The majority of US adults fall short of the physical activity recommendations. The most common barriers to starting and maintaining an exercise program are a lack of time, social support, convenience, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation. The purpose of Work-It Circuit was to examine the impact of a 12-week worksite circuit training program on the health, fitness, and self-efficacy of previously underactive adults. Eligible participants were employees at a university in the southwest who fell short of the physical activity recommendations over the past six months.

The circuit training program addressed common barriers through time-efficient workouts, used self-efficacy and motivational strategies based on behavioral theories, and provided peer and instructor support with an aim to enhance exercise self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. The program featured two full-body circuit workouts per week, with each workout lasting 19–27 minutes. Participants also interacted with each other and a personal trainer daily through simultaneous exercise sessions and in a group chat platform.

This project was a single group, pre-test/post-test, mixed methods study. Fifteen of 16 participants completed the Work-It Circuit program and 82% of the exercise sessions were completed. Results showed improvements in systolic blood pressure, F (1, 13) = 10.18, p = .003, chest press 10-repetition maximum (10RM), F (1, 13) = 123.91, p < .001, leg press 10RM, F (1, 13) = 45.95, p < .001, global health, F (1, 13) = 5.29, p = .021, overall physical activity, F (1, 13) = 9.46, p = .003, and self-efficacy, F (1, 13) = 11.36, p = .001. There were non-significant improvements in intrinsic motivation and diastolic blood pressure. No significant changes were observed in other fitness measures. In post-program open-ended questions, participants most commonly noted the social aspect as being enjoyable while desiring more exercise program variety and flexibility. The results indicate that a time-efficient, workplace circuit training program with theory-based strategies is efficacious and could create long-term program adherence in previously underactive adults.