Body Weight Circuits Are Kickin' My Butt!

Wow. Looks tough. I will have to give this a try when I take a week off the weights. I'v not done any bodyweight training for ages so like you it's an area in which I need to improve.

Rusty,

Fantastic post! The crazy 8 circuit looks nuts! By the way, I'm going to be doing a series of posts on how to work out inside a small apartment and I'm definitely putting this up near the top!

Thanks for the article!

All the Best,

Andrew R

Rusty,

Superb post, I have been following Craig on Twitter and his workouts are superb just the right mix of time/results. They work especially well for me when I have little time to get to the gym and all I have to workout with is BodyWeight and my 1 Kettlebell…..

Thanks for posting this its a great video….

Great post Rusty, I just tried this circuit and I cannot express as to how tired it got me after doing just one circuit. I have not breathed that heavily in a long time even though I have been following the HIIT running program you recommended for a while. This is a great workout for the days when I can't go to the gym. Thanks.

Hey Rusty,

Yeah, bodyweight stuff can be every bit as challenging as pretty much anything else. And you can be extremely innovative with it too. I train a few of my clients in their homes, with no equipment, and frankly I've been astounded at the kinds of results they are getting in both body composition and physique.

But I don't limit myself to run-of-the-mill exercise selections. My colleague Ryan Murdoch and I have come up with some really cool exercise variations that I don't think you would ever see in a gym. This stuff kicks peoples butts! And they love to hate it!

Cheers,
Adam

Amazing post,

I never even heard of spiderman push-ups before this, and it's good to see another person incorporating planks to their workouts. I don't suppose there's a way I can make a "decline spiderman pushup" variation for upper pec development, any thoughts?

With finals coming up I definitely have had less time to get to the gym. The noise of me jumping around will suck for whoever is living below me but oh well, NO EXCUSES NOW!

This summer, I put my gym membership(s) on hold and used the great outdoors as my health club.

Equipped with a set of kick ass bands (the biggest offers 200 lbs resistance), the jungle gym at a nearby park and my own bodyweight, I proceeded to have the best workouts week after week.

Sadly, our Canadian winter is fast approaching and I am back in the gym.

I am missing the freedom & creativity of my outdoor bodyweight workouts.

I am still relying on a lot of bodyweight movements in the gym ( Pistol squats, 1 legged deadlifts, bodyweight rows, chin, BW Thrusters, burpees…ahh burpees) ), but with less space and the call of the iron, I find myself slipping back into my old routine.

Rusty – Thanks for the motivation. I think I now have the strength to resist the call of those barbells.

Off to do some push-ups

Well Rusty, you just sold me. I am going to give this workout a try.

The SoG

Hey Sam!

Yes, you can do decline spiderman pushups with your feet on the bench. That is one of my other workouts!

craig

What a coincidence Rusty…I designed and performed this program several times when i was living in a 400 square foot studio apartment in downtown toronto (summer of 2007, i believe).

You don't need much space to burn fat!

Craig

Rusty,

I don't blame you man! Bodyweight stuff can be tough, especially when you're just starting out. I did a LOT of bodyweight training in my "early" fitness workouts. It was more "Matt Furey style" stuff, but I never rested in between exercises and it was always tough. I worked up to 360 + bodyweight squats and over 100 + hindu pushups towards the end before I stopped… I would add 5 pushups each day and 10 squats each day.

Working out with such high rep bodyweight stuff does two important things: 1. Builds good strength in your connective tissue (my knees hurt when I was a teenager but after a month or two of bodyweight squats, I've not had knee pain since, even though I went to an "expert" who told me I needed arch support and even got special inserts… which I stopped wearing totally and just wore flip flops after I started bodyweight squats)…

And 2. Your muscular endurance goes off the charts! Whenever I would spar in martial arts, I'd ALWAYS run out of breathe before I would ever "get the burn" in my legs….

Glad to see the BW circuits are kicking your butt Rusty! Strength training with bodyweight exercises is a whole nother' animal and equally as challenging.

