Forget push-ups — this 15-minute standing workout builds full-body strength and boosts your metabolism
Stand up to shape up
One of the most important features of any workout is accessibility. If you don’t have the space, time or equipment needed to do a particular workout, then you’re not going to do it. That’s why this 15-minute full-body standing workout from fitness trainer Maddie Lymburner is worth highlighting.
You don’t need any equipment to do the workout, which only takes 15 minutes, and you can do it anywhere you have space to stand. The workout’s accessibility is also boosted by the fact it’s a standing workout, so you don’t have to worry about getting up and down, and it’s suitable for all fitness levels.
If you do have one of the best yoga mats you can roll out to do the workout on then that would be helpful to improve grip and protect your floor, but you can just stand and start the workout wherever and whenever you’re ready to sweat.
Watch MadFit’s 15-minute standing workout
This fast-paced workout involves doing 20 different exercises, with the fact that there are no repeats helping the time to fly by — no matter how much you’re struggling with a move, you just have to finish the set knowing you won’t have to do it again during this workout.
You do each exercise for 30 seconds then rest for 15 seconds. Lymburner says which move is coming next and gives a demonstration during the rest periods, and also does the whole workout with you so can just follow her movements to ensure your form is right.
The aim is to work at a pace that gets your heart rate up during each exercise, which will be different for everyone, so judge your effort according to your fitness level and either push harder or take extra breaks as required.
To get your heart pumping the workout contains a mix of compound exercises that engage a lot of large muscle groups and plyometric moves like jumping jacks. If you’re worried about the impact of the jumping exercises you can do them while standing, which will still increase your strength even if it doesn’t raise your heart rate to the same extent.
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If you have a set of dumbbells at home you can also easily integrate them into the workout to make it tougher, or you can try this 15-minute standing dumbbell workout instead. If you'd like a session that focuses on your core, try this 10-minute standing ab workout, which can also be added onto the end of the MadFit's session above for a longer workout.
More from Tom’s Guide
- Build a stronger core with this 10-minute standing abs workout
- Forget weights — I tried this 30-minute workout to get in shape
- 5 compound core exercises that sculpt strong obliques
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.