My 13 year old daughter is a natural athlete. If she is not on the court playing basketball, she is out on the field playing soccer or in the batter’s box waiting for that perfect pitch. Typically, on any given day, we are running around driving her from one activity to the next. Unfortunately, since the statewide lock-down due to the Covid 19 pandemic, sports have no longer been an outlet for her. My 10 year old daughter is a little less motivated to exercise, so she needs sports to stay active. Both my husband and I have not been able to get to the gym or yoga classes as much as we used to so we decided to come up with a circuit training plan for the whole family!!!
Getting the whole family involved is a a fun way to get the kids involved in physical fitness and put them on the path to a lifelong enjoyment of exercise. Working out as a family is a fun way to keep each other motivated, to reach for similar goals, to be a cheerleader for each other and to hold each other accountable. From simple games to weightlifting, children's circuit training exercises should be adapted to the level of the kids performing the circuit.
I created a circuit with body-weight exercises. You can substitute other body weight exercises too like jumping jacks, pull-ups, chin-ups and jumping rope. Timed dashes are a good circuit exercise, as well as hop scotch, high-knee skipping, giant steps down the length of a driveway or the width of a gym, "suicides" or line-to-line back and forth running.
It’s also fun to track your progress! Kids can practice vertical leaps by jumping next to a wall as high as they can with a piece of chalk in one hand, making a mark against the wall to see how high they can reach. Keep track of their results each week to gauge improvement.
To keep heart rates up, time each circuit so that everyone is working 30 to 60 seconds, with no more than a one-minute break between each leg of the circuit. Keep the circuit going for a minimum of 15 minutes. You can also play music during the workout to create more excitement.
This circuit training exercise plan is a great one to get started. I recommend doing this exercise 2-3 times per week. I also found the list below of other exercises on Pinterest that you can use to mix and match for other circuit training exercise plans. It could be really run to go to a park and include other friends too!!
Alright team! I hope this post inspires you to get active as a family! I would love to hear how it goes or any other exercise plans you enjoy doing together!
Namaste- Cassy