Later!
Caleb

I´ve done craig's workout before, not that one you're doing, but an easier one, the first time i tried i wasn't able to finish it, it was sometime ago, that with the observation of gymnasts is what created my taste for bodyweight exercises, and that's what taught me they're excellent. That's why i have that aproach i've told you about before, 2/3 months in the gym, 2 months bodyweight training.

Rusty,
I agree with you 100%. I started intense bodyweight training about 2 1/2 years ago. It got me in amazing condition. About 10 months ago I decided to do a powerlifting program and almost totally neglected bodyweight training. Now that I have returned to bodyweight training for about 3 months now, I am seeing the benefits right away. I do most of my training using bodyweight exercises, except for the weight lifting practices that I do with the rowing team.
Also, if anybody is interested in intense bodyweight training to get into outstanding athletic shape, you should check out rosstraining.com. Specifically, Ross Enamait's book "Never Gymless". I have followed Turbulence Training for about 5 months total and many other bodyweight programs, and I have yet to experience a more complete, intense, challenging, and do-it-anywhere program like "Never Gymless".
Just my 2 cents.
Keep up the good work Rusty, I love your philosophy.

Funny thing about a lot of the Bodyweight Circuits….they look "easy on paper" (most frequently used phrase on ttmembers.com). Even the simple exercises (Jumping Jacks, Burpees, Step ups) get the heart pounding when Craig puts them together in a BW Circuit. By the time you make it through a set the third time, you'd wished you had opted for High Intensity Intervals instead.

Excellent post about an excellent workout

> I really thought this would be a "poor man's" version of HIIT on a treadmill

A poor man's version of HIIT on a treadmill … can there even be a poor man's version of HIIT on a treadmill? HIIT on a treadmill already poor man's version of HIIT. …

Anyway now that you started (bodywight) circuit training you might be interested in stuff from Ross Enamait.

Hi, me again, half an hour or so later. I just went those three rounds. Still sweating, but OK.

60 Jumping Jacks (allways good at the beginning of a circuit as they warm you up and raise you heart frequency pretty quickly without being too hard)
20 Spiderman Pushups (never done them, a lot tougher than regular push ups)
20 Walking Lunges (might replace them with jumping lunges, because this feels like a joke. Maybe it's thought as some kind of active rest and otherwise the circuit would be too hard for many?)
20 Spiderman Climbs (might replace them with mountain climbers if you wan't it a little harder. That's cool about bodyweight circuits: You just can adjust some exercises slightly and make the circuit a lot harder)
45s Wall Squat (I actually found them pretty tough in the third round)
60s Planks (damn, wrong day, yesterday I did 4 sets of rollouts some one arm planks with a little weight and some other stuff, so today that was tough as hell)
5 Burpees (5 is a very low number and burpees are one of my favorit conditioning exercises)
25 High Knees (stangly I found these pretty easy, even as last exercise)

Amazing- thanks a lot for the great workout! I am a 34 yr old woman and I exercise 3 times a week but I could hardly finish one set before collapsing:) I don't think i can ever do it 3 times in a row!!!BTW, I love your site.

Funny that you're posting this now, as I've recently adjusted my workouts to include more bodyweight exercises and less lifting. I've posted it on my fitconnect.com blog if you'd care to check it out.

I was partially inspired by Craig's workout, but also partially inspired by this website, as I want to be in surf-ready shape when I make my "triumphant" return to LA (that, and I recently got to try surfing in Cocoa Beach, FL):
http://surfstronger.com/tips1.php
and http://surfstronger.com/tips17.php

I tried combining the surfer's pop-ups with the 180s, but it was hard to keep a count (let alone my breath!). I'm really liking the surfer's pop-ups – they're a great way to get a little extra cardio in.
I'm also standing on a Bosu ball to do the dumbbell wood chops…It's pretty tough! I'd love to hear what you think after giving those two exercises a try.

P.S. this time of year is a terrible time to try and diet

I LOVE Craig Ballantyne's bodyweight drills. If you also want challenging bodyweight exercises try the one-arm, one leg pushup, and the pistol squat. Pavel Tsatsouille gave a whole guidebook about it: Naked Warrior. Also, believe it or a good circuit workout is Cindy Crawford's Next Challenge.

