@TheBot To be honest – I stopped going 5 days a week myself. (The girlfriend takes way too much time.)
If your objective is to lose weight – everyday workouts are the best way to do it. If it’s to tone up – you definitely need to lift.
A circuit workout is all lifting. Let me explain it this way – when I was trying to be bigger than I was, and gain mass – I lifted heavily. I lifted say 1000 pounds 8 reps, 3 sets. For toning – this would not work. Now I am done massing up and want to be more athletic looking, I go for say 500 pounds at 15, 15, 10, 10 reps (to add up to 50). That’s for more toning. The heavier you lift, the more your muscles tear, the more bigger they become when they heal. When you lift less, your tears are smaller, making more lean muscles (toning).
My circuit is very upper body based since I told you I run between the days (lower body).
Here is my circuit for Mondays:
Warm up run: 5 minutes
Warm up stretch: 5 minutes
Assisted Pull Ups: 50 reps
Bicep Curls into shoulder presses w/dumbells: 50 reps (count as a bicep curl and a shoulder press so this counts as 2 exercises)
Dead lifts: 50 reps
Dips Unassisted: 50 reps
Incline bench: 50 reps
The whole thing should take 30 min.
On Wed and Fridays – I just swap out the exercises. Like incline bench, becomes bench flys, or decline bench. Assisted Pull ups become Rows, Bicep curls become Popeyes, etc etc.
Hope this helps.