Tackle this full-body circuit with minimal equipment

This is an advanced upper body and core workout with minimal equipment – all you need is a decent pair of gym shoes, light dumbbells and a mini resistance band – targeted at those looking to challenge themselves, try new moves, build muscle and improve their body control.

The bodyweight exercises are scalable depending on your ability. The aim is to perform them with perfect execution and form rather than simply as many reps as you can.

I’d also recommend performing a thorough stretching and warm-up routine before tackling this full-body circuit.

At Men’s Fitness we pride ourselves on delivering information that serves a singular purpose: to improve some aspect of your health, fitness or wellbeing. For over 16 years, we’ve been publishing authoritative health and fitness content – written by our expert editors and contributors. Each of our workouts has been created and tested by either a highly experienced editor or expert contributor. This full-body circuit was devised by Your Personal Training PT Benjamin Augusto.

Exercises in this full-body circuit

Pike push-up
Superman with banded row
Typewriter push-up
Dumbbell hinged row
Side plank with dumbbell triceps extension
Dumbbell reverse-grip biceps curl

How to do this full-body circuit

This is a circuit, so perform the exercises back-to-back with minimal rest
Rest for 90 secs once you’ve completed one full round
Aim for a minimum of 3 rounds in total

1. Pike push-up

man in red top and red shorts doing a pike push-up in the gym

Targets: Shoulders, upper chest, triceps, core

Reps	5-8
Rest	Go straight into exercise 2

Begin by placing your hands on the floor, around shoulder-width apart, with fingers facing forward
Stack your shoulders over your hands and walk your feet towards your hands as close as possible, going up onto your toes. Push into the ground to elevate your scapula – this is your start position
Bend your arms and lower your body forward and down towards the floor, keeping your elbows tucked and not flared out
Lower until your head is close to the ground, then push up and back to the start position

My tip: Make it harder by shifting your feet further back.

2. Superman with banded row

man in red top and red shorts doing a superman with banded row in the gym as part of a full-body circuit

Targets: Lower back, glutes, upper back

Reps	8-10
Rest	Go straight into exercise 3

Lie flat on your front, holding a mini resistance band in your hands
Squeeze your glutes and lift your feet and lower legs off the ground. Arch your upper back to lift your chest off the ground as well
With your arms extended in front of you, pull the band apart slightly to engage tension into the band and your shoulders – this is the start position
Begin to row the band back towards your chest, lifting your chest further off the ground, pulling your scapula back and feeling the squeeze in your whole posterior chain
Hold this position for a split second, then reverse the movement back to the start and repeat

My tip: Really focus on squeezing your upper back at the top of the movement.

3. Typewriter push-up

man in red top and red shorts doing a typewriter push-up in the gym as part of a full-body circuit

Targets: Chest, shoulders, triceps, core

Reps	10-15
Rest	Go straight into exercise 4

Begin in a normal push-up position, but place your hands much wider than shoulder-width and point your fingers outwards
Engage your core and don’t let your hips sag – this will be your starting position
Lower down to one side, aiming to bring your chest to your hand with the other arm completely straight, then slowly transition across to the other side, keeping your chest as close to the floor as possible
Once you have reached the other side, press up to the top
Now lower back down to the same side, transition across and press back up to the top again

4. Dumbbell hinged row

man in red top and red shorts doing a dumbbell hinged row in the gym as part of a full-body circuit

Targets: Upper back, biceps, forearms

Reps	8-12 each side
Rest	Go straight into exercise 5

Pick up your dumbbell set and stand with your feet around shoulder-width apart
Soften your knees and hinge at the hips, keeping a flat or slightly arched back. Hands should rest around knee height, palms in towards the knees – this is your start position
Row the dumbbells back into your hips, driving the elbows backwards and up, squeezing your shoulder blades together
Hold this squeeze for a split second, then lower back down to the start position

5. Side plank with dumbbell triceps extension

man in red top and red shorts doing a side plank with dumbbell triceps extension

Targets: Obliques, shoulders, triceps

Reps	15-20
Rest	Go straight into exercise 6

Lie sideways on your mat, stacking your feet on top of each other and placing your forearm on the floor to support your weight
Pick up your dumbbell with the upward arm, and lift it to rest behind your head
Now engage your core and lift your hips up to hold the side plank, with a nice straight line from your feet to your hips and shoulders – this is your start position
Hold this position while you perform reps of triceps extension, aiming to keep your upper arm in the same position as you contract the triceps
Perform your reps, then swap to the other side to repeat

6. Dumbbell reverse-grip biceps curl

man in red top and red shorts doing a dumbbell reverse-grip biceps curl as part of a full-body circuit

Targets: Biceps, core

Reps	8-12
Rest	90 secs, then return to the first exercise

Pick up your dumbbells, and stand with your feet around shoulder-width apart, with core engaged, neutral shoulders and palms facing towards you — this is your start position
Curl the dumbbells up slowly, keeping the palms facing down until they are close to your shoulders
Squeeze at the top for a split second, before slowly lowering down to the start position

These Mirafit resistance bands would be ideal to use as part of this full-body circuit