Thought this article about Victoria's Secret models diet & exercise might be of interest:

http://tv.yahoo.com/the-victoria-39

It's incomprehensible to me either it's an alternate of workout or cardio. I workout 4 days a week for 45 minutes including 20 minutes of body building & 20 minutes of cardio HIIT.
Could you kindly explain me an apposite time to perform it?

Thanks

Hey Rusty, just had to link you this unintentionally hilarious article from BB.com. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jason23.htm

I should probably clarify that, when I do the woodchops on the bosu, I stand on the flat side with the rounded side on the floor.

So are you subbing body weight circuits for strength training or cardio?

Have you found it to interfere with any recover efforts since it's so intense?

Hey, word is Beyonce is signed up to play Wonder Woman. Kind've a let down if that's true but maybe she'll change my mind.

Btw this video looks great. I've always stayed in pretty good shape, whether it's sports, breakdancing, or the latest workout. I'm always looking for something that'll kick my butt and take me to that next level that I'm looking for; I look forward to trying this out. What is HIIT?

Looks very interesting. Currently I alternate wt training days with HIIT. Here in the northeast winter is rapidly approaching if not here already. I really hate doing HIIT in winter for a myriad of reasons.
1. Below 20 degrees cold air really burns lungs
2. Dark until about 6:30 am so you are running in the dark
3. icy conditions or deep snow.

Would it be ok to substitute this work out for a HIIT work out?That would be ideal in winter for those of us in colder climates.

Craig:

Thanks much for the quick reply, I should have addressed you as well for that question obviously!

Keep up the great work!

Great post Rusty!
Body weight conditioning can definitely get the job done. One of my favorite body weight drills is opposing ladders of push ups and burpees. 9 push ups, 1 burpee. 8 push ups, 2 burpees. 7 push ups, 3 burpees. . . all the way to 1 push up and 9 burpees. Done in less than 10 minutes – and I do mean DONE!
In good health,
Vic

hi rusty!
my problem is kind of crazy but i am wondering why am i still at 11% bf although i am on 151-155 pounds since 3 months!? it is really weird, yes, i follow ESE and fast for 24h twice a week but my diet is everything but clean or strict. i eat lots of carbs and can get along with sweets, fast food and beer. i don`t binge but i think you would call it PRETTY loose i stay that lean without any cardio! but how can i get to 6-8%? should i focus on getting stronger (3-5 rep range) or considering some hiit-perhaps once a week??? the problem is i don`t want to lose more weight because a lot of people say i am to skinny.

Hi. I have to agree with you 150% about Craig's Turbulence Training and his bodyweight workouts. I have been doing the workouts for over a year and at 40, I am in better shape than ever.
I did his weekend bodyweight challenge over the Halloween weekend and wrote about it on my blog. I felt the exact same as you…. humbled, proud, exhausted!
Check it out…http://www.kellysaysdothis.blogspot.com
Kelly

Rusty,

Great site by the way. I do a lot of reading about fitness on the internet and in magazines. Your articles and site are my favorites.

This is my first comment on the site, but won't be my last.

I'm trying to come up with a good workout plan. I would say I'm in above average shape. I am 6'2" and 175 pounds. My guess would be my body fat is around 15%.

I'm into the bodybuilder look, but still want to have some real decent muscle. I guess the best comparison would be Jason Statham in Transporter 3. The guy has ripped abs and is lean, but still has some considerable muscle.

What would be the best approach? This what I was thinking.

1500-1800 calories a day. 3 days a week of low carb and 4 days of fat. Carb days consist of whole grains and fruit.

MWF – 20-30 minute Crossfit workout in the morning with 50 pound kettlebell. Superset workout in the mid afternoon with heavy weights.

T,TH – 15-20 minutes HIIT, swim or light job 20 minutes, abs

Sat. – Not sure here. Maybe hit the heavy bag for awhile or some Crossfit. Any ideas?

Sun. – OFF

Like you Rusty, I like to socialize on the weekends. By socialize I mean go out and get drunk. I just have to be careful I don't undue all the work I put in.

What is the point of working out like that if you don't have fun?

Any input or ideas you have Rusty would be great.

