Want to get a sleek, toned body? Then you need a gym circuit workout for weight loss!

A gym circuit workout for weight loss is the best way to burn fat and build muscle at the same time. You’ll be working multiple muscle groups at once, so your body will be forced to burn more calories than it would if you were just doing one exercise at a time. The result is that you’ll be able to see results faster because your body will be working hard to keep up with the demands of this type of workout.

Plus, your heart rate will be elevated throughout the entire workout, which means even more calories burned! When done properly, these types of workouts can also help you improve your endurance and flexibility while increasing strength and power.

No matter what kind of equipment you have access to at home or at the gym, there are always ways around it—whether it’s using weights or just body weight alone! The key is finding what works best for YOU—and then sticking with it!

Right here on Buy and Slay, you are privy to a litany of relevant information on circuit training workouts for weight loss at home, weight loss gym routine female, and so much more. Take out time to visit our catalog for more information on similar topics.

Gym Circuit Workout For Weight Loss

When people decide they want to lose weight, they typically turn to cardio or aerobic training, like running on a treadmill or sweating buckets in an indoor cycling class. But while cardiovascular exercise can be effective for burning the calories required for weight loss, it’s not always the best option for those who don’t enjoy it.

Fortunately, there is another way to use exercise for weight loss: circuit training. Circuit training involves a series of resistance-training exercises for different movements or body parts with little to no rest between each exercise. An effective circuit alternates between upper- and lower-body parts or movements—like from push-ups to pull-ups for muscles responsible for different movements in the same region of the body.

If you’re looking to lose weight, sometimes the gym can seem really boring and if you’re sticking to one cardio routine you’ll probably find that you lose interest, instead of weight.

This is why circuits are so great for weight loss, as the exercises are always changing. Not only this, but they offer a chance to up your weight lifting strength which will build muscle and burn fat, whilst at the same time getting your heart rate up which is great for a strong calorie burning workout.

Take a look at the best gym circuits for weight loss to get you inspired to hit the gym.

1. The HIIT circuit

A HIIT circuit simply means any group of exercises that get your heart rate working at maximum capacity for an intense period, followed by a period of rest. To really get your metabolism boosted and the fat loss process going, try this super intense circuit. Do each exercise one after another and then follow that by a one minute break. Do this 3 times for beginners, 5 for intermediate gym goers and 6 for fitness freaks.

  • 10 x Burpees 
  • 30 seconds Mountain climbers
  • 30 seconds ball slams
  • 15 x jumping squats

2. The leg circuit

The legs are the biggest muscle group, with the glutes and the legs containing the biggest muscles in the body. Training them regularly is great for fitness as they burn more calories per pound than any other muscle, which makes them great for a weight loss. Not only will you build your leg strength and tone up, you’ll also burn a lot of calories which is what weight loss is all about. Repeat each exercise one after the other and follow by a minute break. Repeat 5 times.

  • 15 x lunges
  • 15 x squats 
  • 15 x jumping lunges
  • 15 x jumping squats
  • 15 x donkey kick backs

3. The all rounder

This circuit is perfect for people who want to do a bit of everything. It also works really well when completed after cardio, as it doesn’t attack one muscle group in particular which varies the muscle fatigue and allows you to keep pushing yourself. Do 1 minute off each exercise followed by a minute off for regular gym goers and 30 seconds of each exercise followed by a minute off for beginners. After completing the set take 2 minutes off and repeat 3 times.

  • Sit ups x 20
  • Lunges x 10
  • Russian twists x 20
  • Squats x 10
  • Superman’s x 10
  • Kettlebell swings x 10
  • Shoulder press x 15

4. The ab circuit

If you’re losing weight properly (that is by eating a healthy diet and exercising more) then you’ll soon see your muscles becoming more prominent as you lose fat and grow muscle. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing abs appear, and the good news is – everyone has them! 

