The Easy Home Circuit

I just want to point out from the start that I am not a qualified fitness instructor.  This means simply that any exercise routine or meal plans I post about are ones I use myself and have created through trail, error and research.  Please be aware of your own body and if you find something hurts when you do it then don’t do it.

Ok so this workout is called “The Easy Home Circuit” as it requires very few pieces of equipment (EASY)  and can be done in the HOME (rocket science this post naming lark).

I find it a nice one to do in the morning as it wakes the whole body up.  The other great thing about circuits is you can do as many (or as few) complete sets as you have the time or energy for.

Firstly it is a good idea to warm the body up.  There are loads of simple ways to achieve this, here are a few I can think of  -

• If you have cardio equipment in the house use it for 5/10 mins on an easy / moderate setting
• Have a brisk 5/10 min walk outside (unless it miserable)
• Walk up and down your stairs while doing circles with your arms
• Do some jogging on the spot while punching the air

The idea is to get the blood flowing through your muscles and get your heart rate up – so anything that does that counts

Main Workout: One complete circuit should take approx. 10 mins to complete.  If there are any exercises you are unsure of how to perform then check out the BodyBuilding.com exercise database it is a really useful resource.  The main point to remember is that proper form is more important than doing loads of reps.

I aim for 15 reps of each exercise but anywhere between 10 and 20 (or more if you feel the need) is a reasonable number to complete.  There are 12 exercises suggested which roughly divide into 3 groups of 4 ordered: Upper Body (back or chest), Legs, Arms, and Core (abs or lower back).  Feel free to substitute any exercise for ones you would prefer to do, but try to stick to the body group order as this ensures you are not overloading any one body group.  Remember to not rest between exercises complete one and move straight on to the next, by the end you will have completed an all over body workout (“Happy Days” )  You do need to rest between circuits though for about 1 minute or until you feel ready to start again.

You do need a resistance band and a chair, weights are optional.

1. Press Ups (on knees or toes)
2. Squats (weights in hands optional)
3. Front Raises (using weights or resistance bands)
4. Air Bike (15 on each leg)
5. Lateral Pull Downs (using resistance band)
6. Calf Raises (weights in hands optional)
7. Lateral Raises (using weights or resistance bands)
8. Dorsal Raises
9. Seated Flyes (using resistance band and a chair)
10. Seated Low Row (using resistance band and a chair)
11. Lunges (weights in hands optional)
12. Side Bends (15 on each side)

Just to expand on a couple of the exercises:  when doing number 9 the resistance band goes around the back of the chair while you are sitting on it.  When doing 10 it is best to sit on the floor with your feet against the chair legs and put the resistance band around the legs.

Finally stretch at the end of the workout – check out this Made Fit TV video pod cast for some ideas (another excellent resource).

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