20 Total-Body Workouts, In Five Moves (Or Less)
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You know those workouts that seemingly combine every kind of exercise and piece of equipment in the gym? You won’t find any of those here. That’s because you don’t need a bunch of tools, time, or moves to target every muscle and burn serious calories. We asked some of the country’s top trainers to design total-body routines that hit these requirements: less than two pieces of equipment, under 40 minutes, and no more than five exercises. What we got are the workouts that we want to do: Fun, fast, and effective.
Related: 30 Workouts that Take 10 Minutes (or Less)
A Dose of Medicine Ball
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The power and explosive movements in this routine help you work every area of the body. Grab a 10- to 20-pound medicine ball and do five rounds of the following moves, trying not to rest in between rounds. —Don Saladino, owner of Drive 495 in New York City
Medicine ball lunge with rotation: Holding a medicine ball in both hands at chest, lunge forward with right foot while simultaneously rotating to the right side. Push back to start and repeat on other side. Do 10 reps on each side.
Medicine ball side-step-slams: Stand with medicine ball in both hands and side lunge to the right while simultaneously slamming the ball down to the ground. Catch it, return to start, and repeat on other side. Do 10 reps on each side.
Medicine ball push-ups: Place hands on top of medicine ball in push-up position. Keeping elbows in, lower chest down to touch the ball. Do 10 reps.
Medicine ball lateral bounds: Place ball on floor, and jump from side to side over it, pushing off with one leg and landing on the other. You should never have both feet on the ground at the same time, and your jumps should be as explosive as possible — try to cover some ground and get some height. Do 10 reps on each side.
Medicine ball bent-over row: Stand with the medicine ball in both hands. Hinge forward at hips, pushing butt back, and slightly bend knees. Straighten arms so that medicine ball is close to floor, then bend elbows back to row it up to torso,so that it taps your midsection. Do 20 reps.
Related: The 10 Moves You Need to Get a Rock-Solid Core
Kettlebell Complex
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Grab a 16kg bell to start, and work your way through this circuit as many times as you can for 10 minutes. —Don Saladino, owner of Drive 495 in New York City
Kettlebell above-the-head swings: Stand holding a kettlebell with arms straight, bell hanging between your legs. Bend at the hips and push your butt back, then explosively pop your hips forward, forcing the bell to fly up until your arms are locked overhead. Do 5 reps (Note: If you have a shoulder injury, or you’re uncomfortable swinging the bell overhead, sub in traditional kettlebell swings, swinging the bell just to eye level.)
Kettlebell goblet squats: Hold kettlebell at chest with both hands; squat as low as possible, keeping chest up and back flat. Do 5 reps.
Kettlebell Turkish getups: Do 3 reps on each side.
Kettlebell military press: Stand with kettlebell in both hands at shoulder height and press it overhead. Do 5 reps.
Related: Laird Hamilton’s Kettlebell Workout
Plyometric Burner
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These moves shock the body — in a good way. Do rounds until you can’t perform the moves correctly; beginners should hit two or three rounds, while more advanced exercisers should be able to notch at least five. —Don Saladino, owner of Drive 495 in New York City
Split jumps: Lunge forward with right foot, then jump up explosively and land in a lunge with left foot forward. Do 4 reps on each leg.
Plyo push-ups on a bench: Get into a push-up position with hands on a workout bench, feet on floor. Perform a push-up, but explode out of it so that hands come off bench. Do 4 reps.
Ice skaters: Start in a crouch with all your weight on your right foot and arms swung toward the right. Staying in that crouch position, swing arms to the left while jumping to the left and landing with weight on left foot. Reverse and repeat. Do 4 reps on each side.
Bear crawls: Get on all fours with butt high in the air. Crawl forward 30 seconds, then backward 30 seconds.
Broad jumps: From a stationary position, leap forward as far as you can, landing with knees soft. Do 4 reps.
Related: The Only 8 Moves You Need to Be Fit
The N. E. N. (No Equipment Needed) Routine
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Your body is the weight in this routine. Do four rounds. —Don Saladino, owner of Drive 495 in New York City
Step-ups: Find a high box or step, and step up onto it using one leg. Do 10 reps per leg.
One-legged glute bridges: Start on your back, knees bent, feet on floor, arms flat at sides. Lift left leg off floor, then push with right leg until you’re in a bridge, hips as high as possible. Do 15 reps per leg,
Prone cobra: Lie facedown with legs extended. Bend arms and place hands under your chest. Push up with hands, raising your shoulders off the floor, and squeezing glutes to protect your lower back. Hold for 30 seconds.
Plank hold: Get into perfect plank position, back flat and abs, butt and legs engaged. Hold for 30 seconds.
Standing Y, T, W, L: This moves has you make the shape of the letters with your arms. The Y is made by raising arms above you, the T is with your arms out straight at shoulder height, the W is made by bending your elbows toward the ground and squeezing your shoulder blades together, and the L is made by straightening arms out to sides then bending them at the elbows and lowering hands toward the floor. Do 10 reps per letter. (We know, it sounds easy — until you do it. )
Related: 6 Bodyweight Moves You’ve Never Tried
Slow/Fast Calorie Melter
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Do four rounds of this routine that uses slow movements to build muscle and explosive movements to get your heart racing — you have a 25-minute time cap. (The last move requires a TRX suspension system, but if you don’t have one, you can sub in rows with rings, a bar, or using a table). —Ross Anti, personal trainer in New York City
Squat: Take 3 seconds down and 3 seconds back up. Do 8 reps.
