How To Get Fit At Home
This is a good 20 minute home workout to help you to get fit and healthy at home. It’s also a great way to lose fat fast, as it works your whole body. The more work you put in, the more fat that will fall off! You can always find time to get a 20 minute cardio workout into your daily schedule, and this is the best 20 minute workout you can do!
The workout starts with a warm-up jog and then has 8 bodyweight exercises designed to help tone and burn fat. All the exercises are traditional old school fitness exercises that are performed in martial arts clubs, aerobics classes and gyms the world over.
This quick home workout routine is designed to improve both cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance. It is also great for toning the body, so you can use this as a home-based 20 minute toning workout too.
Perform each exercise as intensively as possible and then rest for up to 30 seconds before moving on to the next one. Always ensure that you perform the exercises correctly, holding proper form, especially in the hip bridges and squat thrusts. Breath deeply and naturally throughout.
This 20 minute circuit workout targets the whole body, improves cardiovascular efficiency and tones and strengthens the body. This workout is a great way to prepare for a more serious circuit training workout. This twenty minute workout also requires no equipment, so you really can do it anywhere.
The 20 Minute Workout Routine
1. Jog in one place for 3 minutes
Simple light jogging on the spot. This does not have to be intensive, so no high knees or jumping around, it is just to gently warm you up for a few minutes before the main exercises.
2. Jumping jacks: 50 repeats
The classic old school cardio burner. Also known as the star jump, start by standing up straight with your feet together, then simply jump the feet out to the sides, just wider than shoulder width apart while lifting you hands upwards.
Return to normal standing position. When landing, bend your knees slightly to reduce the impact on knee joints.
3. Crunches: 15 repeats
Lie flat on your back with your knees bent. Place your hands at the sides of your head with your fingers lightly touching your temples, with elbows pointing outwards.
Try to keep your neck in a straight line with your spine, fixing a point on the ceiling above you is a good idea. Flex your waist to raise the upper torso from the floor so that you are “crunching” your abdominals.
Ensure that your abs are engaged (contracted) throughout the movement, hold for a second. Then lower yourself until the back of your shoulders touches the mat before repeating. Muscles worked: Abdominals
4. Hip Bridges: 10 repeats
Lie on your back with your arms straight and out by your side and palms facing upwards. With only the heels of your feet touching the floor lift your hips up to form a straight line from the shoulders to the knee.
Your legs should be almost vertical from the foot to the knee. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Squeeze your glutes (butt muscles) and then lower yourself. Muscle worked: Lower back, hamstrings and glutes.
5. Step ups: 1 minute
You will need a stepper for this. If you do not own a stepper then you can use the bottom step on a flight of stairs or a sturdy stool. Simply stand in front of the step and step up onto it.
Alternate your leading leg on each step, so left then right up onto the step, return with left first then right. Then on the next step lead with the right then left leg, return with right first. Repeat. Muscle worked: hamstrings, gluteus, quads.
6. Reverse crunches: 15 repeats
Lie on your back with your hands on your sides. Keep you knees bent. Bring your knees towards your head, till your hips come slightly off the floor. Hold this position for a second, and then lower your knees. Muscle worked: lower abs and obliques.
7. Mountain climbers: 1 minute
Get down on your hands and knees and raise your knees like a starting block sprinter.
Run in that position, supporting your upper body with the palms of your hands. Keep your back straight. Muscles worked: triceps, deltoid muscle, gluteus, quads, hamstrings, calves.
8. Push–ups: 15 repeats
The classic push, in the plank position with palms flat on the floor, point forward, about shoulder width apart. Muscles worked: triceps, deltoids, pectorals.
9. Squat thrusts: 1 minute
Stand straight. Now, drop to a crouch position. Immediately thrust your legs out straight behind on your toes, in push up position, now jump to pull legs back to the chest, in crouching position, then stand up straight. Muscles worked: arms, legs, chest, and lower back.
Cool down by walking around, until your heart rate starts getting back to normal, stretch.
A 10 Minute Circuit?
We tested this routine and the routine took 10 minutes to complete, however, for beginners it is best to take your time and rest more between each exercise. As you get fitter you should aim to go through this circuit twice to make it a full 20 minutes of high intensity exercise.
If you do it twice, there is need to do the 3 minute jog again – you may need to take a little more rest between exercises in the second round. We have also today increased the jumping jacks to 50 (was previously 25). If you do just one round then 25 really is not enough!
You should be able to perform this workout every day – in fact, it is highly recommended to do a 20 minute workout everyday for long-term health and vitality. If you wish to increase your exercise rate to get fitter and burn off even more fat, then use this as a circuit training workout and repeat it once or twice.
This simple 20 minute workout routine could be done twice a day, once in the morning before work and then again in the evening. A few readers have asked if we have a
the 20 minute workout video to go with this article, but at the moment we do not, sorry! This is a great way to get fit in 20 minutes, lose weight and lose weight as well as improve your overall fitness and mental well being!
