Circuit Training Exercises List

Extreme Fitness Now wants to provide you with some circuit training exercises to help you in you quest to create a great circuit training routine. If you read our article on Circuit Training Basics, you know how to make a great circuit training routine.

We have provided you with some of our own Circuit Weight Training and Body Weight Training routines, but now we would like to provide you with a list of circuit training exercises for you to put together your own total body workouts.

You can find hundreds of circuit exercises on the web. The one's provided below require little (dumbbells, mat, jump rope) or no equipment, making this an affordable at home option for many people. These exercises will help you build strength and stamina in a simple, yet effective manner.

The following circuit training exercises are also great for athletes that participate in sports with intermittent activity such as hockey, soccer, lacrosse, and basketball, or for general fitness.

If you are trying to create a program for a particular sport, your training routine should include circuit training exercises that mimic the motions of your sport. For example, you should concentrate more on lower body than upper body for soccer. For these purposes we will group the following circuit training exercises in terms of:

• Upper Body
  
• Lower Body
  
• Core
  
• and Total Body

Upper Body Circuit Training Exercises

Push Ups
Remember push ups need to be done at intervals from 30-60s. You can start off regular, but doing them on your knees will allow you to do a lot more without wearing yourself out too quickly. Check out our Push Up Variations to add to your routine.

Pull Ups
I admit pull ups are my favorite exercise to perform. The same can be said for pull ups as with push ups. You need to perform these for 30-60s. Place your foot on a stool or the back of a chair to take some of the weight off. Check out our Pull Up Variations to add to your routine.

Dips
Sit on a bench or a chair at home and place you hands on it shoulder width apart behind you. Your hands should be palms down and fingers facing forward.

Lift your self off the bench or chair and move your butt forward. You can place your legs on another bench or chair, or on the ground in front of you with legs either straight (harder) or bent at the knees (easier).

Bending at the elbows, lower yourself until your elbows are at 90 degrees, then come back up.

Lower Body Circuit Training Exercises

Squats
A great all around exercise. If you up for a bit of a challenge, you can try doing you squats on one leg. You may need to use a chair for stability. Then same rule applies in squats as it does in lunges. Keep your back straight and do not extend your knees past your ankles.

Kickbacks
Get on your hands and knees on the floor.

Lift one leg and kick it straight back and upwards. Switch Legs.

Step Up with Knee Drive
Find a box or step and place one foot upon it. You can do this with weighted dumbbells or not.

Step up, driving the knee of your opposite leg up into your chest. Switch legs.

Calve Raises
With or without weights, lift your body so you are standing on you?re the tips of your toes. Come back down and repeat.

Core Exercises

Lay on the floor and place your hands behind your head and lift your head off the ground.

Lift your legs and bend one while extending the other. Kick your legs like you are pedaling a bike, having your elbow touch the opposite knee as it comes into your body.

V-Ups
Lay flat on the floor with your arms above your head. Keeping your legs straight, lift both your legs and upper body off the ground so that your body forms V and touch your hands to your feet.

You may need to start these with your legs bent at first.

Oblique V-Upss
Lie on your with legs at a 30 degree angle in front of you. Place your bottom hand in front of you for support, and place your other hand behind your head.

Lift your legs and upper body off the ground and contract your obliques by bringing your elbow and knees together.

Make sure your legs and shoulder do not touch the ground. Your elbow and knee do not have to touch for you to feel this exercise.

Supermans
Lie face down on the floor with your hands extended in front of you.

Raise your head and hands off the floor keeping your feet on the floor.

You can do this with arms at you side for less resistance.

Core Twists
Sitting with your knees bent, clasp your hands together.

Lift your knees off the ground and twist side to side as quickly as you can tapping the ground with your hands on each side.

Total Body Circuit Training Exercises

Start by standing straight up. Bend yours knees and touch the ground. Kick out your legs so you are in a push up position. Bring your knees back in and stand back up.

Jumping Rope
Jumping rope is a great exercise to do between exercises in your circuit. It?s also a great alternative to using a treadmill. You can find a bunch of different jumping techniques at our Jump Rope Page

Jump Squats
Perform a squat as you regularly would. On the way up, jump straight up extending your arms upwards and keeping your legs straight. When you land go into your next squat.

Tuck Squats
Jump straight up into the air tucking your knees into your chest. Land and repeat.

Cross Hops
Using both feet or one at a time, jump forward, back, left, then right in a cross pattern. You should jump about a foot in distance.

Alternating Lunge Jump
Get your self into a lunge position. Perform a lunge, and push yourself up enough so you switch feet in the air. Land, and perform a lunge on the opposite leg.

Jumping Jacks
I?m sure you know how to do a simple jack, but if you want to try performing extreme jumping jacks then read on.

For extreme jumping jacks, jump by coming much higher off the ground, extending your arms and legs out as much as possible and then landing with feet together and hands by your side.