Split squat jump: Squat down, then jump back up and kick right leg out in front and left leg behind you. Land in a squat and repeat with other leg in front. Do 30 seconds continuous.
Rest 30 seconds
Push-ups: Take 3 seconds down and 3 seconds back up. Do 8 reps.
Plyo push-ups: Perform a push-up, then explode up from the bottom so that both hands come off ground (feels easy? Try clapping.) Do 15 seconds continuous.
Rest 30 seconds
TRX Rows: Grab a handle in each hand and walk your feet forward until you can lean back with your body in a straight line. Perform a row by pulling body up towards handles (change the angle to make it easier or harder). Perform one set of as many reps as you can do without stopping.
Rest 90 seconds, repeat from top.
Related: 11 Tricks to Burn More Calories
Endurance Round
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Try to do five rounds of this routine, taking no more than 30 minutes to complete it. You’ll need a medicine ball and either a step-up box or a stair. —Ross Anti, personal trainer in New York City
Front-loaded single-leg deadlift: Hold a medicine ball at waist level. Hinge forward at the waist, letting one leg go straight out behind you and keeping the other knee slightly bent. Keep hinging forward until ball touches floor and leg is straight behind you, then reverse to standing. Take 3 seconds down and 3 seconds back up. Do 10 reps each side.
Step-ups: Find a high box or step and step up onto it using one leg. Do 15 steps each leg.
Bear crawl: Get on all fours, butt high in the air. Crawl forward for 30 strides.
Side plank dips: Get into a side plank with feet stacked on top of each other, weight on either your hand or forearm. Slowly lower hips to tap ground, then lift back up. Do 15 reps per side.
Squat with a medicine ball slam: Holding a medicine ball overhead, squat down as you slam the ball to the ground. Catch it, stand up, and repeat. Do 30 seconds continuous.
Rest 45 seconds, repeat from top.
Max Effort Required
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Try to do six rounds of this, taking 20 to 30 minutes to complete. You want to rest two to four minutes at the end of each round so that you can continue to give maximum effort each time. One move requires a TRX, but you can also put a towel under your feet and perform the move on a smooth surface. —Ross Anti, personal trainer in New York City
Squat jump with heel click in the air: Squat down,then explode up to touch heels together before landing again. Do 8 reps.
Foot fires: Starting in an athletic stance, knees slightly bent and hands in front of you, rapidly move feet in place. Do 10 seconds.
Mountain climbers: Do 20 seconds.
Wide plank: This is just like a normal plank, except your hands and feet are both wider than shoulder-width apart. Hold for 30 seconds.
TRX atomic push-ups: Start in a push-up position and place feet in loops of a TRX or on a towel that’s on a smooth surface. Perform a push-up, then bring knees to chest, straighten legs back out, and repeat. Do one set of as many continuous reps as possible.
Related: How to Do a Perfect Squat
All About the Reps
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You have 30 minutes to get through four rounds of this routine. There’s a cardio component, so if you are inside you’ll need a treadmill, bike, or rower. — Ross Anti, personal trainer in New York City
Lunge forward, backward, and to the side for 30 continuous seconds per leg.
Plank-ups: Start in a traditional plank position, then lower one arm down to the elbow, then the other, then push back up to plan on the first arm, then the other. Do 7 reps starting with the right hand, then 7 reps starting with the left.
Body saw: Start in a plank on your forearms. Without moving your elbows or feet, push your body forward, then backward in a saw-like motion. Each forward-and-backward is 1 rep. Do 25 reps.
Jumping jacks: Do 50 reps.
Jog, bike, or row: Do 5 minutes.
Rest for 30 seconds, then repeat circuit.
Urban Warrior
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For this workout, you’ll need a jump rope, and one of those U-shaped bike racks — preferably with no bikes locked to it. — Errick McAdams, personal trainer based in Washington, D. C.
Round one: 500 turns of the jump rope, inverted rows to failure — hold on to the top of the bike rack with your body underneath you and feet on the ground in front of you, then pull your torso up until your chest hits the top bar of the rack — then push-ups to failure. (Note: failure is when you can no longer perform a rep with perfect form.)
Round two: 400 jump ropes, inverted rows to failure, push-ups to failure
Round three: 300 jump ropes, inverted rows to failure, push-ups to failure
Round four: 200 jump ropes, inverted rows to failure, push-ups to failure
Round five: 100 jump ropes, inverted rows to failure, push-ups to failure
Dumbbell Blast
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You’ll need a jump rope and a pair of 15- or 20-pound dumbbells. — Errick McAdams, personal trainer based in Washington, D. C.
Overhead dumbbell thrusters: Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height. Squat down as low as you can, then as you stand up, push the weights overhead until arms are straight and elbows are locked. Do 20 reps.
Dumbbell hammer curls: Hold a dumbbell in each with arms straight at your side, palms facing in. Curl the dumbbells up without rotating your hands at all (palms face your body the whole time). Do 10 reps.
Push-ups: Do 20 reps, keeping back flat and hips lifted, and aiming to hit your chest to the ground each time.
Plank rows: Perform a plank with hands on dumbbells. Keep core engaged, pull one dumbbell up to side of chest, then place it back down. Do 10 reps each side
Do five rounds of the above moves, taking as little rest as possible between exercises and sets.
The Finisher: 1,000 jumps on the jump rope.
By Alice Oglethorpe
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