12-minute total body workout 2

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This circuit will work all your major muscles for extra size and strength and fire up your metabolism to help you burn fat.

The barbell is the close cousin of the dumb-bell. The main difference is that a barbell is more stable to handle than a dumb-bell, allowing you to perform similar exercises with more weight. More weight equals more muscle.

 

With this workout you’ll do a series of classic compound barbell moves – but all linked together to form a complex circuit. Three sets of ten reps of seven exercises would take most gym-goers up to an hour to complete. You’ll be done and dusted in 12 minutes, having worked every muscle in your body and boosted your fat-burning metabolism to boot.

How to do it

•  Use the same weight of barbell for each exercise.
•  Perform each exercise in order, taking no rest between exercises.
•  Once you have completed one full circuit, rest for 1 minute before starting all over again.
•  Do three circuits in total, rest for 60 seconds between circuits.

Tips

• Don’t put the bar down during the circuit 
 – it is designed so you can move from one exercise to the next without a break.
• Pick a weight that is challenging but allows you to complete all your reps without stopping.
•  Use collars on an Olympic bar to prevent the plates slipping.

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