5 Effective Exercises To Get Full Body Workout In Just 20 Minutes

A full body workout is crucial for overall health and wellness. However, time is precious, which means you need to be efficient when exercising to get the most out of your workouts.

Fortunately, there are ways to get a full body workout in just 20 minutes. The following exercises can be done as a circuit or incorporated into other workouts. Read on to learn more.

---

Exercises for Full Body Workout In 20 Minutes

Here's a look at five such exercises:

#1 High Knee

This exercise works most major muscle groups in the body: calves, quadriceps (front thigh), hamstrings (back thigh), glutes, and core muscles, such as the abs and lower back, so that you get a full body workout.

To do High Knees

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Squeeze your glutes, and lift your knee up to meet your chest as you pump it back down. Repeat for 30 seconds, and switch legs.
• Do two sets of 20 reps, resting 15 seconds between each set.

---

#2 Squat Jump

Push your body to its limits with this exercise. This plyometric exercise is a great way to improve your balance, agility, and strength while also building some serious quad gains.

To do it:

• Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart and weight on the balls of your feet.
• Lean forward slightly, and squat down as if you were going to pick up a barbell off the floor, but make sure there's no actual weight in front of you.
• Keep your knees over or behind your toes throughout the movement so that they form 90-degree angles when they hit their lowest point during the squat; don't let them go past parallel.
• Jump up as high as possible while bringing both heels off the ground and extending both legs straight out behind you at approximately 45 degrees to create a 'V' shape, with both arms extended in front of you.

---

#3 Superman

This is a great exercise that targets the core, upper back, and shoulders. This exercise works well to strengthen the upper back muscles, which can help improve posture and reduce back pain.

To do it:

• Begin by lying face down on the floor, with your arms straight out in front of you.
• Lift up your torso off of the ground as high as you can go, and hold for a few seconds before lowering yourself back down again.
• Repeat about 12 times, at least three times per week for the best results.

---

#4 Donkey Kick

Donkey kicks are a great way to work out the lower body.

To do the exercise:

• Le on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
• Raise one leg up off of the floor so that it's parallel with the torso.
• Make sure you don't lock out your knee — keep it slightly bent throughout so that you don't put any unnecessary stress on them or risk injury.
• Raise that same knee up as high as you can without bending or flexing it too much (you want to avoid having it pointed towards or away from the body).
• Bring it back down till it's almost touching the ground again before raising it back up again into a slow count of eight to ten reps per set. You should feel it in both hamstrings and glutes.
• Repeat for three sets on each leg for the best results.

---

#5 Mountain Climber

Mountain Climbers are a great way to work the upper and lower body at the same time, burn some calories, and build a strong core.

To do it:

• Lie on your back with your arms by your sides and palms down.
• Raise your knees off the floor by bending and straightening your legs in a rapid motion.
• Keep your lower back pressed against the floor at all times, and don't allow it to rise towards the ceiling as you move.
• Avoid locking out or hyperextending any joints.
• Keep a slight bend in each knee throughout the exercise. Don't let the heels touch the ground between repetitions. Don’t let yourself collapse into an arch or sag into a scrunch when extending one leg while raising the other off the mat.

---

Takeaway

You don't need to spend hours at the gym to get a good workout. In fact, you can get one in just 20 minutes. The aforementioned effective workouts can be done from home and at work with minimal equipment needed.