Torch Calories With This Total-Body Circuit Workout

This article originally appeared on DailyBurn.com.

Creating an all-encompassing workout — one that gets your heart rate up while strengthening every major muscle group — takes some fancy fit work. But it’s something Steve Uria, founder of Switch Playground in New York City (original location: South Africa), does with gusto. If you’ve never been to the playground, imagine recess for adults but with more structure and sculpting goals.

Each class at Switch includes 20 stations, with two exercises per station. You’ll work every body part — big and small — and because you only do each exercise for 30 seconds (two minutes total per station), you’ll break a serious sweat to boot. (The party vibe with a live DJ and neon lights will help you turn up the intensity, too.)

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“Circuit workouts promote a functional training environment to condition the whole body,” Uria explains. “You’re maximizing benefit in minimal time, and creating a cardiovascular experience within a strength training arena.” In other words, you simultaneously pump up the volume on fat burning and muscle building.

Of course, we couldn’t leave Uria’s fun and games at the playground, so we had him design a sequence you could do right at home. All you need is a set of dumbbells, a kettlebell and med ball, and a killer workout playlist (like this one). Crank the volume, and you’re ready to blast through these circuits.

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4 Mini Circuit Workouts, 1 Killer Total-Body Routine

Get ready for one mini circuit for every section of the body, plus a total-body scorcher. Each circuit features just three moves — but packs plenty of targeted body benefits. Do 12 to 15 reps of each move and two to three rounds of each circuit before moving on to the next. If you still have some drive by that final exercise, push it into high gear and repeat everything from the top, Uria says. Sweaty, sculpted and oh-so-energized… here you come!

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Lower Body Circuit Workout

Fire up some of the biggest muscles in the body: your quads, hamstrings, and even more so, your glutes. Hello, booty burn.

1. Side Step Squat
How to: With a dumbbell in each hand and your arms down by your sides, stand with feet hip-width apart (a). Step out to the left side, push your hips back and drop your butt down to sit into a squat (b). Stand up straight, then step your feet back to the starting position (c). Next, step out to the right side and sit into a squat (d). Stand up, return to the starting position, and continue alternating.

2. Back Lunge with Knee Raise
How to: Start standing with feet hip-width apart (a). Step your left foot back into a low lunge, both knees bent at 90 degrees and your left knee hovering just off the floor. At the same time, bring your arms straight up at a 45-degree angle (b). Step forward, bringing your left knee up toward your chest, as you bring your arms back down to your sides (c). Repeat, then switch sides.

3. Glute Cross Overs
How to: Start on all fours with your shoulders over wrists and your knees in line with hips (a). Bring your right knee in toward your chest, then shoot it straight out behind you, raising it straight up toward the ceiling (b). Then move your right leg over your left leg, and tap the floor lightly with your right foot, just outside of your left foot (c). Shoot it back up to the ceiling and repeat, then switch sides.

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Upper Body Circuit Workout

You’ll work your entire upper body — shoulders, chest, back, triceps and biceps — with this muscle-burning trifecta. Remember to keep your shoulders rolled down and away from your ears for each exercise.

RELATED: 7 No-Crunch Exercises for Six-Pack Abs 

1. Lateral Dumbbell Raise into Curl Press
How to: Holding a dumbbell in each hand, stand with your feet hip-width apart and arms down in front of you (a). Raise your arms straight out to the sides to shoulder height, palms facing down (b). Bring your arms back down to your sides and then, circle your hands inward and upward for a bicep curl (c). When the dumbbells reach shoulder height, swiftly switch your palms to face front. Then push your hands straight up for an overhead press (d). Bring your arms back down, flipping your palms to face you at chest height and return to the starting position (e). Repeat.

2. Push-Up Rotation
How to: Start in a high plank position with your hands holding dumbbells, shoulders over wrists and your body in a straight line from shoulders to ankles (a). Perform a push-up (b). Then, pull the weight in your left hand straight up to your chest, as you pivot on your feet. Straighten your arm to a T as you hit your side plank (c). Return back to the high plank and repeat on the other side (d). Continue alternating, with a push-up between each rotation.

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3. Bent Over Fly to Row to Tricep Kickback
How to: Start with your feet hip-width apart with a slight bend in the knees. Hinge forward at the hips about 45 degrees. Maintain a flat back (a). Holding two dumbbells down by your sides, palms facing each other, lift your arms out to the sides (slight bend in the elbows) and squeeze your shoulder blades together to complete a fly (b). Bring your arms back down to your sides, then pull the weight toward your chest and bend your elbows. Keeping your elbows elevated, straighten your arms behind you to complete the tricep kickback. You should raise the weights above your hips (c). Return to the start and repeat.

To see the rest of this total-body workout, check out Life by Daily Burn.

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