Circuits, Circuits, and More Circuits!

Circuit workouts are perhaps one of my most loathed and loved types of exercise. I loathe them because they absolutely kill me, and they do it quickly. The combination of high intensity and short intervals is quick to raise my heart rate and make me start breathing heavily. In short, I always feel completely out of shape when I do them.

But I love circuit workouts for the very same reasons--they work me hard, and there is no doubt when I am doing them that I'm making my body stronger with each exercise I'm able to complete. They're extremely effective in a very short amount of time.

I've most recently been doing the 30 Day Ab Challenge event created by Robyn Gardner - you might have heard of it, as it's a Facebook event that unexpectedly went viral and currently has 2.7 million listed as "going." I've been working my core through yoga for the last year, but never took the time to sit down and just do some good old fashioned situps, crunches, leg raises, and planks outside of yoga. All I can say is MAN OH MAN does it burn! But I love it because it's a short and sweet addition to my daily routine that I can feel is making a big difference already. Plus, exercising my abs just before bed reminds me to stretch as well, so I get a few yoga poses in as a cool down before tucking in for the night.

Robyn Gardner's 30 Day Ab Challenge!

I'm particularly grateful for the ab challenge this month because my knee has continued to bother me even nearly three weeks after twisting it, so I've had to cut down a lot on most other exercise. Traditional mat exercises that don't require me to use my knees have been a godsend these past few weeks as I suffer from yoga withdrawals.

I also got a fun infographic in my inbox the other day from a website called DogVacay.com, which included a list of "dog inspired exercises"that I found adorable (if a little cheesy):

Infographic via DogVacay.com

It looks like a fun and intense circuit series, so I'm sad that I won't be able to try it until my knee decides to behave itself. Would you consider giving this circuit a try? If you do, let me know what you think!