Can’t make it to the gym? You can
work out anywhere if you know how to create your own circuit, says
Whether it’s your location, a busy schedule
or your budget that’s keeping you away from the gym this month, there’s no
reason it should stop you from staying in shape – even if you’ve only got five
minutes to spare. You can work your body from head to toe, as well as raise
your heart rate and work up a real sweat with a simple five, 10 or 15-minute
circuit session. So how do you put together a workout that ticks all the
fitness boxes in such a short space of time? WF shows you the ropes. Up your
work rate
10
or 15-minute circuit session.
Make sure your workout is worthwhile by
challenging your body in as many different ways as possible. By keeping rest
periods scarce and working at a high intensity, you can make your workout
count, even if you’re short on time.
Mix and Match
Make sure you include some cardio exercise
in each of your circuits. This will get you warmed up as part of your workout,
so you don’t need to waste any time at the start. Running, skipping, jumping
jacks – it all counts. Next, use resistance exercises and weights, if you can.
This will ensure that you’re working your body in a different way and building
lean muscle mass, which will increase your metabolic rate. This combination,
teamed with high-intensity work, means you’re guaranteed to be burning calories
long after you finish.
Make
sure you include some cardio exercise in each of your circuits.
Total-Body Burn
Try to target all areas – your upper body,
lower body and your core. Even better, include some compound moves that hit all
your key muscles in one: think lots of clean and presses and press-up Burpees.
Finally, up the ante by completing all the exercises together, back to back,
without any rest. This will make sure you really boost your muscular endurance
and cardio fitness.
Keep It Simple
If you keep your equipment basic and stick
to small pieces of kit like dumbbells and resistance bands, you can easily put
together an effective circuit to do in your own home, at the park or in the
garden. Looks like you’re all out of excuses! To get you started, here’s three
challenging circuits you can do in five, 10 or 15 minutes.
