Exercise

Warm Up/Prep

5 minutes

Circuit 1

1 ) Modified Push-up 3 sets of 8 A modified version of the regular push-up. This one still forces you to use your core muscles.

2 ) Wall Squat 3 sets of 1 1 minutes This exercise helps you build strength in your quads and develop your form to prepare you for performing a full squat.

3 ) Jumping Jacks 3 sets of 1 1 minutes This is an excellent form of cardio that you can perform anywhere.

Circuit 2

1 ) Dumbbell Chest Fly 3 sets of 10 Grab some dumbbells and perk up your pecs!

2 ) Squats 3 sets of 1 1 minutes This basic move emphasizes strengthening your quads and glutes.

3 ) Jumping Jacks 3 sets of 1 1 minutes This is an excellent form of cardio that you can perform anywhere.

Circuit 3

1 ) Bench Dip 3 sets of 8 Use a chair or a bench, and your own body weight, to work your triceps.

2 ) Lying Leg Raises 3 sets of 10 Lying Leg Raises emphasize the lower abs.

3 ) Jumping Jacks 3 sets of 1 1 minutes This is an excellent form of cardio that you can perform anywhere.

Circuit 4

1 ) Lateral Shoulder Raises 3 sets of 10 This move helps get rid of sloping shoulders and builds muscle so that your arms look smaller.

2 ) Basic Crunch 3 sets of 10 Isolate those abs! As the name suggests, this is one of the most basic of all of the crunches.

3 ) Jumping Jacks 3 sets of 1 1 minutes This is an excellent form of cardio that you can perform anywhere.

Circuit 5

1 ) Dumbbell Triceps Extension 3 sets of 10 By lowering and raising the dumbbells behind the head, this exercise creates definition in the back of your arms.

2 ) Scissors 3 sets of 10 Two for the price of one! Scissors work the lower abs as well as inner thighs.

3 ) Jumping Rope 3 sets of 1 1 minutes This is an outstanding form of cardio in terms of calorie burning and toning quads, hamstrings, and calves.

Cool Down

5 minutes

Warm Up/Prep

5 minutes 5 minutes

Circuit 1

1 ) Wide Grip Pulldown 3 sets of 12 This exercise targets the muscles along the side of your upper back.

2 ) Hack Squat 3 sets of 12 Use the body ball to strengthen your quad muscles.

3 ) Jumping Rope 3 sets of 1 2 minutes This is an outstanding form of cardio in terms of calorie burning and toning quads, hamstrings, and calves.

Circuit 2

1 ) Dumbbell Row 3 sets of 12 Tone your upper and middle back, biceps, and rear delts.

2 ) Forward Lunge 3 sets of 12 This exercise strengthens the muscles in the legs for better control and balance.

3 ) Jumping Jacks 3 sets of 1 1 minutes This is an excellent form of cardio that you can perform anywhere.

Circuit 3

1 ) Superman 3 sets of 12 Develop your own superpowers with this back-strengthening move!

2 ) Static Lunges 3 sets of 12 Like squats, these lunges really work your butt and thighs.

3 ) Jumping Jacks 3 sets of 1 1 minutes This is an excellent form of cardio that you can perform anywhere.

Circuit 4

1 ) Dumbbell Biceps Curl 3 sets of 12 This simple curl isolates your biceps.

2 ) Bicycle Crunch 3 sets of 12 The bicycle targets your rectus abdominus (inner and outer obliques).

3 ) Jumping Jacks 3 sets of 1 1 minutes This is an excellent form of cardio that you can perform anywhere.

Circuit 5

1 ) Concentration Curls 3 sets of 12 The concentration curl really isolates the biceps by taking any assistance from the back and shoulders totally out of the equation.

2 ) Russian Twists 3 sets of 12 Want six-pack abs? This is a full-on abdominal routine that works the rectus abdominus, internal and external obliques, and transverse abs.

3 ) Jumping Rope 3 sets of 1 1 minutes This is an outstanding form of cardio in terms of calorie burning and toning quads, hamstrings, and calves.

Cool Down

5 minutes

Sweat It Out at Home!

