You just need 20 minutes to strengthen your whole body with this low-impact workout

a woman doing a glute bridge
(Image credit: Getty Images)

It’s not always easy to find the motivation to do a workout, but if the idea of doing an entire training session while lying down helps, then this give this full-body strengthener a go.

This 20-minute ‘lazy’ workout from fitness trainer Maddie Lymburner, who goes by MadFit on YouTube, is designed so you can do the whole thing without standing up or using any equipment, with every exercise being a floor-based move.

That means it’s well worth rolling out one of the best yoga mats, but otherwise you don’t need any kit, and the lack of standing or jumping moves means that the workout is very easy on your joints.

Watch MadFit’s 20-minute full-body workout

20 MIN LAZY GIRL FULL BODY WORKOUT - No Jumping, Low Impact, Laying Down - YouTube 20 MIN LAZY GIRL FULL BODY WORKOUT - No Jumping, Low Impact, Laying Down - YouTube
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You do 20 exercises during the session, working for 45 seconds and then resting for 15 seconds with each.

Lymburner does the workout with you, demonstrating each move and giving advice and motivation throughout — make sure you can see your screen from your lying position to check your form against hers.

While this workout is mostly focused on your core, with moves like planks, crunches and leg raises, there are also exercises that target your upper body and legs, along with your glutes.

Since this is a ‘lazy’ workout, the pace is kept slow and controlled throughout. Don’t rush to cram in as many reps as you can in the 45 seconds; instead focus on form and engaging the right muscles with deliberate movements.

Low impact, big results

Low-impact workouts like this are great for those worried about putting too much stress on their joints, or even just making a lot of noise — this is the kind of workout I’d slip in while my kids are napping, and it’s a good pick if you’re worried about neighbors hearing you jumping about.

It’s also a session I’d do as a runner — not only does it improve core strength and endurance, it doesn’t add to the impact on my joints already created by regular runs.

This is a great workout for a day when the thought of leaping around is off-putting, but for a well-rounded training routine it’s good to also do sessions that are higher-intensity.

You don’t need any kit for this though, as this 15-minute full-body workout shows, since it’s done just using bodyweight exercises.

If you’re ready to run, this simple but effective three-move full-body workout is another great bodyweight session, but you’ll need room for a 400m run, so it’s best done outside or in a gym by a treadmill.

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Nick Harris-Fry
Senior Writer

Nick Harris-Fry is an experienced health and fitness journalist, writing professionally since 2012. He spent nine years working on the Coach magazine and website before moving to the fitness team at Tom’s Guide in 2024. Nick is a keen runner and also the founder of YouTube channel The Run Testers, which specialises in reviewing running shoes, watches, headphones and other gear.

Nick ran his first marathon in 2016 after six weeks of training for a magazine feature and subsequently became obsessed with the sport. He now has PBs of 2hr 27min for the marathon and 15min 30sec for 5K, and has run 13 marathons in total, as well as a 50-mile ultramarathon. Nick is also a qualified Run Leader in the UK.

Nick is an established expert in the health and fitness area and along with writing for many publications, including Live Science, Expert Reviews, Wareable, Coach and Get Sweat Go, he has been quoted on The Guardian and The Independent.

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