BeWOW: The 10-Minute Circuit Workout

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This week, set your clock for 10 minutes and get ready to move. You’ll have three rounds of exercises that you’ll tackle for 10 minutes each. Each round will have four exercises, and you’ll repeat those exercises as many times as you can in the 10 minutes.

The nice part about this workout is if you’re pressed for time, each round is a mini-workout in itself, so just do as many as you have time for, or do each round for a shorter amount of time. See what I did there? Now you have no excuses.

Good luck!

BeWOW: The 10-Minute Circuit Workout

Round One
Complete the following list of exercises, doing as many rounds as you can in 10 minutes.

10 kettlebell swings (*Note: If you don’t have a bell, do dead lifts or squat jumps.)
8 squats with overhead press
6 burpees
4 pull-ups

Round Two
Complete the following list of exercises, doing as many rounds as you can in 10 minutes.

10 box jumps
10 decline push-ups
10 sit-ups
10 tricep dips

Round Three
Complete the following list of exercises, doing as many rounds as you can in 10 minutes.

20 lunge jumps
15 chest flies
10 bicep curls
5 plank rows on each side

Explanation of exercises

Round One

• Kettlebell swings: Standing with feet about hip-width apart, hold a kettlebell in front of you both both hands. Bend your knees into a squat, swinging the kettlebell back through your legs as you drop down and forward to about shoulder height as you stand. Repeat in a fluid motion.
• Squat with overhead press: Hold free weights at your shoulders, and do a squat. As you stand back up, press the weights over your head.  Return them to your shoulders as you squat back down.
• Burpee: Just like an up-down in football. Put your hands on the ground, jump your feet out behind you so you’re in push-up position, lower to the ground, bring your feet back in, and stand up.
• Pull-ups: Suspend yourself on the pull-up bar with your hands a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Pull yourself up, keeping your body as straight as possible, until your chest reaches the bar. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat. (If you’re struggling with pull-ups, try these alternatives instead.)

Round Two

• Box jumps: Pick a stable surface that you can jump onto and land safely (use a step, bench in the gym, low wall outside, etc).  Start in a squat and jump from both feet to land on both feet in a squat on top of the surface.  Stand up from your squat and step back down.
• Decline push-ups: Put your feet on a bench or step, and put your hands on the ground. Do your push-ups in that position.
• Sit-up: Lie on your back with feet on the floor and knees bent. Put your hands behind your ears. Without pulling on your neck and using only your abs, lift your shoulders off the mat and come to a full sit-up position. Lie back down slowly.
• Tricep dips: Using a bench or a chair, step your legs out a few feet in front of your body. Steady your hands on the bench or chair and, with your back just a few inches from your fingertips, lower your body to the ground. Then raise your body back to the starting position by pushing into the bench or chair. Repeat.

Round Three

• Lunge jumps: Start standing with feet together and step forward with the left leg into a lunge, bending knee to about 90 degrees. Jump as you stand back up and switch legs before you land, so your right leg is forward. Lunge again, then jump, putting your left leg forward, and so forth. Left and right counts as one.
• Chest fly: Lying on your back on a bench, hold a dumbbell in each hand and extend your arms out from your body so you form a T; palms should be facing up toward the ceiling. This is your starting position. Without locking elbows, raise your arms so they meet together in front of you, knuckles touching, squeezing your chest as you do so. Lower and return to the starting position.
• Bicep curls: Hold dumbbells at your side with palms facing forward. Pretend your elbows are glued to your midsection and curl the weight toward your shoulders, keeping your upper arm still. Slowly return your weight to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
• Plank row: In a push-up position with your hands on free weights, row one weight up and back, keeping your hips square to the floor and squeezing your shoulder blade. Lower and repeat on the other side.

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Audrey McKenna Hasse is the owner of A.M.Fit, a personal training and healthy consultation business on the Main Line. You’ll find her workouts every Monday right here on Be Well Philly.

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