A 30-minute at home circuit workout to build strength and burn fat! This time-drop workout alternates dumbbell strength exercises with full body, compound cardio exercises to build muscle and burn calories at home.
Our full body home workouts with the Minnesota Beef Council are some of the most challenging on the blog! You LOVE seeing our farmer friends in these strength and HIIT workouts, and they’re some of our most intense formats.
Today’s at home circuit workout hits it all — grab your dumbbells and get ready to build strength and test your cardiovascular endurance!
At Home Circuit Workout FAQs
What Are The Benefits Of Circuit Training?
Circuit training has great benefits. These workouts increase muscle tone and definition in addition to increasing your cardiovascular fitness. The combination of strength and HIIT is great for weight loss and these formats help to avoid fitness plateaus and boredom. You get a total body workout AND isolate different muscle groups within each circuit.
How Do You Do Circuit Training At Home?
Circuit training works through several full body exercises with minimal rest between exercises. Pair complex, full body dumbbell exercises that will challenge both your strength and cardio endurance for an effective at home circuit workout. Looking for more challenging circuit workouts? Try our 30-Minute HIIT Circuit or this 35-Minute Full Body Cardio and Strength Training Workout.
30-Minute At Home Circuit Workout
Circuit training is one of the most efficient forms of exercise to build muscle, burn fat and lose weight at home.
Add this circuit workout to your home workout plan 1-2 times per week to build and maintain total body strength.
Workout Equipment:
Medium-to-Heavy Set of Dumbbells.
I suggest 8-20 lb dumbbells. I’m using 12 and 15 lb dumbbells in this workout video.
Time Drop Format (set one is 40 seconds of work, 20 seconds rest; set two is 30 seconds of work, 15 seconds rest; set three is 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest)
Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, hip flexors, calves and core.
How To Do A 2-Pulse Squat and Calf Raise
Start standing feet shoulder-width distance apart, knees slightly bent, core engaged. Hold one dumbbell in each hand at your shoulders (front-rack position, overhand grip, palms facing in).
Lower down into a squat position, lowering your hips down parallel with your knees. Drive your knees out toward your outer three toes.
Pause at the bottom of the squat, then raise up an inch and lower back down an inch for a two-pulse squat.
Drive through your heels to stand tall, squeezing your glutes.
As you stand tall, perform a calf raise by rising onto your toes. Hold for a moment, then lower back down so your feet are flat on the mat.
That’s one rep. Repeat.
Modification: Option to omit the calf raise and perform dumbbell squats. You can also hold the dumbbells at your sides if the front-racked position isn’t comfortable.
Double Squat Jump
Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, hip flexors and core.
How To Do A Double Squat Jump
Start in an athletic, loaded squat stance, knees bent, core engaged.
Maintain this loaded squat stance as you perform a small squat jump by exploding off both feet to leave the ground, using the power from your legs.
Land softly, then immediately perform a squat jump, exploding off both feet to send you even higher, pushing the arms back behind you and using the power from your legs.
That’s one rep. Land softly and repeat this sequence of a smaller squat jump followed by a more powerful squat jump for the timed interval.
Modification: Make this low impact by performing a double squat pulse, then a squat and calf raise.
Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold one dumbbell in each hand at your shoulders (front-rack position, overhand grip, palms facing in).
Step your right leg back into a reverse lunge, lowering your hips until both knees reach a 90-degree angle, front thigh parallel to the ground.
Pause at the bottom of the reverse lunge, then raise up an inch and lower back down an inch for a two-pulse lunge.
Then squeeze your left leg glute, driving your back, right leg forward as you stand up back to the starting position. As you stand, press the dumbbells overhead, locking the elbows out, biceps near ears.
Bring the dumbbells back down to shoulder height as you alternate the reverse lunge, this time stepping the left leg back into a reverse lunge.
Modification: Option to omit the overhead press or make this a bodyweight exercise, omitting the weights.
Double Lunge Jump
Targets: Legs, glutes, hamstrings, quads and thighs.
How To Do Double Lunge Jumps
Stand with feet hip-distance apart. Shoulders stacked over hips.
Jump the left leg back into a reverse lunge position, right leg forward; lowering your hips until both knees reach a 90-degree angle, front thigh parallel to the floor.
Jump up slightly, maintaining the loaded split lunge position (just jumping straight into the air slightly, using the power from your legs).
Land softly, then explode up, switching legs as you do so to bring the left leg forward and right leg back.
Repeat, alternating the leg that’s forward as you go.
Modification: Option to omit the jump and perform alternating two-pulse reverse lunges.
2 Bicep Curls and 2 Standing Chest Flys
Targets: The biceps brachii (the front of your arms), chest (pectoralis major, pectoralis minor and the serratus anterior) and shoulders.
How To Do 2 Bicep Curls and 2 Standing Chest Flys
Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart and core engaged. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing outward (underhand grip or supinated grip).
Exhale as you squeeze your bicep muscle to curl the weights up to shoulder-height. Think about keeping elbows tucked into your sides and shoulder blades pulled down.
