I had to make a choice; work sections of my body on different days, or switch to full-body workouts. I say make a choice, it was made for me. My schedule has been so packed, I couldn't dedicate an entire session to just my upper or lower body.
So I had to think more efficiently. Not wanting to skip my workouts entirely, I decided to scroll Instagram and find a routine that would train my whole body in under 30 minutes.
I opted for a dumbbell workout from fitness influencer Kelsey Hill. The recent 25-minute workout looked like it would fit the bill perfectly, so I decided to grab my weights and give it a try. Here's what happened.
Watch Kelsey Hill’s 25-minute full body workout
You’ll need a pair of moderately-heavy dumbbells for this workout, although you’ll get the most bang for your buck if you have a few dumbbell options at your disposal (more on that later).
Each exercise is performed for 12 reps with the exception of the side lunge row to reverse lunge, which is performed for 8 reps per side. The exercises are:
- Squat to press
- Hinge to curl
- Alternating curtsey with opposite arm raise
- Side lunge row to reverse lunge
- Squat with tricep extension
- Swing to knee raise
Hill doesn’t mention how many sets to do, but completing 4 rounds of the circuit got me to 25 minutes. Besides the side lunge, she also doesn’t mention if certain exercises should be performed with 12 reps on each side or 12 reps in total. I opted for 12 reps on each side, but if you’ve just begun a workout routine I’d stick with 12 reps total.
Eager to get out of my chair and sweat a little, I picked up my weights and started to move. Here’s what I thought after finishing Hill’s 25-minute full body workout.
My heart rate soared
The biggest surprise of this workout was how drastically it elevated my heart rate. I’m no stranger to intense cardio and consider myself to be well conditioned, so the fact that I was seeing similar heart rates to long runs and HIIT workouts was pretty shocking.
That being said, I was speeding through each exercise quickly because of my limited workout time. If I moved with a slower tempo or worked with a lighter weight, the exercises would not have been so cardiovascularly challenging. That’s something to keep in mind if you try this for yourself.
I decided to use more than one pair of dumbbells
Initially I chose to work with a pair of 15 pound dumbbells for this workout, but after the first round I pulled out a pair of 10 pound and 20 pound dumbbells as well. The 15 pounds were perfect for exercises like the squat and press, but I needed to go heavier on the rows and lighter on the raises to get the full benefit of the movements.
If you have a set of light, moderate, and heavy weights available, you may want to utilize all of them for this routine. That’s not to say you won’t get a good workout with only one pair of dumbbells, especially if you’re willing to modify things a bit.
For example, I swapped my 15 pound dumbbell for my 20 pound dumbbell during the hinge and curl and performed the exercise as demonstrated, but I could have also chosen to curl with a 15 pound dumbbell in each hand.
Additionally, you can stray from the given repetitions when needed. If a dumbbell feels too heavy to perform 12 reps of an exercise, opt for 10 reps instead. If 12 reps feels like a breeze, bump it up to 15.
I was sore the next day
Another surprising aspect of this workout was how sore it made me the next day. I do all of the movements in this routine on a regular basis, so I didn’t anticipate that I’d need a rest day to fully recover.
I should mention that soreness isn’t an indicator of a good workout, nor is it an indicator of your fitness in general. The fact remains that I exercise very regularly and still woke up stiff the next day, so it could be worth spending some time with a foam roller after.
It’s best for intermediate or advanced fitness levels
This was a quick and fun routine that targeted a lot of big muscle groups in a relatively short amount of time. Because of that, it’s best suited for those who work out consistently and are at an intermediate or advanced fitness level.
Part of what makes this workout so interesting is the combination of several different exercises into one movement, like the side lunge row to reverse lunge and the alternating curtsey lunge with front raise.
To do these combinations correctly though, you’ll need to perform each aspect of the movement with good form. If your side lunges need work or your deadlift form isn’t great, I’d recommend perfecting those exercises first.
Hill also doesn’t include any modifications in this workout, so if you’re dealing with any injuries and aren’t sure how to modify exercises on your own, I’d come back to it once you’ve made a full recovery.
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