Often they’re just nestled under a layer of fat which can be easily lost with a good diet and exercise regime. To build up your ab muscles, try this circuit which combines abs drills with high intensity bursts which speeds metabolism and increases fat burn. Repeat each exercise consecutively and then take a minute break, repeat this 3 times.

  • Sit ups x 20 
  • Burpees x 10
  • Crunches x 30
  • Mountain climbers x 30 seconds
  • Plank x 30 seconds

5. The high load circuit

A high load circuit is one in which you do the exercise with the heaviest weight that you can. This is perfect for weight loss for the following reason; when you lift heavy you build muscle which burns more calories when at standstill than fat. Therefore, the more muscular you are, the more calories you’ll burn without doing a thing. 

As we all know losing weight is simply about being in a calorie deficit – that is, burning more calories than you consume. So, if you want to lose weight, don’t think that cardio is your only option – a high load circuit is perfect too!

Repeat each exercise consecutively at the heaviest weight you can do it and then take a minute break, repeat this 3 times.

  • Ball slams x 15
  • Kettlebell swings x 15
  • Squat and press x 10
  • Shoulder press x 15

The Benefits of Circuit Training

1. The body burns 5 calories of energy to use 1 liter of oxygen. Circuit training can use most of the muscles in the body, which significantly increases oxygen consumption when compared to a mode of cardio exercise relying primarily on the lower body. Any mode of exercise that increases oxygen demand also increases energy expenditure, making it an effective strategy for weight loss.

2. Exercising at a moderate-to-high intensity (where breathing is much faster than normal and saying more than a couple of words at a time can be difficult) for more than 50 to 60 minutes at a time could lead to burning muscle instead of fat. At a higher intensity of exercise, the body will use primarily carbohydrate for fuel. Once this carbohydrate is depleted, the body uses the hormone cortisol to convert protein to fuel in a process called gluconeogenesis. When this happens, less protein is available to repair muscle tissue damaged during the exercise.

3. Doing too much cardio training could increase levels of abdominal fat. During low-intensity exercise, cortisol helps mobilize free fatty acids for use as energy. Fat takes longer to convert to energy than carbohydrates, which is why higher intensities rely on carbs for fuel. When cortisol levels are elevated, there are more free fatty acids in the bloodstream. The ones that aren’t used for energy can be redeposited in abdominal fat to be stored for later use.

4. While resistance-training circuits can increase lean muscle mass throughout the body, most modes of cardio training involve primarily leg muscles. Resistance training exercises stimulate the type II, fast-twitch muscle fibers responsible for improving strength and size. Increasing activation of the type II fibers can result in larger, more defined muscles throughout the entire body.

5. Higher levels of lean muscle mass equate to a higher resting metabolism, which means the body will burn more calories while at rest. At rest, 1 pound of muscle can burn up to 7 calories of energy during a 24-hour period. Adding 5 to 7 pounds of lean muscle mass can increase resting metabolism up to 50 calories a day or 350 calories over the course of a week. Given that the body uses approximately 100 calories to walk a mile, this can be considered the equivalent of taking a 3.5-mile walk.

Take Weight Loss Efforts Up a Notch

To increase energy expenditure for weight loss, combining circuit training with cardio exercise can be extremely effective. For example, after completing a circuit of resistance-training exercises, hop on a cardio machine for just 3 to 7 minutes of steady-state, moderate-intensity exercise. The cardio exercise should focus on the aerobic energy system—your breathing should be quicker than normal, but you shouldn’t be out of breath.

Circuit Training Workouts For Weight Loss At Home

The following sample workout can help you get started with circuit training for weight loss so that you can reach your goals without having to live on a cardio machine. You can perform this body-weight circuit from the comfort of your own home or in a limited amount of space in a commercial fitness facility. These exercises combine multiple movements and muscle groups in an effort to increase the oxygen demand and subsequent energy expenditure.

