A Week to Peak: Episode 2

The premise of this series is simple — a week’s worth of workouts. 

Perhaps you’ve got a big vacation coming up in roughly seven days and want to get in a great week of training before you relax (and look your best in a bikini). Or maybe your current program is just growing stale and you need something new to reignite your training spark. 

These Week to Peak routines can get you there. Choose one that looks appealing and that matches your goals and accommodates your available equipment. The workouts are challenging and fun, and they are suitable for most intermediate and advanced athletes. 

Enjoy!

Episode 2: Lower-Body/Upper-Body Fat-Burning Circuits

This five-day routine promotes maximum calorie- and fat-burning through a lethal combination of mini-circuits and high-intensity cardio. 

The exercise selection runs the gamut from standard gym moves to bodyweight calisthenics to sports-based exercises. That said, if you’re limited on equipment, you can swap out any exercise for bodyweight or dumbbell alternatives that hit the same movement and/or muscles.

In all the workouts, the exercises are grouped into circuits to keep intensity high and build lean muscle while burning fat. Each workout ends with a brief yet challenging cardio finisher to completely drain you of gas.

Workout Snapshot

Number of Days/Workouts	5
Primary Goals	Conditioning, fat loss
Equipment Needed	Fully equipped gym (optimal)

7-Day Training Split

Before each workout, perform 10 minutes of the cardio activity of your choice at a moderately intense pace.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Total-Body Push	Total-Body Pull	Rest	Rotation and Core	Total-Body Push	Total-Body Pull	Rest

Day 1

Total-Body Push 

Perform the moves in each circuit back-to-back with no rest in between. Rest 30 to 60 seconds between rounds and circuits.

Circuit 1

Complete three rounds of the following workout.

Exercise	Reps/Time
Dumbbell Sumo Squat or Machine Leg Press	20
Dumbbell Calf Raise	20
Lying Ab Leg Raise	20
Jump Rope (medium intensity)	100 skips
Rest	30-60 seconds

Circuit 2

Complete three rounds of the following workout.

Exercise	Reps/Time
Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press	10
Cable Triceps Pressdown	10
Ab-Wheel Rollout or Sit-Up	25
Jumping Lunge	60 seconds
Rest	30-60 seconds

Circuit 3

Complete three rounds of the following workout.

Exercise	Reps/Time
Push-Up	20
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension	15
Rest	30-60 seconds

Finisher

Perform five rounds of the following workout, resting only as needed.

Exercise	Reps/Time
Bench Dip	10
Jump Rope	60 seconds

Day 2 

Total-Body Pull 

Perform the moves in each circuit back-to-back with no rest in between. Rest 30 to 60 seconds between rounds and circuits.

Circuit 1

Complete three rounds of the following workout. 

Exercise	Reps/Distance/Time
Dumbbell Stiff-Legged Deadlift	10
Lying Machine Leg Curl	20
Back Extension Machine	15
Sprint (running or bike)	200 meters
Rest	30-60 seconds

Circuit 2

Complete three rounds of the following workout. 

Exercise	Reps/Time
Machine Lat Pulldown	10
Dumbbell Curl	10
Superman	25
Pop Squat	25
Rest	30-60 seconds

Circuit 3

Complete three rounds of the following workout. 

Exercise	Reps/Time
Chin-Up	15 (or to failure)
Hammer Curl	15
Rest	30-60 seconds

Finisher

Row 2,000 meters or run 1 mile and record your time.

Day 3

Rest 

Day 4

Rotation and Core

Perform the moves in each circuit back-to-back with no rest in between. Rest 30 to 60 seconds between rounds and circuits.

Circuit 1

Complete three rounds of the following workout.

Exercise	Reps/Time
Cable or Resistance-Band Woodchopper	20 (each side)
Lying Dumbbell Pullover	15
Medicine-Ball Russian Twist	20 (each side)
Rest	30-60 seconds

Circuit 2

Complete three rounds of the following workout. 

Exercise	Reps/Time
Dumbbell Snatch	10 (each arm)
Half-Kneeling One-Arm Dumbbell Press	10 (each arm)
TRX Row or One-Arm Dumbbell Row	15 (each side)
Rest	30-60 seconds

Circuit 3

Complete three rounds of the following workout. 

Exercise	Reps/Time
Side-Plank Hip Dip	25 (each side)
Plank Hold	30 seconds
Rest	30-60 seconds

Finisher

Complete 10 to 15 rounds of the following workout on a stationary bike, a treadmill or on a track. 

Sprint	20 seconds
Rest	40 seconds

Day 5

Total-Body Push 

Perform the moves in each circuit back-to-back with no rest in between. Rest 30 to 60 seconds between rounds and circuits.

Circuit 1

Complete three rounds of the following workout. 

Exercise	Reps/Time
Dumbbell Goblet Squat	20
Standing Calf Raise	30
Decline Bench Sit-Up	25
Jump Rope	100 revolutions
Rest	30-60 seconds

Circuit 2

Complete three rounds of the following workout. 

Exercise	Reps/Time
Incline Dumbbell Press	12
Two-Arm Dumbbell Kickback	10
Reverse Crunch	25
Lateral Lunge	25 (each side)
Rest	30-60 seconds

Circuit 3

Complete three rounds of the following workout.

Exercise	Reps/Time
Feet-Elevated Push-Up	15
Cable or Resistance-Band Overhead Triceps Extension	15
Rest	30-60 seconds

Finisher

Complete five rounds of the following workout, resting only as needed.

Activity	Time
Jump Rope	2 minutes
Wall Sit	30 seconds

Day 6 

Total-Body Pull

Perform the moves in each circuit back-to-back with no rest in between. Rest 30 to 60 seconds between rounds and circuits.

Circuit 1

Complete three rounds of the following workout. 

Exercise	Reps/Time
Assisted Pull-Up or Bodyweight Row	10 (or to failure)
Stability-Ball Leg Curl	15
Prone Stability-Ball Glute/Leg Raise	15
Rest	30-60 seconds

Circuit 2

Complete three rounds of the following workout.

Exercise	Reps/Time
One-Arm Dumbbell Row	10 (each side)
One-Arm Incline Dumbbell Curl	12 (each side)
Superman	25
Rest	30-60 seconds

Circuit 3

Complete three rounds of the following workout.

Exercise	Reps/Time
Straight-Arm Cable or Resistance-Band Pulldown	15
Cable or Resistance-Band Curl	8
Rest	30-60 seconds

Finisher

Complete 10 rounds of the following workout on a rowing machine or stationary bike. 

Activity	Time
Rowing Sprint	30 seconds
Rest	30 seconds

Day 7

Rest