Ah, Zuzana, she is rather inspirational. You may enjoy this article: Zuzana’s Killer 550 Rep Challenge + High Intensity Bodyweight Workout – two very good workouts.
The difference between a burpee and doing push ups and squat thrusts is really down to intensity – you are working a little harder doing both the movements together. The jump is also demanding, easy to start with but soon the legs will tire.
Jason, keep this up and you will be in great shape by March. Biceps – get some dumbbells. More on biceps here.
“Inspirational” yes….but that wasn’t the first thought that popped into my head when watching her it must be said…! Thanks for the advice, I was already browsing Dumbells on Ebay yesterday..it’s good to know my judgement accords with yours….(not for the first time). I wanted to do this routine because it allowed me to do it at home and without equipment….but I suppose investing in some dumbells £25 snd an exercise mat is not too bad…
Some cheap adjustable ones will certainly do the trick, it will be a while before you are comfortable curling more than 15kg.
You can get a cheaper set on Ebay…I will do that….
However another week has gone by and yet that spare tire STILL clings on…I am still being told it is shrinking and I can see the muscle tone in my abdomen from 4 weeks of crunches and reverse crunches and also I have been doing 15 pushups for almost a week now….maybe I am expecting too much….but I was hoping to be past all this bye now…. The thought occurs that this time of year (Autumn and Winter is normally when I would expect to be piling ON pounds (a nightmarish thought in itself bearing in mind how far gone I was after a summer of inactivity….I suspect I won’t see the results I want until the next Summer comes around…. I have upped the Jumping Jacks to 75 and I do this TWICE (sometimes THREE times a day)…yet still ye olde spare tire clings on….. one other problem I spained/strained my ankle a week back and instead of just stopping for a day or two (as I normally would have) my new found determination forced me to keep going and I have exacerbated the injury….the GF says I look better than ever before (and I do) and I should stop being so hard on myself and stop the jog and jumping jacks for a day or two …but I know I can do more….my concern right now is that I will stall or make little progress until the Spring….?
Hi Jason, if your GF is seeing improvements, then you must be getting in shape. Just be patient. And yes, if you injure yourself you really need to rest that part of the body. Maybe increase the squats, push ups and crunches and reduce all exercises that put pressure on the ankle (jumping jacks, jogging, squat thrusts, mountain climbers etc). Consider getting an ankle support before you start again too, they really do help. Make Spring your new goal, then when the nice weather returns everyone will be impressed when they see the new you!
Thanks. Interesting about the ankle support…I have several from when I sprained the OTHER ankle some years ago….I hadn’t thought of that! I still have yet to incorporate the squats OR the mountain climbers into the routine yet….and the burpees will have to wait until I have done them…my whole strategy for the last FIVE weeks has been to keep adding an exercise each week and build up to the recommended no. of repeats. (Could only do THREE crunches when I started doing them 4 weeks back now I can do 15 without much trouble and sometimes push myself to 20. Couldn’t even do ONE proper push up three weeks back now I can manage 10-15 NEAR full pushup (remaining on my knees put putting ALL my weight forward) without THAT much trouble. I am wary of pushing it too fast (and this ankle injury rather bears that out….) thanks for the encouragement though….
Hi, I am 19 years old, about 5’10, and i weigh about 220.. I am getting married January of 2014.. I want to lose weight before then. I have tried the routine and I like it. I started this yesterday. I am just wondering when i should start seeing results?
Hi Megan, do this every day, and also do some additional exercise. Also take a long, hard look at your diet. Read our advice in the diet section. You will need to make some big changes to the way you eat to lose weight. But, you do have 14 months to do it. If you make your first target weight around 170 pounds, then you need to lose 50 pounds. Aim to reach your target weight 1 year from now, that is a steady 1 pound a week weight loss. Then for the last 2 months before your wedding you can focus on staying in shape – and have plenty of time to get the dress fitted to the correct size. Good luck!
One thing I noted when I started (which seems so long ago even though it’s only FIVE WEEKS. Was that the hip bridges video (which I downloaded along with all the other exericses from Youtube and have in a Folder on my desktop) is that he recommends Five Repeats of 20 seconds vs the 10 of 10 Seconds this routine suggest…he also says after one month (which I have now pretty much reached and certainly feel ready for) to do 12 RAPID repeats on EACH leg….I think I am ready I am litle disappointed with the lack of progress in the arse department…. However as I stated earlier I would normally be piling on the pounds now due to the cooler weather at this time of year….feeling a little hamstrung by my aching ankle can’t I still managed 50 this evening (with my trainers on-I normally do it barefoot maybe that’s not advisable)
To be honest it probably will not make a huge difference what sort of rep/set format you follow. Varying the speed and number of reps is always a good idea to ensure that the body develops a more rounded fitness. So long as you are progressing, i.e. doing more each week, you will be getting fitter, stronger and controlling your weight better.
