The garage is one of my favorite rooms in the house. Why? Because it’s where I exercise. And if you know anything about me—if you’ve been following my work at all—then you know that I need exercise. It’s medicine for my brain and I know it is for a lot of you also. You don’t need an expensive gym membership, fancy equipment or a lot of stuff to stay healthy.

The following video is designed for the most basic beginners to get started with very little equipment. I will also show you how to increase the intensity as you progress. As you begin to feel stronger and feel better, you will naturally seek more ways to expand your exercise program and your fitness level will improve. It will just happen, I promise you. There’s no need to think too far ahead, just workout with us now.

Beginning Circuit Training Routine (Do 4 full sets with12-15 reps of each exercise)

  1. Bicep Curls
  2. Goblet Squats
  3. Dumbbell Flies
  4. Lat Pulldowns
  5. Step-Ups ( Start with no weight, then add when ready)
  6. Abdominal Curls

Bicep Curls
This is not about impressing anyone. This is about you building strength, so I want you to start where you can, —whatever is comfortable—as you begin with bicep curls. Sit on the end of a bench if you have one, otherwise use a chair. You’re just going to raise the weights and as you come up to the top where your bicep is fully engaged and contracted, hold it then come back down slowly. Don’t forget to work both arms.

Goblet Squats
Take a dumbbell, and remember don’t go too heavy until you build your strength. Make sure you don’t lock your knees out during this one, be sure to turn your toes out slightly and keep your back straight as you go down. Keep the knees out as you squat, pause for a moment and as you come up, squeeze the glutes. This is really good for strengthening your quads and your glutes. This keeps you strong as you get older and everyone needs to be able to squat down to pick something up without hurting themselves.

Dumbbell Flies
This exercise is really good for the shoulders. Take some dumbbells use whatever weight is comfortable for you, but start light and work your way up. The important thing with this is you want to look like someone’s pulling your elbows up with a string. Watch the video; the dumbbells need to move with your elbows. You want to keep your back like a table, nice and flat, don’t round your back, rather bring the weight to the rib cage and hold for a second. Be careful not to lock your knees—you want them to have a slight bend for this exercise.

Step Ups
These are not only great for the lower body but they’re going to keep your heart rate up. Do one leg at a time; don’t switch legs until you are very advanced. This exercise is really great for building your quadriceps and your glutes. Start with no weight and increase by adding dumbbells.

Abdominal Curls
We’re going to complete this session by working on your abs. Start with no weight and as you become more advanced; you can add a dumbbell. You’re going to sit down on an exercise ball making sure to slide down until the ball is supporting your low back. Keep it right about mid-level then drop your shoulders back, look up at the ceiling, and crunch up. You don’t want to curl all the way up, just go about half way. Be sure to stay firm and engage your core when doing this exercise.

That’s the first circuit. It’s really pretty simple. There are a thousand variations I could show you but I want to keep it simple and show you a few exercises to help get you moving. Don’t focus on doing too many different exercises, just start by doing something. As you become more advanced, you’re going to want to make sure you’re keeping your heart rate up. To do this you need to sprint up the street or run up and down the stairs a couple of times in between each circuit. Keep in mind that purposefully scheduling in rest days is equally important. So, after a few days of doing a workout like this make sure that you’re giving your brain and body a chance to recover. Go for a long walk. Do some meditation. Just take it easy and get in that recovery time so that you are healed and ready to rev-up again.

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