Workout of the week: 12-min full-body strength workout

ALL LEVELS / full-body strength workout / 12 minutes

Equipment: Dumbbells & barbell

“I don’t have the time” has to be at the top of the pile of excuses for not working out. And there’s a perfectly good reason why this justification, in particular, is so powerful: people usually let it slide without questioning it. It’s true, no one will question how busy you are. On the other hand, if you say that you’re just feeling too lazy to work out, you better get ready for a long sermon.

Yes, time plays a crucial factor in your training sessions. So, if you’re really busy but you still want to exercise, you must rearrange your schedule to fit in some training hours. One other thing you should consider is choosing short and intense workouts such as the one we bring you here.

It’s a short but intense full-body strength workout. It has 5 exercises, each with a different number of reps, to perform in only 2 rounds. We suggest you rest as little as possible in between both exercises and rounds, making it possible for you to be done with this session in just 12 minutes.

Squat 50x
Dumbbell chest press 40x
Side lunges 30x
Push-up 20x
Barbell push-press 10x

We got no time to lose, let’s do this!

WORKOUT SETUP

5 exercises
2 rounds
Little to no rest
12 minutes
Equipment: Dumbbells & barbell

WORKING OUT FROM HOME? NO PROBLEM.

If you don’t have the equipment originally needed for this workout, you can substitute it with these everyday items or use these alternative exercises.

Alternative equipment

Dumbbells = water bottles filled with water and / or sand
Barbell = a broom handle with a gym bag with weights on it

WORKOUT EXERCISE LIST

2 rounds

1 – SQUAT

50 reps

Stand on your feet, placing them at the same distance as that of your shoulder lines.
Engage the core and go down to the floor, maintaining your knees on the line of your feet. Maintain the abs and glutes tight to control your hip and stabilize the movement. Use your arms to help you with your balance.
Keep your feet attached to the floor and squat as down as possible without lifting the heels or feeling pain in your lower back.
Repeat.

2 – DUMBBELL CHEST PRESS

40 reps

Grab two suitably heavy dumbbells, curl them to your chest, and lie back on the bench
Engage your core, set the shoulders, and turn the dumbbells so that the fingers are facing forwards. Position the dumbbells so that the elbows are bent to 90 degrees and in line with the shoulders. The dumbbells should sit close to the armpits (a maximum stretch for the chest). This is the starting position for the dumbbell chest press.
Keeping the core engaged and low back in neutral, press the dumbbells straight up and in towards each other, squeezing the chest muscles as you press. Pause at the top before returning to the start position.
Repeat.

3 -SIDE LUNGES

30 reps

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart; feet turned out slightly for comfort. Engage the core and set the shoulders.
Step out to the side as far as you can comfortably. As you do, keep the torso upright and maintain a tight core for balance. Bend the knee and keep it over the toes. The stance leg should remain straight at all times.
Pause for a moment before pushing off the bent leg, back to the start.
Alternate from left to right for 30 reps.

4 – PUSH-UP

20 reps

Start in a plank position with arms straight, shoulders above wrists, and body in a straight line.
Engage the core and glutes.
Keeping the shoulders over the wrists, lower the whole body towards the floor, dropping comfortably as low as you can.
Push the body upwards and return to the start position. Repeat.

5 – BARBELL PUSH PRESS

10 reps

With your feet shoulder-width apart, grab the barbell.
Place the bar on the front of your shoulders.
Drop into a shallow squat.
Then, press up using your heels while simultaneously driving the bar above your head until your arms are straight.
Lower the bar down to your chest.
Repeat.