Circuits aren’t just good for burning calories. You can also use them to build strength and muscle. Exhibit A: Day 2 of Circuit Week. It’s designed to help you build “unstoppable” strength by having you perform slow, controlled exercises with moderately heavy weights.
“It’s the perfect combo to build both size and strength,” says B.J. Gaddour, C.S.C.S., Men’s Health Fitness Director. “And since you’re performing high-intensity movements with short rest periods, you’ll also get the added benefits of metabolic conditioning.”
(For more workouts that rev your metabolism, check out Bodyweight Cardio Burners, a cutting-edge fitness program that packs three intense 20-minute equipment-free workouts into one DVD.)
How it works
Grab a pair of 25-pound dumbbells and perform the following 5 exercises in a row: dumbbell front squat, band pushup, dumbbell alternating reverse lunge, dumbbell pushup-position row, and dumbbell hip hinge to row. Do each movement for 30 seconds, and then rest 30 seconds before moving on to the next exercise. Finish all 5 moves to complete a circuit. Do 6 for a 30-minute strength workout.
Watch Gaddour perform the workout in the video above. And then check out Circuit Week’s Home Page for all of this week’s routines.
