You only need 20 minutes and your body weight to build full-body strength at home

Get stuck into this equipment-free session

A woman exercises at home on a mat. She is facing the mat and holding herself above it, with her arms held straight. One knee is bent while the other leg is straight behind her. In the background we see decorative shelves and leafy plants. In the foreground is a pair of dumbbells.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
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Bodyweight workouts are ideal if you want to build strength at home without spending any money. There are plenty of free workouts to choose from on YouTube, too, like this 20-minute full-body routine from Vivienne Addo.

Addo is one half of the Mr and Mrs Muscle training duo, who create micro workouts and routines for their 1.32 million followers.

"This workout session helps you get fit and strong using compound movements and a variation in tempo per exercise," Addo notes in the caption of her video. "It also has an element of cardio and core moves that will increase your calorie burn."

Follow along with the 20-minute workout

This equipment-free routine is an example of high-intensity resistance training (HIRT). Similar to high-intensity interval training (HIIT), HIRT alternates between short periods of exercise and rest. However, HIRT places greater focus on building strength, in this case with bodyweight resistance exercises.

This full-body session is also arranged into supersets—which means you’ll perform two different exercises back to back. So in each 45-second interval, you’ll complete one exercise quickly followed by another, like a pike followed by a push-up, repeating these moves for 45 seconds, before a 15-second rest.

If you’re unable to complete any of these moves, Addo has offered modifications. We also have an easier beginner bodyweight workout you can try, too.

What are the benefits of HIRT?

The biggest benefit of HIRT is that it’s an efficient way to train. If you want to make sure you’re not wasting time scrolling your phone when you’re meant to be exercising, setting yourself strict time limits can help. As HIRT includes elements of resistance training, it can help you build strength too.

It can also help with calorie burn. Research has found that completing short HIRT sessions can increase resting energy expenditure (the rate at which you burn calories when the workout is over) more than traditional resistance training.

Becks Shepherd
Becks Shepherd

Becks is a freelance journalist and writer with more than 7 years of experience in the field. She writes health and lifestyle content for a range of titles including Live Science, Top Ten Reviews, Tom’s Guide, Stylist, The Independent, and more. She also ghostwrites for a number of Physiotherapists and Osteopaths. 

Health has been a big part of Becks’ lifestyle since time began. When she’s not writing about the topic of health, she’s in the gym learning new compound exercises. And when she’s not in the gym, she’s most probably reading. 

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