20-Minute No-Equipment Total-Body Workout You Can Do
Anywhere
Break a sweat wherever, whenever.
Strength training at the gym or taking a class at a fitness studio is great, but sometimes, you just want to get in your workout at home—or on vacation, or on a work trip, or wherever you may be. While most of us don’t have round-the-clock access to a full gym stocked with weights and machines, the truth is that you really can work your entire body without them. Of course, equipment can help and is great for progressing and diversifying a workout program. But if you want to just get moving and do some strength and cardio work wherever you are, that’s completely doable with a bodyweight workout.
The workout below, created by Jess Sims, NASM-certified personal trainer and instructor at Classpass Live, Shadowbox, and Fhitting Room in New York City, challenges your entire body and doesn’t require a single piece of equipment. “It’s a full-body, dynamic workout that includes strength, power, mobility, and cardio,” Sims says. “It’s also great because it’s customizable—if you have less than 20 minutes, you can do the circuit one time, or if you have more than 20 minutes you can do it three times.”
The workout includes a dynamic warm-up to get your blood flowing and prep your body for the rest of the work ahead, and a cool-down to help you slow back down and wrap it all up. If you want to make the workout more challenging—maybe you’ve done it a handful of times and are ready to turn things up a notch—add weights to the lunge and squat movements. You can also, like Sims said, add another round of the main strength circuit.
Demoing the moves below is Amanda Wheeler, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and co-founder of Formation Strength, an online women’s training group that serves the LGBTQ community and allies.
Ready to fit in a quick, equipment-free workout? Here’s how to do it.
This workout is broken up into four sections: a warm-up, a circuit, a burnout ladder, and a cool-down.
Warm-up:
Do each move for 20 seconds. Do this warm-up twice.
- Jumping jack
- Inchworm walk out to shoulder tap
- Squat
Circuit:
Do each move for 45 seconds. Rest for 15 seconds in between each move. Do the entire circuit twice.
- Blast-off push-up
- Squat thrust
- Pendulum lunge
- Mountain climber twist
- Pause squat
- Plank up to frogger
Burnout ladder:
Do 1 rep of each, then 2 reps of each, then 3 reps, etc., and go as high as you can get in 3 minutes.
- Touchdown jack
- Panther shoulder tap
- Burpee
Cool-down:
Do each move for 10 to 30 seconds…or longer if it feels good and you have time.
- Child’s pose
- Downward Facing Dog
- Forward fold
- Standing quad stretch
- Shoulder circle
Here’s how to do each move:
Jumping Jack
- Stand with your feet together, core engaged, and hands at sides.
- Jump your feet wider than hip-width apart, and bring arms up to clap hands overhead.
- Jump your feet back together and bring your arms to your sides to return to starting position.
- Repeat as quickly as possible for 20 seconds, going for height and speed.
Inchworm Walk-Out to Shoulder Tap
- Stand with your feet together, core engaged, and hands at sides.
- Bend forward at your hips to place your hands on the floor in front of you. You can bend your knees a little if you need to.
- Walk your hands forward until you’re in a high plank, with your palms flat on the floor, hands shoulder-width apart, shoulders stacked directly above your wrists, legs extended, and core engaged.
- Tap your right hand to your left shoulder while engaging your core and glutes to keep your hips as still as possible. Try not to rock at the hips. Do the same thing with your left hand to right shoulder.
- Walk your hands back toward your feet and stand up to return to the starting position.
- Continue for 20 seconds.
Squat
- Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
- Bend your knees and push your hips back as you lower down into a squat. Keep your core engaged, chest lifted, and back flat.
- Push through your heels to stand back up to the starting position. Squeeze your butt at the top.
- Continue for 20 seconds.
Blast-off Push-up
- Start in a high plank position with your palms flat on the floor, hands shoulder-width apart, shoulders stacked directly above your wrists, legs extended behind you, and your core and glutes engaged.
- Bend your knees and push your butt back toward your heels, and then explode from that position back to a high plank and immediately bend your elbows and bring your chest toward the ground to do a push-up. As you bend your elbows and lower toward the ground, your elbows should be at about a 45-degree angle to your body (though you can make adjustments based on what feels best for your shoulders).
- Push back up to high plank, maintaining a strong core and flat back. This is 1 rep.
- Continue for 45 seconds.
- If this is too challenging, feel free to modify by dropping to your knees when you push your butt back toward your heels.
Squat Thrust
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, core and glutes engaged.
- Bend your knees and reach forward to place your hands on the floor.
- Kick your legs straight out behind you so that you are in high plank with your palms flat on the floor, hands shoulder-width apart, shoulders stacked directly above your wrists, legs extended, and core engaged.
- Jump your feet back in to just outside your hands, and stand up tall.
- Continue for 45 seconds.
Pendulum Lunge
- Stand with your feet together, arms down by your sides.
- Step back (about 2 feet) with your right foot, landing on the ball of your right foot and keeping your heel off the ground.
