Ready to make this month your fittest ever? I’ve designed 4-weeks worth of workouts to help you crush your fitness goals and get you feeling healthier than ever. If you’re new to the gym this is the plan for you. (Got a Fitbit Charge HR? Try this workout instead.) Simple Circuit Workout #1 is designed to work you from head to toe.
Tips to Get Started
These gym moves are part of a circuit that you’ll be looping, which means you’ll do all seven of the exercises and then repeat them all again in the same order one more time. After the first circuit, I’d like to you to rest for one to two minutes max before going back to do the second circuit. Before you beginSimple Circuit Workout #1, do a light jog on the treadmill for two to three minutes to warm up.
For all exercises use a weight that’s heavy enough so that by the second set you feel like you might not be able to lift the weight for the last reps. In the pictures, I’m lifting weights that work for me. I recommend that you lift heavier for fastest results. However, form is king, so please don’t get overly ambitious.
Stick with me for the next four weeks! I’m going to deliver a new workout to you every week that will progress you to a leaner, stronger you. This first workout will take about 15 to 16 minutes.
Ready. Set. Go: Simple Circuit Workout #1!
Push Up
The most basic, yet effective move on the planet!
12 to 15 Reps — works your chest and shoulders
- Lay face down on the ground.
- Set your hands at a distance that is slightly wider than shoulder-width.
- Press yourself up with the balls of your feet on the ground.
- Make a straight line with your body—your weight should be supported by your hands and feet and not from the shoulders.
- Keep your head in line with your spine and lower down and then back up. That’s 1 rep.
- A modification would be to do these on your knees.
Leg Press
Using a leg press machine
12 Reps — works your hamstrings, quads, and glutes
- Sit down on the machine and place your legs on the platform directly in front of you, shoulder-width apart.
- It’s very important to keep your head and back pressed against the seat at all times.
- Bend your legs—your torso and knees should make a 90-degree angle.
- Press the platform all the way up, until your legs are fully extended.
- Then lower your legs until you’re back in the 90-degree angle. That’s 1 rep.
- Remember to push mostly from the heels of your feet, using your quads to get back into your starting bent-knees position.
Seated Cable Row
Using a low pulley rowing machine and V-bar
12 Reps — works your lats (a.k.a. your back muscles)
- Sit down on the machine and place your feet in front of you on a platform. Bend your knees slightly so your legs don’t lock.
- Keeping the natural alignment of your back, grab the handles.
- With your arms extended pull back the V-bar until your torso is at a 90-degree angle from your legs. You should feel a slight arch in your back and a nice stretch in your lats.
- Keep your torso still and pull the handles back towards you, while keeping your arms close to you until you touch your abdominals.
- Squeeze your back muscles hard and hold that contraction for a second, then slowly go back to the starting position. That’s 1 rep.
Plank
works your core
- Plant your hands directly under the shoulders.
- To stabilize, ground your toes into the floor and squeeze your glutes.
- Keep your head in line with your spine by looking at a spot on the floor about a foot beyond your hands.
- Hold and breathe for 30 to 45 seconds.
Seated Straight Bar Press 
12 Reps — works your shoulders
- Sit on a back supported bench.
- Position the barbell slightly below your shoulders with your palms facing up.
- Press your arms straight up with the bar over your head.
- Gently lower the bar back into starting position. That’s 1 rep.
Triceps Dips 
12 to 15 Reps — works your triceps
- Sit on the side of a bench with you hands on the edge. Position your feet away from the bench and straighten out your arms. Then slide your butt off the bench and rest your heels on the floor with legs straight.
- Once in you’re in the correct position, lower your body by bending your arms until a stretch is felt in the chest and your arms start burning.
- Raise back up. That’s 1 rep.
Crunch 
The classic core-strength builder.
20 Reps — works your abs
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet hip-distance apart flat on the floor.
- Place your hands behind your head and your thumbs behind your ears.
- Your elbows should be out to the sides and slightly lifted in.
- Tilt your chin down and gently pull your abdominals inward.
- Curl up, bringing your head, neck and shoulders off the floor
- Hold for a moment, then slightly lower yourself down. That’s 1 rep.
Repeat!
Take a short break (1 to 2 minutes) and repeat this series of seven exercise one more time through.
2nd round complete—congratulations! Now that you’re done with Simple Circuit Workout #1, please spend three to five minutes doing some basic stretches.
Do my Simple Circuit Workout #1 three times this week and be sure to come back next week for a fresh workout designed by me. Happy sweating!
Questions? Comments? Tweet your thoughts to @LaceyStoneFit and join the conversation below!
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or condition. Always check with your doctor before changing your diet, altering your sleep habits, taking supplements, or starting a new fitness routine.
Lacey Stone
Lacey Stone is one of the most sought after fitness professionals in America, and Hollywood’s hottest celebrity trainer. Lacey’s motto is: Passion. Persistence. Patience = Excellence! Her mission is to inspire you to achieve optimal success in all aspects of your life. She has consulted, and held strategy sessions and group seminars for top companies, including Fitbit, Nike, Google, Coca-Cola, Reebok, Dove, and Nintendo Wii.
Lacey is also one of Gatorade’s G Series FIT sponsored Fitness Athletes. Her signature 8 WEEKS TO CHANGE program takes individuals from “I can’t” to “I can!”—changing their bodies and lives forever. With a personalized food program, Lacey inspires people to push beyond their self-imposed fitness boundaries, creating a community where participants are challenged to unleash their inner athletes and be their best from the inside out.
What exercises will benefit me most. I had a stroke in 2004 and lost the use of my right side whilst there is a little improvement I can lift my arm to line with shoulder I have a poor grip and movement with my hand and I wear a splint to prevent tripping.
I go to gym twice a week and do 14mins on bicycle 14 mins on cross trainer and 30 mins on treadmill also up to 30 mins on rowing machine.
This is for NEWBIES!! Are you nuts?? Someone who has not been exercising will be totally unable to do one pushup–let alone 12 reps. Triceps dips?? Just as nuts! You really should start much easier with some strength building apparatus before getting into these types of exercise. Might I suggest rowing machines, light hand weights, really light weights for the pulleys, leg curls, etc. And couldn’t you picture someone who is really beginning and not showing a “6 pack”?? This is not very encouraging for someone who really is at the point of thinking of going to a gym.