Forget the gym — you just need 20 minutes and 2 dumbbells to strengthen your whole body with this workout

One of the harder parts of committing to a training routine is knowing where to start, and that’s true of those who have never trained regularly before as well as more experienced people coming back after a break.

This 20-minute workout from fitness trainer Lindsey Bomgren, founder of Nourish Move Love on YouTube, is perfect for easing your way into a training routine, especially if you’re coming back from a break because of illness or any other reason.

The workout trains the whole body through two rounds of exercises that you can complete in 20 minutes, even with a quick warm-up and cool-down included.

You do need a set of dumbbells for the workout, with Bomgren suggesting 15-25lb weights as a rough guideline. If you have a set of the best adjustable dumbbells available, you can change the weight to suit each exercise as and when required.

Watch Nourish Move Love’s 20-minute dumbbell workout

20 Minute FULL BODY Comeback Workout (Easy Re-Entry After Sickness/Break) - YouTube

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The workout contains nine exercises, with some of those being done on both sides for 12 moves in total in each round. You do two rounds of the exercises, completing 10 reps of each move, or 10 on each side if appropriate.

Bomgren demonstrates each move and sets the pace for the session, so you can follow her when possible, or slow down if you need to. Bomgren’s fellow trainer, Rachel, is also on hand to offer easier modifications of some exercises you can do instead.

In order to work as many muscles as possible in 20 minutes, the workout is mostly made up of compound exercises that recruit several joints and muscle groups at once, like squats and lunges.

There are also some more focused moves like triceps extensions, and your core is also worked with some bicycle crunches and glute bridges.

It’s a fast-paced session that will not only get you fitter and stronger, but also help you prepare for longer, harder workouts if you are kicking off a regular workout routine.

Bomgren also includes a quick warm-up and cool-down in the video, which is invaluable and well worth doing. The warm-up will get you ready for the workout, so you can get the most out of the first few exercises, while the cool-down will help start your recovery and reduce any muscle soreness you might feel after the workout, especially if it’s your first session in a while.

If you are a beginner or finding it hard to match Bomgren’s pace throughout the session, you can also reduce the number of reps you do for each move to six or eight. This will give you a bit more time to complete your set, rather than rushing to do 10 reps and potentially sacrificing good form.

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