What can you do in a 30 minutes workout?

You have 30 minutes for your workout. What should you do? Hit the gym and lift some weights or simple grab a pair of shoes to run. What if there is a workout that enables you to target your muscular fitness as well as your aerobic fitness?

If you are thinking of circuit training, you are right! Sorry, I am not talking about CrossFit. Anything involving a series of exercises done in succession are generally labeled as circuit-type of training, regardless of other names given to it in the industry currently.  In this article, I shall focus on a circuit workout in the gym.

A sample of a circuit workout

1.      Dumbbell goblet squats x 20

2.      Barbell/dumbbell rows x 10

3.      Dumbbell Romanian deadlift x 20

4.      Dumbbell chest press x 10

5.      Barbell/dumbbell overhead press x 10

6.      Burpees x 20

- There are six exercises in this circuit which is a general full-body workout. These exercises are chosen as they require lesser set-up time and space in a gym which may be occupied with other users.

- Firstly, perform 20 jumping jacks to warm up the body. Go through a warm-up circuit with light weights and lesser reps before you stretch (if necessary). This will take 5-10 minutes.

- Start of workout. Perform the circuit AFAP with good form. The only rest time is the set-up time for the next exercise. Due to time constraints, aim to complete 2-3 circuits within 15-20 minutes depending on your ability. You are allowed to rest for 1-2 minutes in between circuits.

- Cool down and do some flexibility work for 5 minutes.

- The whole workout should take no more than 30 minutes including warm-up and cool down.

Note: The main characteristic of circuit training is to perform the exercises with the required reps in succession with minimum or no rest in between until all the exercises are completed. Choose a weight that you can perform the reps without struggling, but with considerable effort.

Conclusion: Circuit training using resistance exercises coupled with aerobic exercises such as burpees or skipping is an efficient and effective method to target your muscular and aerobic fitness in the gym. You can do this 2-3 times weekly and change the exercises and/or order accordingly.