This 10 Minute Strength Workout Will Power Up Your Week

Hitting a workout wall? This 10 minute strength workout routine from Gold’s Gym Fitness Institute trainer Adam Friedman will help you get back on the right track with your fitness goals and give you a boost of energy to help you crush everything else you’ve got going on.

“This 10-minute circuit is a full-body workout that incorporates both strength and cardio conditioning, and is great when you’re short on time,” says Friedman. If you’re pressed for time, it’s tough to dedicate precious minutes to exercises that work just one body part (like bicep curls), so the exercises here hit different muscles all at once. Your core, lower body, and upper body will feel all the love.

The goal of this 10 minute strength workout is to help build strength while also getting your heart rate up. 

Meanwhile, if you’re looking for more, you can find alllll of our workouts right here, using our workout finder, where we’ve grouped them by workout type, body-part targeted, equipment, and length.

And if you prefer free streaming workout videos, we’ve got a gajillion on YouTube with our at-home workout series Sweat With SELF. Check out our streaming workout playlists: Abs and Glutes; 20 Minute Bodyweight Workouts; No-Equipment Cardio Workouts; Get Fit and #StayHome; and Ready, Set, HIIT at Home.

Here’s How To Do This Workout:

• Do 8 reps of each exercise.

• Then rest for 10 seconds before moving on to the next move.

• Once you’ve completed a set of all five exercises, rest for 1 minute.

• Repeat this circuit as many times as possible in 10 minutes. (Aim to complete 3-5 sets.)

“Each exercise should be performed with an intense effort,” explains Friedman. That means you’re still able to keep the proper form, but the last few reps feel like a challenge. So adjust your speed or the weight of the dumbbells accordingly and really try to push yourself! And don’t forget to save the pin at the bottom for easy reference.

Equipment Needed: One set of medium-weight dumbbells. Here’s how to select the weight that’s right for you.

1. Squat Thrusts — 8 reps

This move works your core, quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Friedman likes to start circuits with this movement (rather than do it at the end of a long workout), because it’s an exercise that requires a ton of energy and intensity.

• Start standing tall.

• Bend over and place both hands on the ground.

• Jump feet back so that you’re in high plank.

• Jump feet back in and jump up in the air (reach your hands high in the air to make it harder). Make sure you land softly (but still explode through the movement), says Friedman.

• That’s 1 rep, do 8.

2. Squat Jumps — 8 reps

“Land quietly in a low squat with your hips back to keep the load on your glutes and not on your knees,” advises Friedman.

• Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart.

• Bend your knees and sit your butt back, keeping your chest upright.

• Jump up into the air as high as you can and straighten out your legs.

• Land back on the floor with soft knees.

• That’s 1 rep, do 8.

3. Reverse Lunges With Twists — 8 reps

Most Popular

• 5 Less Obvious Signs of Seasonal Depression You Should Definitely Pay Attention To

  By Maggie O’Neill

• 42 Creative Valentine’s Day Gifts for Guys

  By Sarah Madaus

• Just Some Fun Sex Toys You and Your Partner Will Love

  By Gabrielle Kassel

The lunge in this move incorporates your glutes and legs while the twist works your abs—so make sure you’re engaging them!

• Start standing with feet hip-width apart.

• Take a big step back with left foot and bend knees to lower into lunge while twisting torso over right (front) leg.

• Return to standing, then repeat with the opposite leg.

• That’s 1 rep, do 8.

4. Triceps Dips — 8 reps

“This is very effective for [strengthening] the arms and working on posture,” says Friedman.

• Sit on the ground with your legs in front and your back up against a box or step. Place your palms on the box or step behind you, fingers facing forward. Bend your knees and place your feet on the ground to make this move easier.

• Keeping your heels on the ground, straighten your arms to lift your legs and butt off the ground, then bend your elbows to lower back down (without letting your butt touch the ground).

• That’s 1 rep, do 8.

5. Bent-Over Rows — 8 reps

Most Popular

• 5 Less Obvious Signs of Seasonal Depression You Should Definitely Pay Attention To

  By Maggie O’Neill

• 42 Creative Valentine’s Day Gifts for Guys

  By Sarah Madaus

• Just Some Fun Sex Toys You and Your Partner Will Love

  By Gabrielle Kassel

Rowing the weights up will work your upper body, particularly your back muscles, Friedman explains. But holding a stable bent-over position requires core, hamstring, and quad strength and endurance, he explains.

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells at sides.

• Bend knees slightly and tilt forward at hips, back flat, arms straight, hands under shoulders.

• Bend elbows and lift weights toward chest, keeping your arms close to your body.

• Extend arms back out and repeat.

• That’s 1 rep, do 8.

Rest for 1 minute, then repeat the circuit 3-5 times (until you hit 10 minutes).

And five killer moves later, you’re ready to take on the rest of your week.