Have you been experiencing exercise burnout? Exercise burnout is a common condition that develops when you follow the same disciplined routine at the gym. Exercise burnout can zap away your motivation, increase your frustration, and halt your body's performance progress.

This burnout is the result of not only a lack of mental stimulation, but also a lack of physical challenges as well.

As your body adjusts its muscle memory to repeated workouts, it stops being challenged. Instead, to push past exercise burnout, your body needs refreshing activities to stimulate both your body and mind.

If you need new, challenging exercises to wipe away your burnout, circuit training may be an ideal option for you. Circuit training combines multiple activities into one workout. For more information on this exercise and tips for designing a challenging circuit workout, continue reading our blog below. 

What Is Circuit Training?

When you perform a circuit workout, you rotate to different exercise stations for an allotted amount of time. Each station has a specific and intense workout routine to perform. The goal of circuit training is to challenge your body to perform intense exercises from various workouts for short bursts of time. 

Choose the Best Location for Your Workout

Since circuit training encompasses multiple exercises, your workout space will be a significant factor to consider. When searching for a location, the more space you have space, the better.

Whether you're exercising at the gym or home, make sure that you've designated an ample amount of room to create designated circuit stations. These stations do not have to be large; however, you must have enough space to safely work out in these areas. Be mindful of any furniture or electronics that could interfere with your exercise and be sure to move these hazards. 

Once you've found a room that can fit all of your circuit stations, you can continue designing your workout. For ideas on the best locations for circuit training, examine our list below.

Best Locations for Circuit Training

• - Outdoors
• - A separate room at the gym
• - A spacious home gym

Don't Forget the Warm-Up

It can be easy to forget to warm-up before jumping into an intense circuit exercise. However, it's vital to always include a warm-up before circuit training. Exercise warm-ups help to slowly raise your body's internal temperature and circulate more blood to your muscles.

Why Warm-Ups Matter

Without a warm-up, your body is forced to raise your heart rate, temperature, and circulation all at once. As a result, your muscles are more likely to be injured, and your performance is more likely to suffer. Exercising without a warm-up is also more damaging to your cardiovascular health. Since circuit exercises have a high level of intensity with a fast rate of change, protecting yourself from injury and remembering a warm-up is even more crucial. 

Check out some of the best warm-up stretches we've listed below.

Best Warm-Up Stretches

• - Chest expansions
• - Back expansions
• - Hip rotations
• - Lunges
• - Neck tilts

Design a High-Variety Workout

One of the best advantages of a circuit workout is variety. In one circuit session, you can complete several different types of exercises. If you tend to perform the same routines when you work out, circuit training is an ideal opportunity to step outside your comfort zone.

Consider how you can add fun twists to these workouts. For example, instead of including a strength station, opt for kickboxing instead. When you add this variety to your training, you may reignite your motivation to reach your fitness goals. 

Pro Tip: Before you start circuit training, ask yourself what the weakest parts of your body are. Do you neglect specific muscles during workouts? Do you practice cardio more than strength training? If so, then include these weaker areas in your training. Circuit workouts will help you slowly build strength in these areas to feel fitter and more confident. For more inspiration on the best training exercises, explore our list below.

Best Circuit Training Exercises

• - Jump rope
• - Kickboxing
• - Sprints
• - Jumping jacks
• - Crunches
• - Side planks

Challenge Your Circuit Timer

Time is one of the most critical elements of a circuit workout. You'll rely on your timer to keep each exercise intense, short, and fluid. One of the best ways to make standard circuit training more challenging is to increase the time at each station and elongate workouts. While adding a few seconds to each station may seem inconsequential, your body will have to work harder to keep exercising longer.

Pro Tip: Rest breaks are also essential. If you feel yourself getting overworked or want to pace the rhythm of your circuit training, then add in several rest breaks to help your body recover from these intense exercises. Workouts with 30 to 60 seconds of rest can help you avoid overexerting yourself during training.

Finish With a Cool-Down

Similar to warm-ups, cool downs are also crucial aspects of circuit workouts. When you stop training abruptly, your cardiovascular system cannot regulate your heart rate as smoothly. Cool-down exercises can help your body return to a regular resting heart rate and improve blood flow.

Although it may be tempting to lay down after an intense circuit training workout, it's more advisable to perform a cool-down exercise.

When you practice cool-downs more regularly at the end of activities, your body can adapt to recover from intense workouts faster. For more information on effective cool-downs, review our list below.

Best Cool Down Exercises

• - Jogging
• - Child's pose
• - Butterfly pose
• - Hip flexor stretch
• - Shoulder stretch

Don't let yourself fall susceptible to exercise burnout. With so many different and easy circuit training exercises to try, there's no reason not to switch up your regular workout for a new challenge. Review our guide of tips for designing a challenging circuit workout for fitness inspiration and get started on these training exercises. 

Ready to find some new equipment for your circuit stations? In Toledo, Ohio, our fitness store has a large selection of fitness equipment for sale, prepared to add to your workout. From ropes, weights, or resistance training bands—we have everything you need to meet your fitness goals. To browse our supplies or learn more information, check out our website.