No matter how committed you are to your goals and plan, sometimes life just gets too busy and you need a quick 20 minute workout. Whether it’s a workout while traveling and on vacation, an at home workout with minimal equipment or you just want something quick with a dumbbell or kettlebell at the gym, I’ve got you covered!
I’ve been in the fitness industry and working out off and on for over 15 years. And by that, I mean I’ve tried a few things. From strictly gym and bodybuilding workouts, to 5 days a week at CrossFit, garage workouts to switch things up, taking and leading different fitness classes and reframing what fitness and workouts are in general.
And I’m ALL about balance and flexibility.
This list of workouts is perfect to switch things up, or to cycle through for ideas in your weekly routine. These 10 workout ideas break down into kettlebell workouts, dumbbell workouts, bodyweight workouts, core and cardio workouts, as well as some boxing combos to use whether you have a boxing bag at home or your local gym. These combos can also be used for shadowboxing as well.
Feel free to save these lists or specific workouts to your Pinterest board when you’re short on time or looking for something different.
If you want more quick workout ideas and to create a better relationship with fitness, be sure to join my Newsletter and get access to more free workout ideas. We’ll also be working through simple ways to create that healthy lifestyle one week at a time.
Why quick workouts are so beneficial
If you’re new here, one thing you’ll learn quickly is that I’m all about creating a healthy and sustainable life. Nothing about strict routines, calorie counting, no days off or anything else associated with hustle culture.
Because that’s not something that’s sustainable long term. And if you truly want a healthy life outside of your 20’s, then there needs to be some flexibility.
That’s where these 20 minute workouts come in handy. You can stick with them long term, use them when life got in the way, or just to prove to yourself that 20 minutes is better than nothing.
If you’re looking for more fun with fitness, check out my Fitness Games and Craft Ideas
You also don’t need a lot of equipment for quick workouts. It can just be whatever you have available. I would, however, at least recommend setting up a fitness timer for most of these workouts. There’s a Free Fitness Timer I’ve used for years that you can check out.
There are so many ways you can structure your workouts to make them more fun and exciting, but even setting a timer for 20 minutes and doing as many rounds as possible, is what I’ve done for years while making progress.
So let’s dive into these 20 minute workouts!
Kettlebell Workouts
These exercises can be done with a single kettlebell for single arm work and balance or with 2 kettlebells. What I mean by that is the kneeling KB press for example can be done one arm at a time, or using 2 kettlebells at once.
I like doing 2 at a time, but when I’m working out at home, I only have 1 kettlebell available in each weight. So if I want to do kneeling should presses with a 25, I have to do one arm at a time, and then the kettlebell swings would be a heavier kettlebell.
If you only have one weight option, you can just adjust the reps to make it more challenging. So for instance, say I can only do 5 reps of shoulder press with 25 pounds, but I can do a lot more weight with deadlifts. I would just increase the reps to maybe 12-15 so I still get a good workout.
Rounds is going to be the next thing, and I always choose at least 3 rounds for workouts. Since there are 7 exercises and if you have heavier weights, you can always drop it down to 2 rounds to get a better feel for things, and adjust from there to keep it a 20 minute workout.
Otherwise just doing as many rounds as possible in that 20 minute timeframe is also good.
It is your workout after all!
Kettlebell Workout 1:
- Snatch
- Kneeling press
- Split stance deadlift
- Halo
- Row
- Windmill
- Leg over kettlebell
Kettlebell Workout 2:
- Heel elevated squat
- Swings
- Snatch
- Thruster
- Front rack lunge
- Plank pull through
- Single arm sit up
Dumbbell Workouts
The dumbbell workouts are going to be similar to the kettlebell options. If you have a pair of dumbbells of the same weight, totally use those for these exercises when it comes to the gorilla row or thrusters.
But if you only have one weight option, just make sure you alternate for each side. Either do all your reps on one side and switch, or alternate each side. For example, the snatches could be rep one is with the right hand, rep two is the left hand, rep 3 is the right hand, etc.
These exercises also should be based on the weights you have available and how many good reps you can do. If you can only do 4 push ups before going to your knees, but can do 10 rows, make sure to either adjust the push ups to all on your knees, or be sure to grab a heavier weight.
Check out how Progressive Overload can help you get stronger without overcomplicating it
For rounds, I would recommend at least 3 rounds for each workout, or going up to 5 rounds if you have the time or are using lighter weights to keep it a 20 minute workout.
