Having a full-body gym workout you can do in one spot can really come in clutch: Perhaps you’re strapped for time and don’t want to waste precious exercise minutes moving around. Maybe your gym is super crowded and you’d rather not idle at every single station waiting your turn. Or quite possibly just the thought of asking other gym-goers if you can share space or equipment gives you unwelcome anxiety.
Whatever the case, we’ve got you covered with a total-body circuit workout you can complete planted in one spot. “A tight space doesn’t have to be a limiting factor for getting a good workout in,” Francine Delgado-Lugo, CPT, cofounder of Form Fitness Brooklyn, tells SELF.
Better yet, all you need for this six-move circuit-style routine—which Delgado-Lugo created for SELF—is just one set of dumbbells, so you don’t have to keep going to the rack to exchange. So: as simple and stress-free as possible.
Featuring compound, full-body exercises—like the Romanian deadlift, thruster, and renegade row—plus upper-body and core work courtesy of a chest press, upright row, and single-arm dead bug, this workout will “train pretty much all of your body,” Delgado-Lugo says. It also delivers a bonus cardio challenge, since your heart rate will likely climb due, in part, to the short rest intervals.
One cool thing about this routine is that the rep count is highly tailored and varies exercise to exercise based on which muscles are working. For example, you’ll do 20 reps of the Romanian deadlift, since that’s a full-body move that recruits some of your biggest, strongest muscles, and just 10 reps of the thruster, since that involves pressing weight overhead using the strength of your smaller shoulder and arm muscles. Tweaking the rep count exercise to exercise is how you’re able to really challenge yourself with this workout even with just one set of weights at your disposal.
If you discover you’re loving this routine, good news: You can do it as often as two to three times a week, Delgado-Lugo says. Just avoid doing it on back-to-back days, as you’ll want to give your body downtime to recover in between sessions, she says.
Before jumping into this circuit, take a few minutes to get your blood flowing with a quick warm-up. This could look like hopping on an exercise bike, treadmill, or stair climber for a handful of minutes, Delgado-Lugo says.
Here’s all the intel you need for a full-body gym workout that really couldn’t be more convenient. Find a spot, grab your dumbbells, and get ready to work!
The Workout
What you need: One set of dumbbells. To find the weight, choose a pair that feels challenging (but doable!) to press over your head for 10 reps. Beyond that, you just need enough space to accommodate your body in plank position, Delgado-Lugo says. (And you might want a mat for that, too.)
Exercises
- Romanian Deadlift
- Thruster
- Chest Press
- Renegade Row
- Upright Row
- Single-Arm Dead Bug
Directions
Complete the following exercises as a circuit, doing the prescribed reps listed below and taking 1 minute of rest after each round. Repeat the circuit 3 to 5 times total.