Buy the way I have found (what appears to be anyway) the best deal on Dumbells….I will confirm when I get them!
“NEW DUMBBELL BAR PLASTIC COVERED WEIGHTS GYM FITNESS BICEPS WORKOUT TRAINING” – £26.99
Actually this is even cheaper…. “30kg Dumbbell SET Gym Barbell Free Weights Biceps Workout Training Fitness Black” – £24.96
Here it is again….. ebay.co.uk/itm/30kg-Dumbbell-SET-Gym-Barbell
Hi Jason, have you got your dumbbells yet? How are you getting on?
Thanks for the continued interest…yet I got the dumbells day before yesterday….I have tried them but I am going to re-watch the You Tube instruction videos intensely before I start doing a routine….they are bigger AND heavier than expected (which is GOOD!). My ankle is STILL smarting (only myself to blame because I am still doing the exercises….I am still a little concerned about the drop off of my fat loss even tough my muscle tone continues to improve…..I have added the Mountain climbers now….I think I will turn this into a circuit workout soon….
There are any number of instructional video’s on You Tube etc about how to do dumbell exercises do you have any advice as to the type of exercise and how long….?
To start with perform a simple routine, do 3 sets of 8-12 reps for each exercise. We may write up a dumbbell workout soon, so check back.
I am right in noting most people put ON weight in winter right ? Due to the cooler weather…? I got leafleted by a local gym the other day….the reason I ask is because despite continuing to add more repeats and/or exercises I am still barely maintaining my weight(fat) loss (at least aroud the belly) ….though I suppose muscle tone continues to improve SLOWLY. I am still not completing the whole routine because I am still only up to 40 Mountain Climbers when I probably need to do 60 or even 70 to hit the ONE Minute Target….as I said the Squats let alone the Burpees you suggested need to “weight”….(ha “wait” ! See what I did there?). I am still experimenting with the dumbells….I think 15kg is just TOO heavy….I have to take them down to 10kg….. I am just really disappointed by the lack of progress recently; I was hoping for ….especially after the great results of the first few weeks….It is MUCH flatER but I am a little disappointed….What do you think ….?
Winter weight gain is probably more likely to be due to less activity (staying in where it is warm) and comfort eating. So just keep the diet under control and keep working on building up your fitness. 15 kg dumbbell is pretty heavy to start with (although depends on the exercise of course). Pick a weight that allows you to perform at least 2 sets of 10 reps for the given exercise.
Tried taking it down to 10Kg earlier….but it felt TOO light…..12.5 feels about right…..
LESS activity …hmm my activity doesn’t really vary that much in the seasons….but I have had a problem with comfort eating in the past (that changed back in the summer…I have had a few lapses (a pizza every six weeks, etc) but not much….I will keep moving forward….
Finally started a proper dumbell routine yesterday/today….upon reflection 10kg IS the right weight to start….even 12.5 is too much for the number of reps yourself and others recommend….is there a fave you tube video you have I have for dumbells? I read what you recommended but I still find it more useful to WATCH someone do it and talk about it…(especially if it’s a buff woman in a sportsbra and shorts….but maybe a guy would be better in this case :)
p.s I note that biceps are the muscles where definition is easiest to observe (because of the lack of fat on the upper arm)…this is what I feel has been frustrating me over the last few weeks….I (and others) can feel my abs and to a lesser extent my pecs..but because of the remaining fat we can’t SEE it so well…in fact when I first started doing crunches/reverse crunches etc was when I noticed the drop off in fat loss…I theorised that the short term effect was to PUSH out the surrounded fat making it more obvious….I don’t know if that makes sense but that’s still how I feel….I have been pondering wether I should up the Jumping Jacks AGAIN from 75 twice a day to a three minute session (approx 150 twice a day) ? I know I must sound like a brokern record -and after all only 8 weeks ago I was seriously overweight and probably the worst I have ever been…..but I was really hoping to be through this stage by now….
Just stick with is Jason. Hopefully we will get that dumbbell article up with videos, before it is too late for you!
Too late ? It’s NEVER too late man(woman)? You know that ! I have downloaded many dumbbells videos the shortest are the best….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZawrdYA0WXU&ucbcb=1
Not sure just how much I should be doing these exercises I would love to do the “preacher curl” but I don’t have the equipment for it and can’t spare the room it would take.
Man! Some info on the about page.
And this one ? This looks like a much better template for a complete routine to me ….10 minutes a day ? Three sets of each exercise with 15 repeats on each ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21EpHRJTT34&feature=related&ucbcb=1
Yeah, looks OK. Try to work all the muscles throughout the week though – you can do a lot of exercises with dumbbells, not just a variety of bicep exercises. But sure you know that already!
