The Ultimate 20-minute Home Workout

No-Equipment Workout

Short, regular workouts like this can help to get you fit as you work out multiple muscles.

You can do this high-intensity, strength-training workout at home and be your own personal trainer.

Safety first! Do consult a health professional if you are unsure about your body’s readiness for physical activity. Start every workout with 5-10 minutes of warm-up exercises (e.g. dynamic stretching, jogging on the spot) and end with 5-10 minutes of cool-down stretches.

Time: Two minutes

Start from a standing position. Keep your arms straight by your side and stand with your legs together. Jump to separate your feet slightly wider than hip-width distance, raising your arms above head at the same time. Return to your starting position in one motion and repeat this for two minutes.

Rest for 30 seconds.

To get into the lunge position, stand with your feet together and your hands on your hips, take a step forward with your right leg and balance on the ball of your right foot. Keep your shoulders lined up over your hips and bend both knees to lower your body until both your legs are at about 90-degree angles. Return to starting position and repeat for 30 seconds. Switch legs and repeat for 30 seconds on the left leg.

Rest for 30 seconds.

Time: One minute

With feet shoulder-width apart and arms behind your head, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Imagine that you are going to sit down onto a chair. Next, jump as high as possible while keeping your core tight. As you land into a squat position ensure your knees are slightly bent and chest lifted. Continue this squat exercise for one minute.

Rest for 30 seconds.

Time: Two minutes

Squat with your hands on the ground in front of you. Jump your feet back into a plank position then jump your feet back under you to the squat position. Then jump up as high as you can, raising your hands above your head. Repeat this for two minutes. You can also challenge yourself by doing a push-up after jumping into the plank position.

Rest for 30 seconds.

Time: One minute

Repeat the exercise for lunges (Exercise #2 above). Do 30 seconds for each leg.

Rest for 30 seconds.

​Time: 30 seconds

Get into a push-up position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists, feet slightly apart and your arms straight. Your body should form a straight line from your head to your heels. Keeping your abs tight, bend both arms to a 90-degree angle to lower your body and push back up to starting position. Repeat this as many times as possible in 30 seconds.

Rest for 30 seconds.

Time: One minute

Start in traditional push-up position. Bring your right knee forward under your body, leaving your left leg extended. Quickly switch legs to bring your left leg under your body while extending your right leg back to the floor behind you. Alternate the legs as fast as possible for one minute.

Rest for 30 seconds.

Time: 30 seconds

Lie on your back, on the ground or a mat. Keeping your legs straight and together, lift your feet up towards the ceiling until they are stacked directly above your hips. Raise your arms, pointing your fingers towards your toes. Tightening your abdominal muscles, lift your upper body to reach your fingers as close to your toes as possible. Lower your upper body to complete one repetition and do as many as you can in 30 seconds.

Rest for 30 seconds.

Time: One minute

Repeat the exercise for mountain climbers (Exercise #7 above) for one minute.

Rest for 30 seconds.

Time: 30 seconds

Keep your knees slightly bent while sitting on the floor or a mat. Lean back slightly so your torso and thighs form a V shape, while engaging your core muscles. Bring your hands together or interlace your fingers. While balancing in this position and keeping your legs stationary, twist your torso from left, back to the centre, then to the right to complete one repetition. Repeat for 30 seconds.

Rest for 30 seconds.

Time: One minute

Start in the same way as for vertical leg crunches. Lower your legs until they are about 30 centimetres off the ground and lower your arms all the way down to the ground, with palms facing downwards. Keeping your back flat, move both legs simultaneously up and down in opposite directions as if you were swimming. Repeat for one minute.

Rest for 30 seconds.

Time: 30 seconds

Repeat the exercise for push-ups (Exercise #6 above) for 30 seconds.

Rest for 30 seconds.

Time: Two minutes

Repeat the exercise for jumping jacks (Exercise #1 above) for two minutes.

Once you get the hang of this workout, keep things interesting with squat variations and lunge variations such as the bodyweight squat, front squat, walking lunge and side lunge.

Click here for a visual guide on this 20-minute workout.

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