The Circuit

Inchworm Walkouts to Reverse Lunge With Arms Overhead

Inchworm Walkouts to Reverse Lunge With Arms Overhead

Start with feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent. Hinge at the hips, place your hands on the floor and walk forward to come to a high plank position. Hold for 5 seconds, walk back with the hands and return to a full standing position awhile reaching both arms overhead. Next, step backward into a reverse lunge with the right leg. Pull yourself forward with the left leg and then step immediately back with the left leg; return to standing. This is one repetition. Complete six to 10 repetitions (start at six and work up to 10).

Side Lunge to Single-leg Balance

Side Lunge to Single-leg Balance

Start with feet hip-width apart. Step the right foot to the right. As the right foot hits the ground (make sure the right foot is parallel to the left foot), push your weight back into your right hip. With your left hand, reach for your right foot. To return to standing, press your left foot into the ground to pull yourself up. At the top, contract your glutes to hold a single-leg balance for five to 10 seconds. Complete eight to 12 repetitions before alternating sides.

Squat to Push-up

Squat to Push-up

Start with feet shoulder-width apart. Push your hips back to lower into a squat. As you sink your weight back, bring both hands to the inside of your legs and place them on the floor. With your hands pressed into the floor, step back one foot at a time so that you are in a high-plank position. Brace your abdominals and keep your body straight as you lower yourself into a push-up. At the bottom of the movement, press both hands into the floor to return to the high-plank position. Step forward, one foot at a time, to return to standing position. Complete six to eight repetitions and work up to doing 12 to 15 reps.

Side Plank With Rotation

Side Plank With Rotation

(Note: This exercise is NOT recommended for individuals with shoulder or back pain.)

Begin by lying on your right side with both legs on top of one another. Place your right elbow directly under your right shoulder. Squeeze your legs together, contract your glutes and push your left hip up so that you are balanced on both feet and your right elbow (this is the starting position). Place your left hand behind your head and rotate your left elbow down toward the floor to rotate your trunk. Return to the starting position and repeat six to eight times and then switch sides. 

Transverse Lunge With Reach to Foot

Transverse Lunge With Reach to Foot

Begin standing with feet hip-width apart. With your right foot, step back and rotate your right hip so that when it lands your right foot is pointing in the 4 o’clock direction. Once your foot is on the floor, reach down for your right foot with your left hand while reaching for the sky with your right hand and rotating your trunk to your right. To return to standing, press your left foot into the floor and pull yourself back to the upright position. Complete eight to 10 reps on one side before switching sides; work up to completing 12 to 15 reps with each leg.

Body-weight Turkish Get-up (TGU)

Body-weight Turkish Get-up (TGU)

The best description for the TGU, as it’s commonly called, can be seen here. Instead of holding a weight, simply hold your arm extended and outstretched to receive the benefit of the exercise for your hips, obliques, spinal stabilizers and shoulders. Start with four to six reps on each side and work up to eight to 10.

Cardio Exercise

cardio

After you have completed the circuit, jump rope or perform jumping jacks for 45 seconds, rest for 15 seconds and repeat three times. Rest for 90 seconds before performing the next complete circuit (including cardio).

Start with two circuits every other day and allow two weeks for your body to get used to the movements. After the first two weeks, continue doing the workout every other day, adding one additional circuit each week, gradually working up to five circuits. After your reach five circuits, test yourself to see how many circuits you can complete in a specific amount of time (such as 15, 20 or 30 minutes).

Weight Loss Gym Routine Female

Looking for a workout plan that will kick-start weight loss? We tapped New York City-based CAFS personal trainer Ashley Rosenberg, a group fitness instructor at modelFIT NYC, to develop a four-day weight-loss workout plan to help boost your metabolism and build muscle from head to toe.

Follow this strength and cardio plan—but remember that to really see results, you also need to follow a clean eating plan.

“It really is true what they say—‘abs are made in the kitchen!’ I keep this mantra in my head all week long as I am making quick lunch and dinner decisions on the go,” says Rosenberg. “Our food is the fuel that keeps us going during the day and throughout our workouts.”