Thanks man and great work.

Alright, I did the crazy 8 last night. Maybe I am doing something wrong. But I followed the video and instructions perfectly I thought. I ran through my 3 repetions of the circuit and then had to rep out a set of deadlifts before I was really cashed out. And I am definitely no superman. Not saying that I didn't get a workout from it at all.. but I think I need something more. I certainly did not experience the difficulty feeling that some people including you are reporting rusty :-/ Maybe it is a byproduct of the way I already train? I do a lot of short, intense, no rest circuit type workouts. Usually weighted though.

The SoG

gerd said:
i posted this earlier but i was searching ealrier pages so dont know if you'll get it , doh:)
hey man, ive been reading this site for a while and i find it extradordinary i mention it to anybody i can,
but i need to ask a possibly dumb question
it's really about the lingo such as caridio i didnt understand what it mean't for a long time,
i was hearing and reading things about carbs etc and was puzzled,
sorry if this sounds dumb but i was wondering if there's a lingo breaker on this site or one you reccomend so i can get a better idea what im doing or wanna do…

thank you
all the very best
gerd (from belfast ireland)

Hey man!, cheers for visiting this great site! As for the various lingo used on fitness sites; cardio means cardiovascular exercise which in general means: "All it amounts to is exercises that involve the large muscles like legs and help make your heart and lungs stronger."- http://www.ideasforwomen.com/health/fit-5sp-cardio-1.php"

Cheers

Simen

Hey Guys…

I'm not going to be able to respond to all these great comments so far, so I will zip through and pick a dozen or so. I wish I had the time to answer every comment on my site. I do read and appreciate every single comment. Thanks!

Adam,

I hope everyone visits your site. They will see some very innovative approaches to getting in shape. Those club-bells in particular look like they would work the muscle in a way much different that anything I've tried. Great stuff!

Sam,

This part of your comment made me laugh pretty hard…"The noise of me jumping around will suck for whoever is living below me but oh well, NO EXCUSES NOW!"…love it!

DR,

I still plan on hitting the weights, just when I have more time than I do now. More than anything, I want to show people that they can be ripped without any equipment whatsoever if they put their mind to it (and they push themselves when workouts get tough).

Craig,

Thanks for designing this great program. I live in a 365 square foot apartment. It is expensive to live downtown. Anyway…I'm drinking a glass of green tea and going to hit this hard as soon as I'm done responding to these comments.

Helder,

I like you approach of alternating periods of time in the gym with periods of time doing bodyweight training. I will most likely hit the gym from Mid January to Mid June, but possibly back to bodyweight circuits in the summer and other creative workouts done outside when possible.

Abdul,

Ross does have a great site. Some of his youtube videos are impressive. You have probably seen the "3 clap explosive pushup" video. Pretty intense!

Matthias,

I still like the treadmill. I can burn body fat on demand with my treadmill workout, but it probably is just a little more one-dimensional than bodyweight circuits. It is still one of my favorite pieces of equipment…I'm actually going to use it after my bodyweight circuits going forward.

Krishna,

Yeah…I found them hard…it is an entirely different training approach for me as well.

Ron,

I'm glad to see you are heading back out to LA (that is where movie stars are suppose to live). Diet is tough this time of year…I agree!

Rajafarhan,

I'm using this as my exclusive workout for a while, mainly because I already have high muscle definition from 20+ years of lifting. I think this is mainly best to use for burning body fat while "tightening up" the body a bit. I will go back to heavy resistance training in mid-January and incorporate this workout in place of my HIIT 1-2 times per week at that time. I consider this more of the HIIT part of the workout…I still believe in heavy low rep resistance training. For someone like yourself…maybe 3-4 days of resistance training (finish with this workout, alternating with more of a standard HIIT workout after every brief resistance training session).

Burritokid,

Try this…Do your 3-4 day resistance training workouts. Finish with either this or traditional HIIT on a treadmill. I'm a big believer in strength training (as is Craig Ballantyne). This type of routine can be used in a number of ways. Try it the way I suggest to build muscle density while leaning down. This is what I will do after I master this type of training. So…in brief…this is a fat burning workout that lightly works all the muscles in the body, but jacks up your metabolism like crazy to burn body fat many hours after the workout is done. It doesn't really make you sore or interfere with your resistance workouts.

