Just because you train for 20 minutes a day doesn’t mean it’s ineffective. 20 minutes is a good amount of time to work through one muscle group or even two if they are smaller muscles. For reference, I usually train for 1 hour per session, and when I train chest, triceps, and shoulders in one day, it takes about 20 minutes for each muscle group.
Sometimes even less, around 10-15 minutes.
More than that isn’t necessary if you have an effective workout with good form, the right weight, and the right tempo.
You won’t be training 1 hour per day, but my point is that one muscle group can take between 10-20 minutes to train. If you can train for 20 minutes every day, it’s very beneficial for you. This means you can work almost every muscle group twice a week, which is optimal.
In this article, we will go through full-body workouts you can do in 20 minutes. If you’re interested in workouts targeting one muscle group, you can read about them in our other articles.
The workout will focus on bodyweight exercises.
20-Minute Home Workout
Training with your own body weight means using your body as resistance to train different parts of the body. You don’t need weights or machines, just your body and some space. Of course, you can also use some weights, and we recommend doing so after you have become a bit stronger.
Here are two sessions you can do. The first one is for cardio and endurance, while the second one is more for explosiveness and strength.
1. Burpees: Start in a standing position, jump down to a plank position, jump up again, and finish with a jump. Repeat for 30 seconds.
2. Plank: Hold a plank position for 30 seconds. It’s important to keep your body in a straight line and not arch your back.
3. Lunges: Perform a lunge with your right foot forward and then with your left foot forward. Repeat for 30 seconds.
4. Squats: Do a squat and return to a standing position. Repeat for 30 seconds.
5. Push-ups: Do as many push-ups as you can in 30 seconds.
6. Mountain Climbers: Start in a plank position and bring your knees towards your chest in a fast, running motion. Repeat for 30 seconds.
7. Lunge with Knee Lift: Perform a lunge with your right foot forward, stand up and lift your right knee towards your chest. Repeat on the other side. Repeat for 30 seconds.
8. Back Extensions: Lie on your stomach and lift your upper body off the ground. Lower and repeat for 30 seconds.
9. Side Plank: Hold a side plank on your right side for 30 seconds, then switch sides and hold for another 30 seconds.
10. Jumping Lunges: Perform a lunge with your right foot forward, jump up, and switch to your left foot forward in a jump. Repeat for 30 seconds.
Try to perform each exercise for 30 seconds, and you can even try to go up to 1 minute with a short pause of about 10 seconds between each exercise. Repeat the exercises as many times as possible within 20 minutes. Remember to warm up before and stretch after the workout. This session will improve your cardio.
Strength and Explosiveness for the Whole Body
1. Push-ups: Push-ups are an excellent exercise for building strength in the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. Start in a plank position, place your hands shoulder-width apart, lower your body to the ground, and then push up again to the plank position. Repeat for 3-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
2. Squats: Squats are an effective exercise for building strength in the legs, hips, and core muscles. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, lower down to a squat position until your thighs are parallel to the ground, and then rise up again. Repeat for 3-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
3. Lunges: Lunges are a great exercise for strengthening the legs, hips, and glutes. Step forward with one foot until the knee is at a 90-degree angle, lower the body until the other knee touches the ground, and then push up again. Repeat on the other side. Repeat for 3-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions on each leg.
4. Dips: Dips are an excellent exercise for building strength in the triceps and chest. Stand with your hands on two sturdy objects like chairs or benches, lower your body until your elbows are at a 90-degree angle, and then push up again. Repeat for 3-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
5. Plank: The plank is an exercise that strengthens the core muscles and helps improve posture. Start in a push-up position, then lower your body to your elbows and keep your body straight and parallel to the ground. Hold the position for 30-60 seconds, and repeat for 3-4 sets.
6. Mountain Climbers: Mountain climbers are an excellent exercise for building strength in the core muscles and improving cardio. Start in a plank position and then bring one knee towards your chest while extending the other leg, switch legs quickly and repeat the movement as fast as possible for 30-60 seconds, and repeat for 3-4 sets.
Summary
Do you have limited time? Start with 20 minutes of training every day that you can do at home. This is great for those who want to get in shape. Make sure to perform the entire exercise correctly to maximize muscle building. You can add more weight by incorporating loose weights.
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