How This Full-Body Circuit Will Make Up for Any Missed Workouts

Many of us miss a workout day for various reasons that life throws at us, but have you ever considered doubling up on your workout to squeeze in what you missed yesterday? When doing a typical upper-body/lower-body split routine, these things happen, but try this quick fix for any missed workout.

Here is a full-body workout routine that allows you to “not skip leg day” if you missed it the day before:

Quick Pull-ups/Push-ups/Squats Pyramid 1-5 warm-up with a 100-meter jog between sets (stop at 5/5/5): This one-to-five half pyramid (or ladder) accumulates 15 repetitions of pull-ups, push-ups and squats in five progressive sets mixed with easy 100-meter jogs (or 20 seconds of jump rope/jumping jacks) if you do not have a place to run near a pull-up bar. It looks like this:

• 1 pull-up, 1 push-up, 1 squat — jog 100 meters (or 20 seconds of movement)
• 2 pull-ups, 2 push-ups, 2 squats — jog 100 meters
• Go up to No. 5, then stop and move into the gym to start the workout.

Consider This a Push-Pull-Leg-Core Split Routine

The first section is your choice of push exercises — bench presses or push-ups. Followed by a mix of core and pull with the plank pose and dumbbell rows while in the plank position. Then use the bench or a step to do 10 steps per leg to complete the push-pull-leg-core circuit:

Repeat three times.

• Bench press 10 reps or push-ups 10-20 reps
• One-minute plank but do 10 dumbbell rows/arm while in the plank position
• Step-ups onto bench/step 10/leg.

The next Push-Pull-Leg-Core segment works the same muscles in different planes of movement:

Start with pull-ups or pulldowns, then hang from the bar and do knee-ups to combine the pulling exercise with the core in back-to-back exercises. Then your push choice is either to use the maximum effort on dip bars or to use dumbbells to work the triceps with extensions over and behind your head. The final exercise is a full-body combination of dumbbell squats, then a biceps curl into a military press overhead. This full-body dumbbell movement turns three exercises into one smooth movement.

Follow this two-round circuit with a five-minute cardio segment of your choice.

Repeat twice.

• Pull-ups max or machine pulldowns 10
• Hanging knee-ups 10-20
• Dips max or dumbbell triceps extensions 10
• Dumbbell squats/biceps/military press 10
• Cardio for five minutes

The following section is your choice of using gym machines or calisthenics to complete the leg day missed the day before (with dumbbells or weight vests):

Repeat three times.

• Leg press 10
• Leg extensions 10
• Leg curls 10
• Cardio for five minutes

Or do the calisthenics below:

Repeat three times.

• Squats 20
• Lunges 10/leg
• Heel raises 15
• Cardio for five minutes`

The final cooldown section includes your choice of easy cardio, followed by stretching the muscles used today as needed.

• 5-10 minutes of biking, walking or jogging
• 5-10 minutes of stretching/foam rolling

If you have time to add in the final leg section missed the day before, great. If not, no worries. You at least have mixed some leg exercises into your upper-body portion of the workout to get something done. Sometimes, time is not our friend, so get creative. You may find that when you have time to train again in full, you have not fallen behind so much with these quick additions to your busy day.

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