you raise one foot off the floor and hold for a a second. Return foot to the floor and repeat on the other side.

Now go ahead and give this circuit a try! Let me know what ya think!

Tagged as: 3-2-1 circuit, 30 minute circuit, full body circuit, strength cardio and ab circuit, timed circuit workout