Joe,

Yep…this is a perfect substitute for the HIIT you have been doing up to this point. A great way to use this program.

eric,

Focus on your lifting for a while and add this routine alternated with traditional HIIT after each lifting session. Tighten up your diet too! Mike O'Donnell over at IFlife.com talks about Intermittent Fasting on Junk…what will happen is that you will lose weight, but won't be lean. Eat quality foods (most of the time) to get that lean look your are aiming for…and get healthier in the process.

Dan,

Thanks for the compliments. I would change up your approach a bit. Mainly don't go out of your way to eat grains. I obviously eat wheat products on a somewhat regular basis, but I'm doing my best to limit the intake. Think fruits, veggies, and natural sources of protein and your body will thank you for it. You will naturally get leaner with a low-cal approach eating these foods that are bodies were intended to eat. Again…don't become obsessed with this, it is just a general rule. You routine looks good, but if you do go out and drink, try to work up a sweat in some way or another the following day. So if you go out Saturday…at least do some sort of HIIT. Depending on how late you stay out and how much you drink, this will be tough at first (but you will feel much better afterwards). Also…if you have time to workout twice per day , M-W-F, that is great…but don't feel like you have to to get great results. You could combine that entire workout in one session and probably get close to the same effect.

Son of Grok,

I knew a few people would have an easy time with this. I got smoked when I tried this. Like I said…I'm a "6 degree black belt ninja master" on the treadmill, but a "white belt" when it comes to bodyweight circuits.

Gerd,

You gave me a great idea…I need to make a "fitness slang" dictionary on my site. I've heard these words so many times that they seem like regular english (but they are not). Good call!

Off to hit the "crazy 8 workout"!

Rusty

Thanks for posting this one Rus. Been thinking about circuits for awhile they just make a lot of sense. This one really got me to finally do it.

Im thinking about trying 25 min resistance, 20 bwc and then 15-20 hiit at the gym sometime.

Hi Rusty,

I decided to try Craig's "Crazy 8 workout" yesterday in my work gym in place my bis/shoulders/tri strength weights session. This workout really kicked my butt big time!. Like you I decided to go with normal pushups for now instead of spidermans and lucky I did!

I was stuffed after the first full set, totally stuffed after the second full set and trying to talk myself out of the 3rd set during the 60 second rest prior to it.

I ended up trying to complete the 3rd set but fell short a few reps on push ups and wall squats particularily. While this workout was certainly hard on me as far it's cardio aspects, that was no where near as tough on me as the muscle endurance fatigue side of things.

Probably because in the last several months I've gotten serious about distance running and so my aerobic fitness has increased a lot but my strnegth and muscle endurance have probably dropped a bit.

p.s Awesome stuff Craig. Keep it up.

Hulbs

Rusty,

I love how you preach that looking slimmer is better than looking bigger. In one of your previous posts you mentioned that getting to below 10% body fat makes your face look sharper and sexier. The guy in this picture in this post looks great(obviously). He is below 10% bodyfat, and he isn't big at all. His arms are fairly normal but he looks so much better looking than a guy at the same body fat percentage body with alot more muscle than him. How much do you think this guy weighs? (I assume it wouldn't be that much). This was the post.

http://fitnessblackbook.com/style-tips/...

thanks

Rusty and Craig:

Just an update,

This workout has been kicking my ass as promised. Luckily my downstairs neighbors haven't thought to do the same, but I think I lucked out and they probably don't notice due to them blasting music at the random hours when I do this workout.

My first two times doing this I completed 2 circuits but couldn't get to the third. Right now I'd say I'm able to do 2.5/3 circuits, and thanks to the crucial "microwave timer trick" I've been keeping good time. I also found I needed to work a bit on my balance, the decline version of the spiderman pushups feels a bit awkward at first but I'll keep at it.

Thanks again, when I'm finished with this week of finals I believe I'll be trying do do at least 2 of these circuits then do HIIT afterwards, and that'll be after my lifting routine.

