Upper Body Bodyweight Circuit Workout

Hey everyone,

Years ago, Alex injured his lower back.  Lower back pain is very common, with some studies showing that 8 out of 10 people will experience it in their lifetime.  Unfortunately, Alex re-injured the area recently, which has posed some challenges to our training.  Rather than viewing this as a huge set-back, however, we are looking at it as an opportunity to try out some new styles of training.  For the time being, our training will focus on 'back-safe' exercises, primarily bodyweight movements, until his injury has healed.

By focusing on bodyweight exercises, we are giving the affected area time to heal and avoiding compressive forces (e.g. heavy weights) which could cause further injury.  If you are injured, you should always get assessed by a physician before proceeding with your fitness routine.  In this case, Tannys will be monitoring Alex's exercise as they design safe workouts.  He will also make an extra effort to listen to his body, modifying his exercise as needed to ensure a swift and smooth recovery.  That said, Alex will not give up on exercise, nor will he simply coast along by choosing easy workouts...

In this bodyweight circuit workout, we focused on upper body, completing the following exercises without rest:

• Wide-grip pullups
• Dips
• Jungle Gym reverse pushups
• Elevated pushups
• Parallel-grip pullups
• Hand stand pushups (HSPUs)
• Planks

We moved through the exercises without rest, then took a rest period after finishing the plank.  We did 3 circuits in total.  Keeping a tight core becomes especially important when you have a back injury.  It was great to workout, but this was a tough one!

Bodyweight exercises do not equate to easy exercises.  Furthermore, moving at a fast pace in a circuit-style will progressively fatigue and overload your muscles.  If you push yourself and do a challenging number of reps on each exercise (i.e. give it 100%), we guarantee that this workout will deliver results.

- Tannys & Alex