20 Minute Upper Body Circuit Workout with Weights

Morning loves!

So..I've really been trying to be good about keeping a regular exercise routine going, which for the most part has been successful. I do strength training about 3X a week with at least a 30 minute walk with the roomie around the neighborhood.

I've recently started running every other day to get back on track with  my running routine, and trying to get back to the long distances in the Spring. I've started at 3 miles on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 4 miles on Saturday or Sunday, and increasing by ½ mile every week. I have to get back on interval running to get my speed back too! So much running to catch up on!

After reading many other bloggers posting their own home workouts, and getting my butt kicked by Jillian Michaels in Shredded in 30, I decided I can make my own strength circuits!

I've made them based on Jillian's 3-2-1 routines of 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio, 1 minute abs, for a total of about 20 minutes of non-stop action.

Disclaimer: I am not a personal trainer nor a fitness professional. You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting any fitness routine to determine if it is right for you. 

The key to making this a good workout is minimal rest. Try to perform the entire workout without resting, especially in between the different types of exercise. You can rest for about 30 seconds in between repeating the circuit, but in order to "feel the burn" I suggest giving it all you got. Use 5 to 10 lb weights depending on what you are comfortable with.

I was nice and sweaty after I finished, and it goes by much faster if you keep on truckin'. I mean it IS only 20 minutes. That's less than an episode of Jersey Shore. And if you can make it through that, this should be a breeze...

I've also posted a link to the online stopwatch I used to make it easy to transition between exercises. I set each interval for an extra 10 seconds for you to get situated, and take ½ a breath if you can. I also labeled each interval with the corresponding exercise to make it easier to follow along. It is however set for repeat infinitely, so you can go eternally, squeeze out another round, or just keep track of when three rounds are up. I'm sure you won't forget when to stop! You can access this here.

Happy Monday!