I love reading your posts, as they get my heart rate up to 75% as it is. I guess my fat melts even as I imagine these bummer work outs!
I tried a softer version of this today, with a one-minute sprint, 10 spiderman push-ups, 25 jumping jacks, one minute plank, thirty second planks (each side), 45 seconds wall squats, and 15 overhead squats. Three circuits, and I am still panting. Truth to tell, I am nowhere in your league, and I am at 14% body fat now.

Well that was tremendously painful…

The hardest part for me was going from the wall squats to the planks and not having my quads give out.

I really hate doing "cardio", so I have started changing things out to "replace" it. I've been doing lifting circuits doing functional lifts, and doing a lot of plyometric circuits (on the playground across from my apartment), and I'll with those I'll do tabata with lateral box jumps.

I might have to work this in though. I was supposed to do my plyos today, but winter in Boston is starting to come in and doing plyos outside when it is 16 degrees and windy out is no fun at all. So I did this in my tiny bedroom and it beat me up pretty bad in a very short period of time.

Great post as always!

Trevor

Rusty great stuff. I love bodyweight training routines as they do exactly what you say they do, they give you an independence away from the gym and able to keep fit no matter where you are. Best part is you can always make the exercises harder by increasing your bodyweight (weight vest, backpack full of books) and trying new versions (like handstand pushups). Keeping them in a short intense circuit is also a great way to get a good GH spike and get those fat burning hormones to trigger more fat to be released and burned in the hours post workout! Who needs boring cardio when you can do simple bodyweight interval circuits and be lean and fit!

Oh yeah you can also get a good muscle pump in at the end if your goal is some hypertrophy using a strong band (which you can take with you travelling too) and time under tension sets (slow and controlled)…..the lactic acid pump will be enough to trigger gains and muscle repair……and plus we all want to pump up the guns right?

Got my ass kick by the workout as well-reminded me of gym class in middle school. I made it through 2 circuits. I love it! jr

Wow! tried this the last two nights managed to do it twice, but man i was sweating. Looking at this workout I thought it looked really easy and simple but after doing it the first time i was shocked to how tired i was. I am in really good shape at around 6%-8% bf and have been doing HIIT for months and this really was hard. I am going to do this more often because I really enjoyed it!

Hi Rusty!
I did this circuit followed by 30 minutes steady cardio. It was a killer workout. I loved it.

Hulbs,

Yeah this one really requires mental toughness. The first time I did this, I talked myself out of the 3rd set. It is crazy how hard this makes you breath after such a short period of time.

Baz,

It is kind of tough to guess his weight, since I don't know how tall he is. The point is that most people should just maintain a natural amount of muscle while getting lean. Naturally muscular guys like Matthew McConaughey look great because they are carrying the right amount of muscle for their frame. Smaller guys like Brad Pitt look great as well. The main thing is that they are equally lean without adding excessive amounts of muscle.

Sam,

Awesome to hear this is working well for you. This circuit routine has allowed me to stay in shape with very limited time. I am grateful that Craig has this down to a science. His workouts are very efficient!

Rambodoc,

You are closer than you think to reaching peak conditioning. Just 6 months max to go from 14% body fat to reach the level that Craig is at. After that, you will just want to maintain that lean body the rest of your life while slowly gaining strength and working up a sweat with HIIT or some form of circuit.

Trevor,

Yeah…the circuit really begins to hurt from the wall squat to the end. I suck at Burpees and breath like mad after running in place with high knees.

Mike,

You should do a post about staying fit while traveling. I like the idea of carrying along a strong band (good to do a detailed post on that as well). Obviously it is hard to bring a lot of equipment while traveling, so something light like a band would be perfect.

Jeff,

It reminds me of "running lines" in PE when I was in 8th grade…breathing hard, flushed skin that is hot to the touch, etc.

Adam,

You sound like you are in the same condition as me and had the exact same response to this workout. I don't feel so bad now!

Iris,

I haven't had the nerve to add the steady state cardio yet. I will give this a shot next week.

Great comments!

Rusty

Wow, it is great to hear you say that. Thanks so much for being such a positive influence!

