Good morning! How was your weekend? I'm in full-fledged packing mode now as my boyfriend and I are moving in together in 2 weeks! It's a super exciting time, but also getting a bit stressful. He and I were wondering how we were going to fit in our workouts at the gym between all this packing and cleaning of both our apartments. And you know what? We aren't. The packing and hauling is a workout enough! It's not anything close to what we'd do in the gym, but I'm trying to remember rest is important during these stressful and sometimes exhausting times. Luckily he does have a set of resistance bands and a few dumbbells at his place, so if there's time, I'll probably try to fit in this workout at least once while we're here!

This one's a fun circuit workout that targets your glutes (buns) and biceps & shoulders (guns). All you need is a set of dumbbells and some floor space, so if you have some weights at home, grab 'em and have some fun! And of course, you can do this one in the gym, too. Keep reading for the details of the workout and a note on selecting an appropriate amount of weight.

Buns & Guns Dumbbell Circuit Workout

Equipment needed: a set of medium to heavy dumbbells and some floor space.
For beginners: I'd recommend 8-10lbs, and go through this circuit twice (once per leg with 1 set of curls and 1 set of presses).
For more advanced fitness levels: I'd recommend 10-12lbs, and go through this circuit 4 times (twice per leg, and 2 sets of curls & presses total).

Here's an example:
Circuit 1 = right leg all the way through with 10 bicep curls between each exercise
Circuit 2 = left leg all the way through with 10 shoulder presses between each exercise
if you want to continue...
Circuit 3 = repeat right leg w/ bicep curls
Circuit 4 = repeat left leg w/ shoulder presses
Feel free to modify the amount of curls and presses you do between each exercise based on your own fitness level.

20 Dumbbell Curtsey Lunges + Pulse - start standing with a dumbbell in each hand by your sides. Holding the dumbbells by your side, bring one foot diagonally back behind you (e.g. with your right foot, step back and to the left, like a curtsey). As you step, make sure you're lunging down, and pulse once before coming back to standing. Do 20 lunges.

20 Single Leg Deadlifts - start standing with a dumbbell in each hand. Keeping one foot planted on the ground and that leg straight, slowly lower the dumbbells as close to the floor as you can, lifting the other leg straight out behind you as you go down, forming a T position with your body. Slowly raise yourself back up to starting position for 1 rep. Continue the deadlifts for 20 reps total.

25 Single Leg Glute Bridges (weighted) - lie on the ground, one leg bent with your foot flat on the floor, other leg raised high in the air. Keep a dumbbell resting on your hips/lower abdomen, and raise your pelvis up toward the ceiling, activating your glutes and quads. Lower yourself back down to the floor. Keep raising your pelvis up for 25 reps, making sure to squeeze your glutes at the top of the raise. Trainer Tip: if the added resistance of the weight is too much, do them without the dumbbell. If you need to, you can also do them with both feet on the ground.

30 Runner Stance Heel Touches - crouch down on one leg, hands on the ground, other leg extended back behind you, toes lightly touching the floor, as if in a runner's stance. (All your weight should be on the front leg here.) From here, bring your back leg forward so your toes meet the heel of your stationary foot. Extend the that leg back out, tap your toes to the floor again, and bring it back in to meet your heel. Continue that pattern for 30 reps. Trainer Tip: your front leg should be bent such that your quads engage, but you shouldn't be crouched so far down that your butt is touching your lower leg.

30 Kneeling Rainbows - get in an all-fours position on the ground, with one leg extended out straight, toes touching the floor. From here, you'll make a "rainbow" in the air with your leg by bringing it up as high as you can and arching over side to side. Do 30 "rainbows" total on one leg.

Remember to go through this circuit on your other leg next to get 'em both feelin' the burn, then once more each side for the full workout, alternating bicep curls or shoulder presses between each exercise. Enjoy!

Readers: chat with me! How was your weekend? Do anything awesome? What's your favorite glute burner exercise? How about for your arms?