OVER THE LAST 10 years of working in the fitness industry I have seen people struggle with the same obstacles time and time again.
Whatever path you choose should be an avenue that you actually enjoy — your fitness goals don’t have to revolve around joining a gym.
Every January people join gyms in their droves but come April many are nowhere to be seen. There are many reasons for this but one of the main ones is that exercising has become a chore and not an enjoyable experience.
Fitness options are endless though, including outdoor activities like running clubs, triathlon clubs, hiking, sports teams and different indoor training styles such as training from home, large group training classes, personal and semi-private personal training, yoga, pilates and so on.
A lot of the time people turn away from the gym floor because it’s too busy, they don’t know what to do, or ended up getting bored of the same routine.
Most gym floors at peak times can be quite busy. Space and equipment can be limited and you might not have the time to be hanging around to get the work done. Most people only have 40-60 minutes to get a workout in.
I have compiled five full-body workouts here and you only need one piece of equipment for each circuit.
All you need is a bit of space, your workout equipment and the plan I have put in place in each video.
Each circuit will work lower body, upper body and your core. I’m a big fan of trying to get the best exercises into your session if you only have a limited amount of time to train.
The equipment is basic — a kettlebell, a set of dumbbells, a suspension trainer, a resistance band and your own body weight.
1. Kettlebell
The kettlebell is an excellent exercise tool and is something I recommend everybody to have about the house.
It’s perfect for a home workout, versatile and quite easy to bring on the road as you can perform so many movements with it.
4-6 rounds
Goblet squats x 12
KB single-arm row 8-10 each arm
Reverse alt lunge x 8/8 each leg
Russian swing x 15
KB side bend x 10/10 each side
2. Suspension trainer
This is another super tool that most gyms will have these days.
It’s also a very easy piece of equipment for the house or even in the suitcase if you find yourself on the road a lot.
TRX is a good brand but there are plenty of other affordable suspension trainers.
You simply hook the straps up to a door frame, tree or railing and you’re good to go.
4-6 rounds
Alt pistol squats x 8/8 each leg
Ring rows x 10 reps
Suspended atomic push up x 10 reps
Suspended high/low plank x 5 seconds each position x 1 min
3. Resistance band
These are one of my favorite tools as a trainer and I use them in most sessions with my clients.
They are great for warm-ups, mobility drills and workouts. They come in varying degrees of tension (resistance) and are quite an inexpensive tool. Most gyms will have them on the gym floor.
4-6 rounds
Banded overhead squat x 10 reps
Banded seated row x 12 reps
Band resisted push-ups x 6-8 reps
Banded pull-aparts x 15 reps
X-band walks x 10/10 each side
Banded pall-of rotation x 5, press x 5, hold x 5 seconds each side
4. Dumbbells
You can get a lot out of one set of dumbbells. A good circuit with them can work the full body really well.
The circuit below from my Instagram feed will give you a workout starting off strengthening your posterior chain, your upper body with some push and pull movements, before finishing with some solid core work.
4-6 rounds
Single-leg deadlift x 10 each leg
Renegade row push/pull x 8 full reps
Jumping alt split squat x 16 reps
Anchored sit-ups x 15 reps
5. Bodyweight
You don’t need any equipment for this one, just a little bit of space.
I have put together a basic structure here that is again working the full body.
4-6 rounds
Lunge variation x 3 full cycles (each cycle = 6 lunges)
3 x push-up + downward/upward dog combo x 3 cycles
5 x body row + 5 x hollow rocks x 2 full cycles
I hope you’ve found this information useful and if you need any more advice you can pop me a message from the links below.
David Last is a personal trainer based in Dublin. For more information you can follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Or you can send him a direct message here.
You can also see some of his previous articles here.
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