Wow, that looks really tough. Would doing that after lifting heavy weights for low reps be beneficial or would it be too much?

greetings rusty! starting trying to do this yesterday, only managed 2 circuits!! what a workout. the plank and the wall squat i only managed 30/45 secs so my fitness is very poor! If you think that the walking lunge is too easy, maybe try jumping lunges instead? just an idea. but i hoping to build up to 3 circuits, gotta get my breath back first. cheers danny.

Sweet mother of god…..I'm still trying to catch my breath after doing this. I thought my legs were strong — well 15 min. later I'm still wobbly. My local gym is closed for the rest of the week. So, will do this each day till the new year. Will see if I can stick with it. Thanks Rusty for all the great tips and motivation!!!! Wishing you Happy and Healthy Holidays!

Hey Rusty, thank you for detailing "your version." It got me into a mode of determining what I needed to do to make this program work for me, rather than discarding it because it didn't come out of the box, ready-to-go.

I'll be using a modified version of YOUR modified version (I can't do full pushups, yet, so on the knees for me!) for the next two weeks. I'll be out of town, job training, and I need some kind of basic maintenance ritual before I head out and cram my head with banking knowledge.

Thanks again!

cool. Notice I didn't put an exclamation point after that. Seriously though, I can add that to my other non-gym, non-running because it's slicker than snot outside, workouts.

*I'm so gonna die…*

Hunt,

You certainly could do that after lifting low reps for heavy weights. It doesn't work the same "systems" in the body. I would mix it up with HIIT on a treadmill. So maybe not after every low rep workout.

Danny,

Great idea on doing jumping lunges. I'm going to give those a try! Good luck on completing 3 sets…totally brutal…it will make you tough.

Gregg S,

Happy holidays to you too (I'm late on that one). Your gym workouts will seem easy compared to this!

Eric,

If you are motivated, you could do this in your hotel room during your corporate trip.

Bonnie,

Yep..this is a great "rainy day" workout. It will save you from falling and scraping up your legs on the pavement.

Cheers,

Rusty

Hi Rusty, am i right in thinking that circuits such as body weight and low weights do not do much for muscle definition and must be accompanied by low rep low volume muscle contracting strenght training? they are probably a good replacement for hiit etc? thanks, your site is a life saver

hello? rusty, anyone there? we havnt had a reply to dels question, i also am interested in knowing the answer to that question, thanks a bunch

Del,

Yeah…it can be used for a replacement for HIIT…and that is the way I would use it (2-3 times per week after lifting or on days away from the gym). It also can be used for a period of 2-3 months when for some reason you just can't make it to a gym (on a vacation around Europe for instance).

I used this workout for 2 months straight without going to the gym in December and January. I stayed lean and kept my definition. It was an amazing time-efficient way to maintain my lean physique. I was already at a low body fat percentage, so I was just trying to avoid putting on any additional weight.

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I get so many comments now (30-50 per day) that I simply can't answer them all, but this was a good one!

Rusty

Can't wait to try this out later! We should've been informed about this 2 years ago when I still didn't have access to a gym. =)

Thanks for the great post, Rusty!

Cartz,

You will love these. I wish I would have known about this routine when I was younger. No excuses for being flabby these days.

Rusty

Hey just wondering how many days a week you think it's worthwhile to do this workout…could it be done almost every day or maybe best 3-4 days per week with running days in between?

Thanks

J,

I would recommend doing it 3-4 days per week and maybe run twice per week. That is a great plan and will work well for you.

Rusty

Cool. Two weeks in, visible changes, love the high intensity of it.

Crap I did these this morning for the second time and about collapsed on the ground–I could only do two circuits because I was scared if I did a third I'd throw up! I'm really surprised at how hard the wall-squats followed by the planks are…never thought 45 seconds could feel so long

Yep these are awesome. Feel like your heart is going to explode in no time.

I used to do the old school bodybuilding split group workout but had plateued for over 6 weeks. I wanted to switch up my routine anyways so I began this circuit 5 days a week only I up the reps on the spiderman climb to 50 and high knees to 100. Anyways this combined with intermittent fasting and a paleo diet of 1600 calories a day brought me from 7.6% bodyfat to 6.3% after only 10 workout days, 2 weeks total!! I'm lovin this site.. Glad I found it! Thank you!