When you're feeling the pinch of tough economic times — not to mention the demands of family life and other obligations — sometimes the gym just isn't an option. But that's no reason to skip a workout! There are plenty of ways to break a sweat and get fit in and around your home. And you don't have to buy expensive equipment to do it. Here are just a few of my favorite at-home workout ideas:

• All the exercises on my site can be done at home — all you need is some inexpensive equipment — a pair of dumbbells, a mat, and a jump rope — and some space. If you don't want to spring for equipment, there are plenty of hard-core exercises that use your own body weight as resistance. The push-up is a classic exercise that will tone your chest, arms, and back; the lunge is fantastic for strengthening your lower body.
• Add some cardio to your morning routine with a run around the neighborhood or a quick jump-rope session. Because cardio represents weight-loss bonus points, add it in whenever you can. Working out in the morning, though, is a great way to wake yourself up and boost your energy for the entire day.
• When your kids head off to bed at night, do your circuit-training exercises. When little Jimmy's sleeping, you won't be distracted — you'll be ready to kick butt.
• Get creative and put to use common household items, such as soup cans and water bottles, as exercise equipment.
• Pick up a few workout DVDs. I have a whole collection of fitness DVDs that give you a complete workout: No More Trouble ZonesBanish Fat, Boost Metabolism gives you a killer cardio workout, and 30-Day Shred is an intense total-body blast that's great when you're short on time. offers a hard-core strength-training routine,

JILLIAN'S TIP OF THE DAY

Act Like a Kid Again

Lots of people complain that they don't have time to work out because they have to take care of their kids. Last time I checked, there was no law on the books saying that time with your kids has to be spent indoors, in front of the television. Get your family outside and engage in active play with them! Play some touch football or a game of tag. It's no substitute for a workout, but it will burn extra calories — and set a great example for your little ones about the value of movement.

Monday

Warm Up/Prep: Warm Up Circuit 1: Modified Push-up, Wall Squat, Jumping Jacks Circuit 2: Dumbbell Chest Fly, Squats, Jumping Jacks Circuit 3: Bench Dip, Lying Leg Raises, Jumping Jacks Circuit 4: Lateral Shoulder Raises, Basic Crunch, Jumping Jacks Circuit 5: Dumbbell Triceps Extension, Scissors, Jumping Rope Cool Down: Cool Down

Tuesday

Warm Up/Prep: Warm Up, Warm Up Circuit 1: Wide Grip Pulldown, Hack Squat, Jumping Rope Circuit 2: Dumbbell Row, Forward Lunge, Jumping Jacks Circuit 3: Superman, Static Lunges, Jumping Jacks Circuit 4: Dumbbell Biceps Curl, Bicycle Crunch, Jumping Jacks Circuit 5: Concentration Curls, Russian Twists, Jumping Rope Cool Down: Cool Down

Wednesday

• Rest Day

Thursday

Warm Up/Prep: Warm Up Circuit 1: Dumbbell Chest Press, Hack Squat, Jumping Jacks Circuit 2: Dumbbell Chest Fly, Sumo Squat, Jumping Jacks Circuit 3: Bench Dip, Pelvic Thrust, Jumping Rope Circuit 4: Military Shoulder Press, Reverse Crunches, Jumping Jacks Circuit 5: Triceps Kickbacks, Basic Crunch, Jumping Rope Cool Down: Cool Down

Friday

Warm Up/Prep: Warm Up Circuit 1: Seated Row, Side Lunge, Jumping Rope Circuit 2: Wide Grip Pulldown, Lying Leg Raises, Jumping Rope Circuit 3: Superman, Pelvic Thrust, Jumping Jacks Circuit 4: Hammer Curls, Plank Twists, Jumping Jacks Circuit 5: Reverse-Grip Curls, Bicycle Crunch, Jumping Rope Cool Down: Cool Down

