Move It Monday: 5 Minute Mini-Circuits & Giveaway

Disclosure: This post sponsored by Gymboss Interval Timers. As always, all opinions expressed are my own, honest opinions. Please see my full disclosure policy for more information on sponsored posts.

Who else is ready to get moving on a cold day like today? If you need to warm up a bit, I have just the workout for you today. It’s fun, fast, and I think you will enjoy the layout, as well.

So what exactly does this workout look like? Well, a bit like this:

• 30 seconds
• 60 seconds
• 60 seconds
• Repeat for a 5 minute circuit.

In this workout, you will have three different exercises. The first exercise is a cardio based move that you will do for 30 seconds. Then, you follow that up with 60 seconds each of a lower body and upper body exercise. Go through the timed intervals of the three exercises a second time to add up to five total minutes. I promise you that you will be dying for that five minutes to end!

In order to make this workout even more user friendly, I decided to use a Gymboss Interval Timer. About a month ago, I received two of the Gymboss timers to try out with my workouts and to see how they performed – if they really helped make those interval, tabata, and timed workouts we know and love that much easier to follow.

- photo via Instagram

Verdict? They did. I loved being able to just “set it and forget it” when doing the workout. Normally, when doing interval workouts of this nature I would either use a clock on the wall at the gym I had to constantly check or an app on my phone. The app would work fine, but my phone screen would time out too often and I hated not being able to see just how much time I had left for a certain interval. The little countdown screen really helped motivate me to keep pushing. Plus, there’s the added bonus of the Gymboss timers being smaller, so much more comfortable to wear (they have clips or armbands) during the workout.

For the first couple of weeks I used solely the basic Gymboss timer (shown above) and it worked wonderfully. The setup for the intervals takes minimal time and I could jump right in to my workout. Then, when I went to perform the workout I will be sharing with you today, I realized that I needed a few more options. That’s where the Gymboss miniMAX timer came in.

It allows you to set numerous interval lengths and various circuits to combine into one workout. You can also save up to 20 different workouts (programs) for later use, so you don’t have to set up the intervals from scratch every time you use the timer like you would if doing a different interval setup with the standard Gymboss timer. You can check out the differences between the two timers in the table below.

I found both of the Gymboss timers incredibly easy to use and helpful for my workouts.

There are SO many ways to use the timers:

• Tabatas – You just wait anxiously for that beep. It somehow keeps you going.
• Treadmill Intervals – I can’t even begin to describe how freeing it felt to not have to watch the dang treadmill clock for when to adjust my speed or incline. Plus, helps you have better form to not be looking down at the treadmill dashboard all the time while walking/running.
• Stretching – It’s so easy to not hold a stretch for the full amount of time or skip stretches. I have a stretch timer set up so I stick with the number of stretches for the right amount of time to end my workout. No more skipping out early!
• Planks – I like increasing core strength with planks, but instead of holding for one long marathon session of a plank, I prefer to break it up into smaller chunks of time with minimal rest. I can also switch up the type of planking between rounds on the timer. Or, you can use the stopwatch features to see how long you can hold one plank if that’s more your style.
• Fitness Tests – Many of the fitness tests I do for Best Body Bootcamp (registering now!) are timed tests, such as how many push-ups can be finished in one minute. The timer works so well for that. The stopwatch would work well for things like a timed mile test, too.
• Timed Circuits – Just like the one you will get right now!

Check out the Gymboss Pinterest page for workout ideas, as well.

Now for that workout I told you about! Remember – 30 seconds cardio, 60 seconds lower body, and 60 seconds upper body done two times through for a five minute circuit. The workout includes four groups of exercises. You can do each one for a 20 minute workout or go through 1 or 2 of your favorites a few times through one day and do the other groups on a different day.

Here is a video demo of the first group of exercises, so you can kind of see how the layout works. Note that I did go through the exercises just once for time purposes, so you would rest as much as needed and move right into another round of that group of exercises when doing the actual workout.

Some modifications would be to keep the cardio exercises low impact, take rest breaks as often as needed during the intervals, or to do each group just one time through instead of two times through. Always rest for at least two minutes between groups of exercises and modify any exercises that cause you any sort of pain or discomfort. Train smart and make it work for you. And have fun with it!

But before you get started with your workout, you may not want to leave just yet. I have a giveaway for you! Up for grabs are one of each of the Gymboss timers – one Gymboss timer and one Gymboss miniMAX timer. That means TWO WINNERS. Yay! Follow the Rafflecopter prompts to get your entries.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to also check out Gymboss on Instagram and Pinterest! Giveaway open to US residents only. Giveaway ends Thursday January 9th at 11:59 pm EST. Good luck!

Tagged as: circuit workouts, fitness, sponsored, strength training, workout tips