Dumbbell Workout 1:
- Snatch
- Side lunge
- Weighted step up
- Weighted sit up
- Thruster
Dumbbell Workout 2:
- Curl to press
- Floor press with hip raise
- Gorilla row
- Push up to row
- Weighted toe touch
Bodyweight Workouts
These exercises are the best because you can do them anywhere! You don’t need any equipment or specific location so they’re great for at home, traveling, on vacation, hotel rooms or even in the gym to add a finisher or quick workout in your favorite space.
I would recommend starting at 10-15 reps if you can for all of them and going for 4-5 rounds. If you can’t get that many reps for each exercise, be sure to adjust, or stop once you hit the 20 minute mark. This would be great for a HIIT workout where it’s timed, so like 30-45 seconds of work, 10-20 seconds of rest 4-5 times through.
I go over how you can set that up again in the Best Free Fitness Timer blog.
Bodyweight Workout 1:
- Speed skaters
- Crunches
- Jumping squat
- Plank hold
- Walking lunges
Bodyweight Workout 2:
- Jumping jacks
- Push ups
- Frog crunch
- Mountain climbers
- Burpees
Core and Cardio Workouts
These workout options are similar to the bodyweight workouts where you can do them anywhere. The only thing that would need to be adjusted is the box jumps if you don’t have a box available. This can be modified to a step up on stairs or a chair. Otherwise steps outside or an elevated area you can safely jump to are great options as well.
I used a lot of these exercises for my bootcamp style classes and they always got great reviews and results. Not only for my clients but for me too when I was leading the class and participating.
Check out my Partner Workout Ideas for more ways to structure your workouts
It’s a great mix of strengthening your core and keeping things moving to make it more difficult. But if you aren’t able to do the exercises easily or smoothly at first, that’s ok! Keep trying and working at it. I can’t tell you how many times my clients would complain or question their abilities with a new routine and then 6 weeks later be able to do them like a pro or at least A LOT better! So going from maybe getting 3 reps each time to going the full 30-45 seconds without stopping was huge.
Core and Cardio Workout 1:
- Box jumps
- Cocoons
- Cross crab kicks
- Reverse crunch
- Walk outs
Core and Cardio Workout 2:
- Froggers
- Starfish
- Plank shoulder taps
- Toe touch
- Squat jumps
Boxing Combos Workouts
These boxing combos can be done with a bag or even just with shadow boxing.
I’ve listed 10 combos that you can either go through once, twice or cut in half and use how you want! This is all with a Thai bag of some kind.
Check out Boxing Basics for more info on the combos
Quick explanation of the abbreviations:
J- jab
C- cross
H- hook
U- uppercut
SL- slip
Du- duck
DR- duckroll
Rk- round kick
Fk- front kick
Knee- knee to the side of the bag or under if you have a tier bag available
These are best done with a timer, so if you don’t have one, I’d still highly recommend checking out my Best Free Fitness Timer blog and use that option. This has become a favorite of mine again, because I can get through all 10 combos twice for a 20 minute workout and feel great after!
I’d recommend each combo be done for 1 minute if you’re doing all 10. Or you can do 5 of the combos for up to 2 minutes if you really want to challenge yourself with less breaks. All with be explained in the timer blog.
Boxing Combo Workout 1:
- J C SL SL H H
- Squat jump -> 10X U
- J J Du C C Du H H
- Sm C H
- Reverse Lunge -> Fk
- 10X J C U U
- H H U U
- Rk Rk J C H
- H H U U J C
- Low H High H DR
Boxing Combo Workout 2:
- J J DR C C DR H
- H H U H H U
- Sit Up-> 4X H
- Knee Knee H H U
- J C H H U U
- Leg Raise Around Bag
- LH H H RH
- Fk J C H U
- J SL C SL H
- J U J C Rk
I have used these workouts so many times myself, while coaching clients and even teaching classes. Be sure to save for later when you’re low on time and join the Newsletter for access to even more!
I will say, if you have a little extra time I would recommend warming up and doing some stretches before and after. And if you can’t, you literally have just 20 minutes, do a quick 5 minute warm up and just drop the rounds or time to make the 20 minute workout.
Also, don’t forget to check out Best Free Fitness Time. I’ve used this for all the fitness classes I taught where we did more HIIT or Tabata style workouts (where I’ll explain more in the blog), and also for myself specifically for the boxing combos.
I go through how to set up the timer and recommendations from there.
Otherwise, be sure to follow me on YouTube and check out my 10 Minute Workout Ideas for more quick workouts.
Health should take you through life, not take it over.