- Bend both knees to lower into a reverse lunge, creating two 90-degree angles with your legs. Your right knee should tap the floor. Keep your chest lifted, back flat, and your glutes and core engaged.
- Push through the heel of your left foot to return to standing, and without pausing, step forward about 2 feet and lower into a forward lunge.
- Your legs should form two 90-degree angles, but this time, your left knee should be the one that taps the floor.
- Push through the heel of your right foot to return to standing, stepping back immediately into another rep.
- Continue for 45 seconds. Then, leading with your left leg, repeat the movement for another 45 seconds.
Mountain Climber Twist
- Start in a high plank position with your palms flat on the floor, hands shoulder-width apart, shoulders stacked directly above your wrists, legs extended behind you, and your core and glutes engaged.
- Bring your right knee under your torso to your left elbow. Return to starting position.
- Repeat on the other side, bringing your left leg to your right elbow. Return to starting position. This is 1 rep.
- Start slowly, and start to speed up the move when you feel comfortable, for even more of a cardio challenge.
- Continue, alternating sides, for 45 seconds.
Pause Squat
- Just like in the warm-up, stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
- Bend your knees and push your hips back as you lower down into a squat. Keep your core engaged, chest lifted, and back flat.
- This time, hold the bottom position for a full three seconds.
- Push through your heels to stand back up to the starting position. Squeeze your butt at the top.
- Continue for 45 seconds.
Plank-Up to Frogger
- Start in a high plank position with your palms flat on the floor, hands shoulder-width apart, shoulders stacked directly above your wrists, legs extended behind you, and your core and glutes engaged.
- Lower into a forearm plank, starting with your left arm, followed by your right.
- Then, come up in the reverse order—starting with your right arm and following with the left.
- Now that you’re back in the high plank, perform one frogger by jumping your feet outside your hands, keeping your weight in the center of your feet. Drop your butt down.
- Then, jump your feet back out to a high plank and repeat the plank-up starting with the right arm this time.
- If this is too challenging, scale down by doing the plank-up from your knees and walk your feet in for the frogger instead of jumping.
Touchdown Jacks
- Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out.
- Bend your knees and push your hips back as you lower down into a squat. Keep your core engaged and back flat.
- Tap the floor with your right hand, keeping your chest lifted (don’t let your shoulders round forward).
- As you stand, jump your feet together, then jump them back out to the starting position.
- Do another squat, and tap the floor with your left hand. This is 1 rep.
Panther Shoulder Taps
- Place your hands and knees on the floor.
- Engage your core and while keeping your back flat and your butt down (like you’re in a plank), lift your knees off the floor about 1 to 3 inches. Gaze at the floor a few inches in front of your hands to keep your neck in a comfortable position.
- Tap your right hand to your left shoulder, and then your left hand to your right shoulder, while using your core strength to keep your hips as still as you can. (“Imagine there’s a drink balancing on your back!” Sims says.) That’s 1 rep.
Burpee
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, core and glutes engaged.
- Bend your knees and reach forward to place your hands on the floor, shoulder-width apart.
- Kick your legs straight out behind you and immediately lower your entire body down to the ground, bending at the elbows, so that your chest touches the floor.
- Use your arms to quickly push your body back up while hopping your legs back under your body.
- Explode up, jumping vertically with arms stretched overhead. Land lightly on the balls of your feet with your knees slightly bent, and immediately repeat.
Child’s Pose
- Kneel on your mat with your knees hip width apart and your feet together behind you. Take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, lay your torso over your thighs.
- Try to lengthen your neck and spine by drawing your ribs away from your tailbone and the crown of your head away from your shoulders.
- Rest your forehead on the ground, with your arms extended out in front of you.
- Hold for 10 to 30 seconds.
Downward Facing Dog
- From Child’s Pose, keep your hands on the floor, sit up on your knees, and then lift your butt and press back into Downward Facing Dog.
- Spread your fingers wide. Work on straightening your legs and lowering your heels toward the ground.
- Relax your head between your arms, and direct your gaze through your legs or up toward your belly button.
- Hold for 10 to 30 seconds.
Standard Forward Fold
- From Downward Facing Dog, slowly step forward to the top of your mat. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
- Straighten your legs out as much as you can and let your torso hang down.
- Tuck your chin in toward your chest, relax your shoulders, and extend the crown of your head toward the floor to create a long spine.
- Hold for 10 to 30 seconds.
Standing Quad Stretch
- Stand with your feet together.
- Use your left hand to pull your left foot toward your butt.
- If you need to, put one hand on a wall for balance.
- Squeeze your glutes to increase the stretch in the front of your legs.
- Hold for 10 seconds.
- Repeat on the other leg.
Shoulder Circles
- Stand with your feet together and arms by your sides.
- Circle your shoulders up and back for 10 counts.
- Change directions, and circle your shoulders up and forward for 10 counts.
