Work your upper body with a combo of dumbbell and bodyweight exercises with this 20-minute workout created by Victoria Brown, an Under Armour trainer and Certified Functional Strength Coach. This is part of the Under Armour 21 Days to a Stronger Self challenge, to help improve your posture, build muscle, and feel stronger.
A 20-minute workout may not seem like much, but Brown said that any amount of time that we can show up for ourselves in important. She told POPSUGAR, "we really need to release the stigma that you have to work out for X amount of time in order to feel proud of yourself, in order to feel like you've done something." If 20 minutes is all you have for your day, this workout will still help you break a sweat and leave you feeling strong. This workout requires a set of medium-weight dumbbells (if you're not sure how heavy to go, check out this guide on how to choose the right weights).
20-Minute Upper-Body Dumbbell and Bodyweight Workout
Equipment needed: medium-weight dumbbells (five to 15 pounds)
Directions: Warm up with five minutes of standing squats, arm swings, and shoulder and neck rolls. Or choose exercises like high knees, hip circles, and plank shoulder taps. There are two sets in this workout. Perform each exercise for 45 seconds, followed by a 15-second rest. Complete three rounds of each set, resting one minute between sets if you need to. After the workout, cool down with this 10-minute stretching routine.
| Set 1: Exercise Name |
Time |
| Bicep curl |
45 seconds, followed by 15-second rest |
| Lateral raise |
45 seconds, followed by 15-second rest |
| Break dancer |
45 seconds, followed by 15-second rest |
| Set 2: Exercise Name |
Time |
| Squat into overhead press |
45 seconds, followed by 15-second rest |
| Plank row |
45 seconds, followed by 15-second rest |
| Bear Crawl knee tap |
45 seconds, followed by 15-second rest |
Keep reading for directions on how to do each exercise.