When you don’t eat a healthy diet, you might feel too full, bloated, and sluggish, she says. Refined sugar causes that inevitable crash that zaps your energy and you won’t be able to perform as well when you get to the gym, Rosenberg says.

You can’t “outwork” a bad diet at the gym. “There is no special trick to losing weight—you simply have to create a calorie deficit,” says Rosenberg. You have to burn more calories than you consume so if you are eating an unhealthy diet you would have to kill yourself in the gym, all day long, to the point it’s no longer fun and enjoyable. Every workout should leave you feeling accomplished, and hopefully on an endorphin high.

Eating the right foods helps give you energy and motivation to stay on track with your workouts, Rosenberg says.

A good diet motivates you to keep going, helps you sleep better so you have prolonged energy throughout the day, and keeps your body feeling lean and tight, she says.

“I follow the 90/10 rule: I follow my diet 90% of the time. I allow myself to fully indulge without regret when I am sitting down at a beautiful meal with my partner, friends, or family. It’s not about having a cheat meal, but enjoying the full experience with my loved ones,” says Rosenberg. “Because I know I have the freedom to indulge on those occasions, it’s so much easier to stay on track the rest of the week.”

WORKOUT DAY 1

Cardio: Jump rope intervals

Do 30 minutes of jump rope intervals. Start with 2 minutes on (jumping rope) and 1 minute of rest, working up to 3 minutes on the rope, 30 seconds of rest.

Strength Training: Arms & Abs

This exercise is pretty advanced, but you’ll really work your arms and core. Start in a plank. Bring your right knee forward while aiming for your right elbow. Hold the position for a second, pause, lower yourself into a pushup, push yourself back up, and then bring your leg back so you’re back in plank position. Repeat on each side for 10 reps. Rest 3 minutes, repeat for 3 sets.

Alternatively, for an easier (but still challenging!) abs move, start in a plank, and bring your right knee forward while aiming for your left elbow, hold for a pause, then open right knee to right elbow, hold for pause, send foot back into starting position. For an added challenge, add a push up at the end and repeat on the other side. That is one set. Repeat 10x. Rest for 1 to 3 minutes in between a set.

WORKOUT DAY 2

Treadmill Intervals

These are similar to the jump rope intervals. Do these treadmill intervals for 30 minutes. Starting by running for 2 minutes at a fast pace, then hop off to the side for 1 minute of rest. Work up to 3 minutes of fast running and 30 seconds rest of rest. (Try these calorie-torching treadmill workouts when you get bored with your running program.)

Strength Training: Thighs and Butt

Wearing 3lb ankle weights (Rosenberg’s favorite equipment), start on all fours on a mat. Pull your belly button up into your spine and tuck your hips forward so the back curves, like a cow position in yoga. Keeping your knee bent, raise your leg up into a 90-degree angle and pulse your foot up to the sky once. Slowly lower your leg back into the starting position with your knees lined up, not allowing your working knee to touch the mat. Repeat 20 times. Stop at the top on #20 and do tiny pulses at that 90-degree angle for 20. It’ll look like your flex foot is pushing the ceiling up. For an added challenge, drop to your elbows rather than using your hands. Switch to the left side and repeat.

WORKOUT DAY 3

Cardio: Repeat day 1 cardio.

Strength Training: Arms, Abs, and Butt

Start on all fours on a mat (wearing ankle weights for an added challenge).

Pull your belly button into your spine, and then lift your right leg behind you (straight knee, foot pointed). Keeping your left knee on the mat, lift your left foot off ground. Pulling your elbows back alongside body, rock your chest forward and down into a forward triceps dip (your arms should be hugging your rib cage). Raise yourself back up, keeping the left foot still lifted off the mat, and pulse your right leg up for one pulse. Repeat 20 times for 1 set and switch the leg sides.

WORKOUT DAY 4:

Strength training: Combine all the strength training exercises listed above—plank knee-ins, sky kicks,  into a circuit. Do each strength exercise at least 3 times and up to 5x for a full-body workout.

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