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Lifestyle

5 Body Weight Strength Circuits You Can Do in Under 20 Minutes

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Seattle U chapter.

Strength! I love it, but a lot of people hate it, or have never even really tried it. You can make up a thousand excuses not to do it: you don’t have equipment, you don’t belong to a gym, you don’t have time, you don’t have any motivation. Blah, blah, blah, the list goes on. Adding in a few body weight strength circuits here and there doesn’t have to take a huge chunk of time, it doesn’t have to cost you anything, and you don’t need any fancy contraptions to work your muscles. Yes, you can get swole right there on your bedroom floor!

These five body weight strength circuits take less than 20 minutes to complete, and you can do them in your dorm room, kitchen, or heck, even an airport! The goal with these circuits is to try to get as many repetitions of each exercise as you can before time is up. If you are already dying after ten seconds, that’s okay, just slow it down and try to maintain proper form. 

An Easy 10

Woman, female, press up and exercise HD photo by Ayo Ogunseinde (@armedshutter) on Unsplash
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Complete two sets of the following exercises for ten minutes of fun!

 – 1 Minute: Plank

 – 30 Seconds: Push Ups

 – 1 Minute: Squats

 – 30 seconds: Chair Tricep Dips

 – 1 Minute: Jumping Lunges

 – 30 seconds: Single Leg Calf Raises

 – 30 seconds: Single Leg Calf Raises

14 Minute Fiesta

Complete two sets of the following exercises for a fiesta that’s not terribly painful or boring, but still gets the job done.

 – 30 Seconds: Side Plank

 – 30 Seconds: Side Plank

 – 1 Minute: Glute Bridges

 – 1 Minute: Plank With Arm Extensions

 – 1 Minute: Prisoner Squats

 – 1 Minute: Push Ups

 – 1 Minute: Mountain Climbers

 – 1 Minute: Leg Lifts

Jump Around

Berrien Springs sneaker jumps photo by Autumn Goodman (@auttgood) on Unsplash
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Complete three sets of the following exercises to get those legs feeling a little bit shaky when you’re done!

 – 1 Minute: Squat Jumps

 – 1 Minute: Plank

 – 1 Minute: Jumping Lunges

 – 1 Minute: Clapping Push Ups

 – 1 Minute: Skater Jumps

Hard But Not Too Hard

Complete three sets of the following exercises for a workout that will have you feeling it.

 – 1 Minute: Knee to Elbow Plank

 – 1 Minute: Lunge Jumps

 – 1 Minute: Leg Lifts

 – 1 Minute: Squats

 – 1 Minute: Chair Tricep Dips

 – 45 Seconds: Single Leg Glute Bridge

 – 45 Seconds: Single Leg Glute Bridge

The Burner

Plank on Radiance Form yoga mat photo by Form (@theformfitness) on Unsplash
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Complete two sets of the following exercises to reallllly feel the burn!

 – 1 Minute: Burpees With Push Up

 – 1 Minute: Bicycles

 – 1 Minute: Skater Jumps

 – 1 Minute: Push Ups

 – 1 Minute: Single Leg Lunge

 – 1 Minute: Single Leg Lunge

 – 1 Minute: Chair Tricep Dips

 – 1 Minute: Elbow to Knee Plank

 – 1 Minute: Squat Jumps

 – 1 Minute: V-Ups

Turn on your favorite playlist, Netflix show, or grab a friend and go to town with these body weight strength circuits that you can do anywhere. You don’t need much to get a good workout!

Jamie Hegg

Seattle U '21

I am a freshman at Seattle University, majoring in Sports and Exercise Science. In addition, I'm also a part of the Seattle University Track and Field Team. When I'm not running, you can either find me on a hike, or in the kitchen trying to satisfy my sweet tooth (and making a mess)!