Hey Rusty , I know this post is kinda old , but I decided to give the "The Crazy 8 Body Weight Circuit" a try , and finally I found something that is really challenging me again. I only have 2 questions … I don't know if u can help me on that.

1 – I am afraid this circuit don't target ( at least directly ) my biceps and back ? Am I wrong?

2- Where can I find more like this one ? ( No equipment, restless , challenger and fast workouts)

Sorry for my not so good English. I´m from Brazil.
and ..

Thank you. Hope u read this.

hi im from ecuador, im going to try this workout, by the way, how many times per week i should make crazy eight circuit? can i combine iwth some weight for biceps and triceps the other 2 days, thanks

i just finished 2 series of this great workout, im from ecuador, i just can said its an awesome burning workout, i didnt finished it but i hope to improve. This is a 3 days per week workout or 5? if i do this monday wednesday and friday can i combine some biceps in tuesday and triceps i thursday with weights.. i don want to growth, im a 1.89m big guy.. i want to be ripped. thanks, i love this site. (still burning) thanks again for this awesome workout.

if you substitute the jumping jacks for mountain climbers or grasshoppers it gives new meaning to the workout.

to everyone asking specific questions. dont sweat the details. just work really really hard. you'll know its hard enough when before your workout you think to yourself "can i really finish this workout".

the key to the six pack is consistent effort day in and day out. this includes the diet aspect of your program as well as your exercise portion.

I will try to keep this short – I need help.

This is where I am:
I am 28 and had a baby 5 months ago.
I am with in 5 lbs of my high school weight and I was fit in hs.
I am very tall and did some modeling in the past.
My workouts have been hit and miss for the past year.
I did HIIT and loved it to get into soccer shape before I got pregnant. My legs got very toned, however, my thighs were bigger than I'd liked.

This is what I want:
To be fast, strong, and flexible while being sculpted and toned especially in the abs and thigh area.
I want to avoid bulking in my thighs like the plague!

So my questions are….
How do I tone and sculpt my butt and thighs without bulking them?!?!?
Is bodyweight training the answer?
How do I get fast and strong without getting big thighs?
What exercises should I avoid to keep my thighs smaller?
Is plyometrics the same as bodyweight training – and will it slim me down or bulk me up?

I am not an experienced trainer, I've always stayed in good shape with sports. But with two kids, I need something more efficient.

Thanks for your amazing blog and I'd really appreciate some advice.

Wow – I just read your post on Megan Fox's workout routine for Transformers – It sounds like it answered a lot of my questions. I just had one more – Do you know how often she did this routine? Was it daily? 3 times a week?

Thanks

I got exhausted just watching!

I'll give this a try in the gym tomorrow, it'll be perfect for when I'm on the road and staying in a hotel without a fitness center.

I lift weights 6 days a week. I've been into HIIT for about 2 years. I run sprints up a hill 2 days a week. I have recently replaced my intervals on an elliptical 4 days a week with bodyweight circuits. It is a great warm up for lifting, a new kind of tired, and I started to feel and look tighter almost immediately. I'm sold!

Hey Rusty, this is the first one that i tried since visiting your site. It torched me even though i rested for 3 mins ! With this result I think that i'm in a bad shape. I'm from the Philippines and just turned 18. Want to get that Jacob Black look ! Can't believe I'm older than him. LOL. thanks Rusty !

I totally love CB's workouts. They are evil and save me a load of gym traveling. By the way, check out http://www.bodyrock.tv. This girl has some fun and challenging ideas about working out. Many of her workouts have kicked my butt.

[...] rollerblading when I was younger, 9 months of daily biking (balance and leg strength), intense circuit training 2-3 times per week (endurance, core strength, leg strength, upper body strength, mental [...]

Started this workout mid Dec 2009 and could just about do the 3 circuits.
I can now do 5, 1 min rest between circuits; and complete them in under 45 mins. Doing 1 min on wall squats and planks; I have also added in close grip pushups before burpees.
Best workout ever.