Drop the dumbbells! This full-body strength workout will help you build muscle in 20 minutes — all you need is your bodyweight

a photo of a man in the gym with strong abs — (Image credit: Getty/Mike Harrington)

Building strength is most often associated with lifting heavy weights in a gym. But total body strength can be built through various forms of resistance, like using your own bodyweight to promote functional strength.

Proving just how effective an at-home, equipment-free strength training session can be, Viv Addo, who is one half of Mr and Mrs Muscle on YouTube, has created a 20-minute full-body strength training workout using just a yoga mat.

The workout focuses on building strength through the use of compound exercises, which use multiple muscle groups and joints simultaneously. “We target the whole body with this workout, including your legs (hamstrings, quadriceps and calves), glutes (gluteus minimus, glute medius and gluteus Maximus), your chest, arms (shoulders, biceps and triceps), back and core (abs),” Addo says. So, to find out how to do so, keep scrolling.

What does the 20-minute full-body workout entail?

There’s no need to pick up a pair of adjustable dumbbells, strap on some ankle weights or dig out your favorite resistance bands for this workout. Instead, this 20-minute full-body session requires just your bodyweight and enough motivation to get going.

Addo starts the workout off with a quick warmup to help increase your heart rate and blood flow, which in turn will help deliver more oxygen to the muscles you’re about to use. This warm-up includes the likes of a light jog on the spot with some wrist rotations, a hamstring scoop, and squats with oblique crunches.

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You’ll then get 15 seconds to catch your breath before you begin the workout. In total, around 10 exercises feature inside this 20-minute session, which is split into two rounds. In both rounds, you’ll complete each muscle-blasting move for 45 seconds before resting for 15 seconds.

For example, there are alternate reverse lunges to complete, calf raises to work your way through, and a pogo jump and wall sit. There are also burpees, push-up rows, and glute bridges.

Before you jump into the second round, you’ll get a 40-second breather to catch your breath, have a swig of water, and prepare to complete the same moves again.

What’s nice about this session is that Addo demonstrates how to do each move in the rest period and includes modifications if some exercises aren’t suitable for you. The fitness coach also flags which muscles each move works.

What are the benefits of this bodyweight workout?

Perhaps the most significant advantage of this bodyweight workout is the fact that you can perform these exercises anywhere, as they require minimal to no equipment to get started.

This accessibility aspect can help you stay consistent with your workouts as it’s a fuss-free way to tick off movement in your day, no matter whether you’re at home or away.

As confirmed by an article published in the Journal of Yoga and Physiotherapy, bodyweight workouts like Addo’s 20-minute session also have the power to enhance functional strength, endurance, and stability.

And you won’t even have to spend hours exercising to feel these benefits. A study published in the Exercise and Sports Sciences Reviews reveals that short, intense bursts of activity, like exercise snacking, can be effective in improving metabolic health and cardiovascular health and fitness.

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Becks is a lifestyle journalist who specializes in writing about wellness and home products, from mattresses to weighted blankets and cooling comforters. She has tested a number of mattresses for Tom's Guide, putting them through their paces to see if they stand up to the brand's claims, and offering recommendations as to the type of sleeper they will (and won't) suit.

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