September 1st, 2010 
blacKandi This post is for all my home circuit workout babies out there!
This list was requested by a few of my teammates over on the 30 Day Shred / Shred-It team over at SparkPeople.com. I have put together a recommendations list of all of the circuit workout DVDs I own and perform because they work (helps to burn fat, build muscle definition) AND I love circuit workouts over any type of workout out there (I still do other types though). These are just my recommendations for those of you who workout at home.
What is a circuit workout? Circuit workouts (my own definition from almost 2 years of experience with performing them) are workouts that incorporate both strength exercises and cardio moves (to keep the heart rate up to aid in continuous calorie burn. Most circuit workouts call for low weight (15lbs or less) and high repetitions (15+) in the strength portions of the workouts. This type of workout decreases body fat while toning the muscles at the same time, builds muscle endurance (trains your muscles to work for long periods of time) and increases cardiovascular and respiratory health (trains you to keep physically moving for long periods of time without stopping out of breath). Some circuit workouts out there increases agility levels as well (plyometrics) and a lot of them do incorporate some forms of plyo in them which is a plus. Circuit workouts will not bulk you up (build large amounts of muscle mass) or make you look masculine (if you’re a femal) – it does the opposite. Circuits creates a very lovely physique (muscle tone, shapes, lifts, defines, etc.) where you earn curves or where your “real curves” shines through. An example of a circuit workout is the very well known – 30 DAY SHRED – of course (still my favorite).
Just to make note, not all workouts will fit with the person working out to them so it’s wise to view all workouts well by watching the previews and reading full descriptions before you purchase any of them. I personally love all of my workouts (circuits and all – except for one that I reviewed on here just recently) and they were all carefully chosen to be added into my fitness DVD collection. I should have rated them by level in the spreadsheet, but the levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced) can be found on any one of the two websites I mention in the notes part of the spreadsheet.
Click here to download the spreadsheet (.xlsx) – circuitrecs-2010-sept-1a…
…and I hope this helps out anyone who wants to perform circuits or who currently incorporates circuit workouts into their routines to reach their fitness goals.
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Thanks for this! I trust your judgment and will try several of your recommendations soon.
Let me know what you get if you get something.
I fell in love with Jackie Warner because of your blog so I’m all over these recs. Thanks!
Awesome! I hope you find something in there you like.
Hey Kandi, you may have commented on an earlier post but what do you think of the Insanity DVD series? Have you given them a try?
Yes, I have an Insanity post and I said it was boring.
In a nutshell, I think Insanity is a great program, but it’s not for me the way it was intended to be done. Each individual workout on its own is awesome and I throw it into my routine here and there depending on if I want to do an insane workout – which is not often and when I do I do the program on my own not following the routine on the TV, but I do watch his timer which is nice. I usually go to Cathe, Billy Blanks or Amy Bento for bootcamp type workouts because I just find them fun and their workouts are not mimicked after a high school gym classes although my Hubby says it mimicks military bootcamp training a lot. I recommend everybody to buy Insanity and keep it on hand because it’s truly a fitness staple to have on hand for those days you need a butt kicking for eating something you had no business eating…it’s effective, very basic, easy to follow, butt kicking and a very well setup bootcamp workout. Good bootcamp workouts, on DVD are hard to find believe it or not.
Also, I don’t like the setting of Insanity…the basketball court does not motivate me and the millions of people behind Shaun T do not motivate me either and that’s a personal issue for me. If he had about 6 people behind him and he was outside some where then maybe I’d enjoy Insanity better.
My favorite thing about Insanity is the Upper Body Weight training workout and I do this one at least two times a month because it’s totally my style.
This is absolutely awesome! I have quite a few of the DVDs on your list and they are awesome! I am looking to check out the rest on your list. I’ve printed off, checked, marked, and highlighted the list! So, thanks! Lately, I have been drawn in by the Montenegro method DVDs. They seem to have a Zuzana/Marianne/fitmiss.tv/Jillian feel about them. And they are 20-25 minutes long. I thought I’d toss that out there for ya!
I’ve watched the Montenegro clips and she just doesn’t get my attention. For some reason, I’m not feeling her. I’ll keep checking her out as she puts out more workouts, but until then I’m still on the fence. Maybe it’s the setting she’s in and then she’s only working out with one other person. I don’t know. Just not feeling it right now.
And I do Zuzana’s and Marianne’s workouts as well. I like Marianne’s kettlebells the best. For straight up bootcamp, high intensity and to work on my speed I do some quick Zuzana workouts before I do my regular routine on cardio days. Depends on if I need the pick me up.
Hi,
How do I open the spreadsheet? When I click the link it opens into several folders. TIA
I am not finding any issues with downloading the spreadsheet on both Firefox 3.6.8 or Internet Explorer 8. The box pops up to download… but, here is the direct link — http://www.blackandi.com/docs/circuitrecs-2010-sept-1a.xlsx . Sorry for the inconvenience. Let me know if this links works for you or not.
Got it!!! Thanks!
Same thing happens to me when I try to open it…it opens to a many folders and none of them work. Must just be our computers though if you can view it without a problem.
I’ve narrowed the problem down to three solutions…
If you are using Internet Explorer version 7 or lower then the file will not open, but will open a folder of some kind. Never seen that before.
You will need Internet Explorer version 8 or if you use Firefox then you will need version 3.5 or better.
If you do not have MS Excel 2003 or better you will not be able to open the file.
Let me know!
Hi there,
Somehow I am not able to download the spreasheet. When I open the zip folder it gives me all sorts of algorithims or whatnot but no worksheet….(if you could email me the worksheet)!!
I just finished 30 day shred and needless to say I love it ( lost 12 pounds in 30 days). I am currently on the rotation u suggested by that include 30D, NMTZ, BF and yoga meltdown .
I enjoyed the circuit workout more and would love to see your recommendation.
I came across ur site just four days back while i looking for a workout routine incorporating JM DVDS and have to say I am hooked to your website its a good motivator. Thanks and keep it coming !!
Congrats to you! I lost a total of 8lbs my first go around – 2lbs a week. Awesome news! Sorry about not being able to get the spreadsheet of recommendations…see my comment above, maybe one of those will help you to solve the problem. If none of the solutions help, let me know.
Just wanted to say thank you for the recs, its so difficult to find good dvds!! I’ve been doing all JM dvds for the past 3 months (202 down to 184 lbs) and you inspired me to get the Kelley Coffey Circuit Burn dvd and I LOVE it, dare I say more than Jillian?? As far as calories burned do you think Circuit Burn would burn more, less or the same as say, BFBM or 30ds? (I should just buy a hr monitor but I’m too cheap!) I just found out that I’m pregnant so I’m hoping to continue losing as much as possible while I safely can!
Thanks again for all of your advice and congrats, you look awesome!
Tracey Staehle has a pregnancy kettlebell workout that looks awesome…I forget the name, sorry. More Jillian is always nice. Shred-It hit the market yesterday so don’t forget to pick that up. Thanks for the compliments, but most of all…thanks for taking the time to read this post. Congrats on the upcoming addition to your family. Enjoy!