20 Minute Bodyweight Strength Workout
Squat, hinge, push, pull and core in twenty minutes of bodyweight circuits. Short rests and tight transitions, three sessions a week.
Routines
Day 1 — Strength Circuit A
Squat, push, pull, hinge, and core in a continuous circuit.
Day 2 — Strength Circuit B
Vertical press focus with single-leg hinge and core stability.
Day 3 — Strength Circuit C
Horizontal push/pull with hinge and rotational core.
About this plan
Three sessions a week covering squat, hinge, push, pull and single leg in twenty minutes. One set each, no equipment beyond a table to row under and a towel.
Day one runs air squats at fourteen, push-ups at twelve, inverted rows under a table at ten, bodyweight good mornings, single-leg bridges and split squats. Day two moves to sumo squats, pike push-ups, bent-knee inverted rows, single-leg deadlifts, rear lunges and side work. Day three covers prisoner squats at sixteen, close-grip push-ups, standing towel rows, sliding floor bridge curls and side lunges.
Every session has a pull. That is the line that separates this from most short bodyweight plans, and it is why the plan asks for a table. Twenty minutes of squats and push-ups is not strength training, it is half of it.
The pike push-up on day two is the overhead press substitute. Hips high, head between the hands, lower the crown of the head toward the floor. It shifts the load from the chest to the shoulders and it is the closest thing to a vertical press available without weights.
The sliding floor bridge curl on day three needs a towel on a smooth floor: lie on your back, heels on the towel, bridge up and slide your heels away, then pull them back. It is a hamstring curl with no machine, and it is genuinely difficult.
One set each with short transitions is what fits five patterns into twenty minutes. Progress by slowing the lowering phase to three seconds — the sets stay the same length and get considerably harder.
Train this plan in the app
LoadMuscle carries all 3 routines with a demo for every exercise, and logs your sets as you go, so next session you can see what to beat. Free on iPhone and Android.
Want something built around your own schedule and equipment instead? Try the free workout planner.