With control, slowly lower the dumbbells down to your sides. Return to the starting position and repeat for two bicep curls.
Then squeeze your chest as you lift your right hand across your body (45-degree angle crossover); parallel to your left shoulder. Think “right pinky finger to left shoulder.” Palm up towards the ceiling.
Keep a soft bend in your elbow as you lower the dumbbell back to the starting position with control.
Repeat on the left hand, bringing left pinky to the right shoulder.
Repeat the sequence of two bicep curls and two standing chest flys for the timed interval.
3-Way Back Row (Reverse Grip Row, Wide Row, Narrow Row)
Targets: Upper back, mid-back, lower back (lats, rhomboids, traps, rear delts), and biceps.
How To Do A 3-Way Back Row
Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent.
Hinge forward at the hips with a neutral spine, core engaged.
Grip a set of dumbbells, palms facing outwards (reverse grip row position). Pull the weights back towards your hips, elbows parallel to ribcage. Control the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
Rotate your palms to face in towards your body (wide row position). Pull your elbows wide towards the ceiling, squeezing your shoulder blades together as you bring your elbows parallel to shoulders. Control the dumbbells back down to the starting position.
Rotate your palms to face in towards each other (narrow row position). Pull the weights back towards your hips, elbows parallel to ribcage.
Return to starting position and repeat this 3-way row pattern.
Start in high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists, weight evenly distributed amongst all ten fingers. Option to place your hands on weights if you have wrist pain.
Hold this high plank position, maintaining a straight line with your body, gaze slightly in front of you.
Then perform four crossbody knee drives or mountain climbers — pulling right knee towards left elbow and left knee towards right elbow. Repeat this motion at a rapid pace, as if ‘running’ in a plank position.
Then, hold high plank, keeping your core stable, as you slowly lower your chest down towards the ground as your elbows fall back towards your hips (not out to the sides).
Once at the bottom of your push up, exhale as you push back up into high plank position.
Repeat this sequence, performing four mountain climbers and one push up for the timed interval.
Modification: Substitute incline push-ups by placing your hands on a chair or bench; or drop to your knees for modified push ups.
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8 comments
Hey Lindsey! Love love love the Minnesota Beef/Pork Council workouts. Keep up the great content!
Mackenzie! So happy to hear you are loving the challenging workouts with the MN Beef/Pork Council! You are so awesome!
Lindsey, thank you. I found your workouts on YouTube a couple of months ago and I’m so happy to have found you. This season with COVID has been tough and I’m a mental health counselor which adds to the stress I’m already carrying. Your workouts are like a lifeline! I love that you promote the beef industry (dairyman’s daughter here!), that you are a Christian, and you have real people in your videos. You are so high energy in a truly authentic way. This workout was so great! I’m sweating and beaming! 😀
Julie! I’m so glad you found my workouts on YouTube and are putting them to good use! This is certainly a challenging season, and movement is so good for our mental health too! Keep up the good work and keep coming back for more! -Lindsey
Omg this workout was killer. I do your videos 2-3 times/week. I’m still sore two days later! Only used 12 lbs too. Yowzers! Thanks for your time and videos. They’re awesome!!!
Yes, this is a tough one; hitting it all! Way to get it done and keep up the good work! -Lindsey
This 30 min full body circuit was awesome and so hard. I do your workouts 2-3 times per week and I was sooooo sore the next two days. Only used 12 lbs. OMG. Thank you!
Way to go Lesli! Yes, this is a tough workout!! Way to get it done and I hope you come back for more! -Lindsey
Hey Lindsey! Love love love the Minnesota Beef/Pork Council workouts. Keep up the great content!
Mackenzie! So happy to hear you are loving the challenging workouts with the MN Beef/Pork Council! You are so awesome!
Lindsey, thank you. I found your workouts on YouTube a couple of months ago and I’m so happy to have found you. This season with COVID has been tough and I’m a mental health counselor which adds to the stress I’m already carrying. Your workouts are like a lifeline! I love that you promote the beef industry (dairyman’s daughter here!), that you are a Christian, and you have real people in your videos. You are so high energy in a truly authentic way. This workout was so great! I’m sweating and beaming! 😀
Julie! I’m so glad you found my workouts on YouTube and are putting them to good use! This is certainly a challenging season, and movement is so good for our mental health too! Keep up the good work and keep coming back for more! -Lindsey
Omg this workout was killer. I do your videos 2-3 times/week. I’m still sore two days later! Only used 12 lbs too. Yowzers! Thanks for your time and videos. They’re awesome!!!
Yes, this is a tough one; hitting it all! Way to get it done and keep up the good work! -Lindsey
This 30 min full body circuit was awesome and so hard. I do your workouts 2-3 times per week and I was sooooo sore the next two days. Only used 12 lbs. OMG. Thank you!
Way to go Lesli! Yes, this is a tough workout!! Way to get it done and I hope you come back for more! -Lindsey