I was aware you COULD I don’t know HOW as yet… I haven’t taken a good look at those…yet…I remain fixated on eliminating my spare tyre and that is proving elusive….I still I should be doing more and more cardio…..
hey! this seems great for me as I hate going to gyms – i am starting a healthy diet plan because i need to lose quite a fair bit of weight, quickly – how many times a week should i do this routine? and do i need to change it up/increase the workout after a few weeks?
Hi Emily. Do it as many times as you can, daily if possible. You do need to increase your workout over time – all types of exercise require us to keep working at a higher rate to improve fitness. Increase as you see fit. Either repeat the whole circuit or do more repetitions of some of the exercises. Consider other training too such as running or cycling.
Something interesting happened yesterday…I was doing my routine in the morning and considering wether I should drop the hip bridges (and maybe even the mountain climbers which I find rather awkward) because as I have said “there has not been much progress in the arse department”. But later my lady told me out of the blue “Jason your arse looks amazing now!”….needless to say I will keep doing them now….:)
Decided I needed to drop the dumbells from 10kg to 7.5kg…I still think that 7.5kg is a little too light…but then 10kg is too much for high reps (right now)…reckon it will be middle of next year at least before I am doing 15kg
Sounds like a good move. More important to be able to complete a few sets. Using a weight that is too heavy tends to lead to poor form too.
OK, for those who are looking for ways to do Dumbbell Workouts at Home, look no further.
i am 13 and 159 cm. i weighed 66 kg’s and i am doing these exercises 4 times a day. twice in the morning and twice in the evening. i lost 20 kgs and now weigh 46 kgs. thanks to u
Hi Sam, how long have you been doing this? According to your BMI you are now a little underweight (you were not overweight before you started). You should now focus on eating healthily and gaining a little weight. Maybe just workout once a day too. It is possible to overdo these things, getting too thin is not healthy and will hinder your fitness.
hi, i am like sam. i am 13 and weigh 159 cm. i wiegh 65 kgs but i havent lost any weight. am i overwieght. is there something you could advice me to do, because i don’t like going gym.
cheers
I feel so good but super sweaty but I like it cuz It means I worked hard to get into shape
Good stuff McKenna, when you are sweating you know you are exercising well. Keep up the good work.
Adam, if you are like Sam, in that you are 13, 159 cm tall and weigh 65 kg, then the advice we gave to Sam applies to you also. You are not really overweight, your BMI is just 25.5. Start doing some regular exercise and eat healthy and you will be OK.
Hey! I am 22 years, about 5’4 and weight around 57 kgs. I wanna tone down and be fit. Since I work throughout the day, will the 20 minute workout, combined with a diet help me tone down as well as lose a few kgs down the way? Thank you
Hi Samhita, it should do. Do it every day, and make sure that your diet is healthy and there are not cheat days or sneaky snacks.
Hi my names Rita and I’m 43 years old.I’m four foot nine and weigh 65 kgs. What are the healthiest and safest exercises for my age and weight? how often and how much of it to get to a healthy weight range ? I think my healthy weught range should be 54. Thank you (:
Hii! My names Amina and I’m 14 years old. I’m 164 cm tall and weigh 56 kgs. I want to be fit and loose approximately 4 kgs. Can you please give me some tips and exercises to help me out. Also some nutritional advice.
Thanks (:
Hi Rita. Healthiest and safest exercises? Can you swim? Swimming is an excellent low impact exercise, but if you are not a strong swimmer it is obviously not the safest choice. Most exercise classes will be safe as safety is a key part of running a class. Really most forms of exercise are healthy and safe if they are done in a safe environment and with good instruction.
Hi Amina, start with this workout and if this does not challenge you enough, do it twice and then go for a run afterwards. Nutrition – just eat a healthy and balanced diet. No junk, plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean meats etc. See our page on A Healthy and Balanced Diet.
Thanks alot (:
Hi, my name is Melissa, im 25 with 2 kids, and im 154lbs. Im really trying to get rid of my belly fat! Ive had 2 c-sections also! What can i do?
Hi Melissa, exercise daily and eat a healthier diet. Take a look at our nutrition section, buy the Low GI Diet book and do the above workout every day. That is your first month sorted. As you get fitter we can look at increasing exercise.
Hi, My name is Ashley. I’ll be 17 in a month. I weigh 160.. And i’m 5’5.
I have a good figure i just want some little flaws gone.
If i do this workout everyday twice a day and some things longer how long will it take for me to see some changes?
What about jogging in place? Its way to hot here to run miles outside. I use to but i haven’t in a while. Id rather run INSIDE lol Please Help.
I need like a plan or something.. Something i can do everyday. A routine but im not good at making a effective one. Please help…