Saturday

• Cardio Day It's your choice — do any kind of cardio you'd like today, but remember to get your heart rate up to 85%. From walking outside to working out with your favorite cardio DVD, how do you know which kinds of cardio are best? Do you walk, swim, step, or climb your way to fitness? The answer is: all of these. Find out which kinds of cardio are effective! When to Do Your CardioContrary to popular opinion, there’s no "right" time of the day to do cardio. The most important thing is that you do it. There is an established misconception that cardio is most effective first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, the theory being that you won’t have eaten in 8 to 10 hours, so there will be less blood sugar available for fuel, which will force your body to draw on and burn more of its stored energy. This is absolutely untrue. A calorie is a calorie no matter what. It doesn’t matter if the calories are from fat or from carbs — as long as you are burning more of them than you are taking in, you will lose weight. If anything, working out on an empty stomach could make you feel weak and could inhibit your performance. The best advice is to do your cardio whenever you have the energy for it, whether it’s morning or evening, on an empty stomach or following a snack. All that matters is that you are putting as much into every workout as you can — do that, and you’re guaranteed to get the most out of it. My workout plan allots for one day a week strictly devoted to cardio, but if you want to do extra cardio, do it after your circuit training for the day for weight loss "extra credit." How Long to Do Your Cardio When it comes to duration, you should do a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of two hours of cardio in any single session. On the one hand, the number of calories you burn in half an hour might not make it worth the trip to the gym (unless you’re going completely hard-core in your cardio session).On the other hand, you don’t want to exercise intensely for more than 2 hours straight, as excessive activity of this kind releases stress hormones into the body, such as cortisol, which inhibit weight loss, causing your body to react by storing fat and retaining water out of self-protection. Choosing Your Cardio There are a million and one exercises that you can do for cardio. So how do you know which kinds of cardio are best? Do you walk, row, spin, step, or climb your way to fitness? The answer is all of these. You should do whatever you enjoy the most.. If you only have access to one type of exercise, you can change the way you use it every once in a while so that you are avoiding the workout plateau and keeping yourself challenged and motivated. If you need information about specific cardio workouts, learn more about your options Walking / Jogging / Running You can perform this activity on a treadmill or outdoors. The key is to mix it up and keep it challenging. Do you walk every day but never break a sweat? Forget about it! That is useless. To burn maximum calories, you have to get your heart rate up!. There are a few different ways of doing this: you can walk on an incline, walk fast, run, or jog, depending on what you’re ready for at your current fitness level. Try performing intervals by running or jogging in quarter-mile bursts. You can also work different muscles in your legs by running backward every occasionally. Obviously, you can’t do this everywhere. You might also try sports drills like running sideways, or karaokes, which is trying to run sideways crossing your right foot over your left foot, then your left foot over your right foot. Stairs You can perform this exercise on a stair-climber or step-mill. The key to getting the most out of this exercise is taking full steps. Make sure you let your bottom leg fully extend, without touching the ground, before stepping back up. Don’t lean on the machine or hold on to anything. If you need to set the speed lower in order to go hands-free, do it; you’re still better off moving your upper body as you step. You can also perform this exercise sideways, and alternating your right leg over your left leg, and vice versa. This type of cardio will also tone your hamstrings, glutes, and calves, which you should bear in mind if you are working those muscle groups on the same day or on a day close to your cardio workout. Elliptical Trainer This machine is good because it tends to have a lot of variables built in; many of these machines have adjustable incline ramps, allowing you to work different muscles in your legs. Some also have movable handles that allow you to work your upper as well as your lower body. Obviously, if the machine you’re using has these options for maximizing your session by working the upper body, use them. This machine is also good for people with knee problems, as it is low impact and easy on your joints. With elliptical trainers, it is important to increase the resistance on the machine; otherwise, gravity will be doing all the work for you. You can vary the ramp incline in order to target different leg muscles: if the ramp is inclined and you are pedaling forward, you are working the back leg muscles: the hamstrings, glutes, and calves; if the ramp is at a lower incline and you pedal backward, you are training the front leg muscles: the quads and dorsi flexors. Swimming Generally, swimming is kinder to your body than land-based exercise because your natural buoyancy in water helps you avoid the jarring knocks that can cause injuries. In water, you weigh about a tenth of your normal weight, and the range of motion for the less-fit person is much wider because the water supports the weight of the limbs. So swimming is a good choice for people who want to exercise, but who might have problems with weight-bearing, land-based activities. Swimming might suit those who have arthritis or back problems, weight problems, or are pregnant. To mix things and target different muscles, do vary your strokes during your swim between breaststroke, freestyle, butterfly, and backstroke. Recumbent Bike This form of cardio exercise is great for beginners. It's not the greatest calorie burner because your body is sitting during the exercise, so you are only working your leg muscles. However, you can still pick up that resistance and push yourself as much as possible. You might want to consider doing some light arms while you bike, like bicep curls or shoulder presses, in order to get your heart rate up. Jump Rope and Jumping Jacks Thse two cardio moves are excellent forms of cardio that you can perform anywhere. No matter where you are or what the weather, you can always jump. It will take you a little time to build up endurance for this form of cardio, so try them in intervals at first: jump one minute, rest the next, and so on. Both of these moves are an outstanding forms of cardio in terms of calorie burning and toning quads, hamstrings, and calves. Try different types of jumps to spot target different leg muscles. If you’re jumping rope, try butt kicks or bringing your knees up as high as you can in between jumps. Try jumping on one foot at a time or alternate feet. The possibilities are endless with this simple activity. Cardio Classes The advantage to cardio classes is that they’re a whole lot more fun than sweating it out by yourself. They also provide company for your misery, which can be a great motivator. Whether it’s spinning, step, boot camp, or any other cardiovascular class, make sure it involves a minimum of 45 minutes of activity and keeps your heart rate up. Finding Your Intensity During Cardio When it comes to intensity, use your best judgment. If it feels too easy, increase intensity; if it feels too difficult or your form is compromised, decrease intensity. You will find that your abilities change as you move forward, so it is important to adjust your intensity levels as you increase your fitness level. Ideally, I want you to make sure you’re pushing yourself and keeping your heart rate at 85 percent of your maximum while you are doing it. I strongly recommend that you purchase a heart-rate monitor, which will give you instant feedback on how you're doing, letting you know if you're working too hard or not working hard enough..

Sunday

• Rest Day

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