Creating Your Own Circuit-Style Workout at Home

How many times have you found yourself saying, “I can’t find the motivation to workout at home” or “My workout is less effective if I am outside the gym.” Typically, barriers to exercising at home are more closely related to innovation rather than motivation. It can be challenging to keep a workout fresh, time sensitive and applicable using basic equipment at home. However, we often forget that bodyweight is all we need for strength training and endurance as long as appropriate intensities are utilized.

A popular form of exercise where body weight can easily be incorporated is circuit training! It’s time sensitive and a great way to utilize all major muscle groups, increase your heart rate and keep your home workout fresh. Below are some guidelines, recommendations and considerations for creating a circuit-style workout at home. I will also provide a sample circuit workout at the end.

Considerations before beginning

• As with all exercise programs, medical clearance by your physician is recommended.
• Pick an area in your home or outside where adequate space is available.
• Remove any items off of the ground that could be tripping hazards.
• Stay within the limits of your current physical ability.
• Practice proper techniques and stay mindful of your form.
• Stop exercising if you experience any lightheadedness, unusual pain or discomfort.
• Avoid the Valsalva maneuver.

Exercise selection

1. Incorporate all major muscle groups. This will affect your resistance and intensity throughout the workout.
2. Create balance. For example, alternate between lower body, upper body and core exercises.
3. Modify and adapt the exercise to fit YOU and your abilities (e.g. sit to stand versus a squat).
4. Create safety in your workout (e.g. holding on to stable furniture or a countertop for balance).
5. Use what you already have at home (e.g. stairs, walls, countertops, chairs).
6. Create easy transitions to minimize breaks.

Number of exercises and length of time

1. The goal is to pick a number between 9-12 exercises. For better conditioned individuals, choose a number closer to 12. For less conditioned, start with nine or it may be less than nine, and work your way up to more exercises.
2. Pick an amount of time that allows you to accomplish about 15 repetitions of an exercise (e.g. 30, 45 or 60 seconds).
3. Choose an amount of rest time between exercises (e.g. 15, 30 or 45 seconds). Again, personalize it to fit you. For better conditioned individuals, try 15-30 seconds of rest or less. For less conditioned, start with 45 seconds if needed.
4. Total time should be personalized to fit you and your current physical conditioning! Better conditioned individuals can repeat their circuit multiple times for a longer workout. Less conditioned individuals may need to repeat their circuit once to start. Keep in mind the American College of Sports Medicine’s guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week – that’s a goal of 30 minutes, 5 days per week. You can always break that 30 minutes in to three 10-minute sessions.

Sample circuit

The following workout is nine-station circuit. Plenty of variations can be added to tailor this example to your individual needs. All exercises are done with body weight only and can be completed in most homes or outside. For this example, I performed each exercise for 30 seconds with 15 seconds of rest in between exercises for a total circuit time of about seven minutes. This circuit can be repeated two to three times.