I tried this “simple” 20-minute workout for total beginners — here’s why it surprised me.

After 15 years as a certified personal trainer (and even more as a good, old-fashioned gym rat), I’d never consider myself a “beginner” when it comes to exercise. But after nine months of pregnancy and a challenging postpartum period, I’ve been dialing back my usual heavy workouts.

Getting out of the house and into the gym has been a struggle, so I often rely on YouTube workouts to stay active daily. On one search, I found trainer Maddie Lymburner (aka MadFit) and her recent routine for “total beginners.” She described it as both simple and equipment-free, which sounded appropriate given my current goals. I decided to roll out my yoga mat and give it a try.

How to do Maddie Lymburner’s 20-minute beginner workout

As Lymburner mentions, you won’t need any equipment besides a yoga mat.

The workout begins with a four-move cardio warm-up, followed by a series of exercises performed for 40 seconds each. There are 20 seconds of rest between most of the movements, with a few 30-second breaks between sections.

The exercises are:

• Squats
• Good mornings
• Lunges
• Sumo squat with heel raise
• Sumo squat with “W” arm raise
• Arm circles
• Birddogs
• Planks
• Crunches
• Glute Bridges

Lymburner wraps things up with a repeat of the cardio warm-up.

I was more than familiar with all of the exercises in Lymburner’s workout, but this routine highlighted how important it is to take it back to the basics sometimes. Here’s what I thought.

1. The exercises are basic, but they’re important to master

Whenever I start working with a beginning-level client, I always focus on exercises like glute bridges and birddogs first. Once they’ve built up a bit of strength, I’ll start teaching them movements like squats, lunges, and good mornings.

I was happy that Lymburner included all of these exercises in this beginner workout. Even better, she incorporates appropriate modifications and provides easy-to-understand form pointers (more on that below).

It was helpful to devote some time to focusing on the basics. When I returned to a heavier lower-body workout the next day, my form was better, and I felt more in control of the movement. I’ll likely use this workout as an extended warm-up in the future.

2. Lymburner’s verbal cues were excellent

Most fitness influencers don’t spend a lot of time talking. I don’t mind it personally, as I prefer to listen to music over chatter. However, good verbal cues are absolutely vital for a beginner – it’s easy to do a lot of the basic exercises wrong, setting you up for maladaptive movement patterns and injury.

Lymburner gives great verbal cues throughout the entire workout. She breaks down proper form for everything both clearly and descriptively, which even helped me find better positioning for some of the exercises.

If you’re new to regular exercise, Lymburner’s verbal cues make this workout a great at-home option.

3. Going slow made things challenging

I’ll usually advise beginning clients to slow down exercises, to ensure they’re spending time in each part of the movement. Going too fast is a trait I’m guilty of too, especially in workouts that use a timed interval structure.

Since returning to exercise after pregnancy, I’ve challenged myself to work at a slower tempo so I can rebuild my strength levels properly. I didn’t rush through any of the exercises in this routine, which made the muscle “burn” a lot more intense. It was a great reminder that going slow and focusing on good form can sometimes be as challenging as loading up a movement with a lot of weight.

Even if you’ve been working out for years, slowing your pace can ensure you’re working the correct muscles appropriately.

4. The cardio finisher left me breathless

I liked that Lynburner chose to revisit the cardio exercises at the end of the workout. She gives you the option of taking things up a notch, adding jumps to certain movements, or quickening your pace.

Since the first round of cardio wasn’t that hard for me, I followed her suggestions. By the time we reached the final exercise I was a lot more breathless than I had expected, my Apple Watch clocking my heart rate at 148 beats per minute.

This is one of the reasons I love timed intervals — you can choose your own pace and difficulty, and really make the workout one that works for you. Beginners can modify moves as needed, and more advanced athletes can find difficulty in moving more quickly or adding plyometrics. This is an adaptable workout that’s appropriate for most fitness levels.

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