Build full-body strength at any age with this longevity-boosting 20-minute home dumbbell workout

Four exercises, two medium-heavy dumbbells and your phone timer.

That's all you need to strengthen all your major muscle groups, while also starting to reverse the natural effect of sarcopenia (muscle loss) and osteoporosis (weakening bones) as you age.

Crucially, it's never too late to start, which you can do today with this 20-minute AMRAP workout which has become a staple of my training.

How to do this AMRAP workout

This is an AMRAP work, which stands for as many rounds as possible—so you have to perform a circuit of exercises as many times as you can within a set time limit.

This particular routine unites two lower-body and two upper-body exercises. It's designed to target multiple muscle groups and joints, while also helping you burn a good amount of calories.

It’s helpful to have a medium and a heavy set of dumbbells to hand for the workout—medium for the upper-body moves and heavy for the lower-body lifts.

If you only have one pair, that can work too, by slowing down the tempo of the lower-body exercises.

Before you start, perform a thorough bodyweight warm-up, paying special attention to the glutes, hamstrings and shoulders.

Good to go? Set a 20-minute timer and get stuck in, resting as needed, and noting down the total number of reps or rounds you accomplish.

Then, try to beat that target next time.

20-minute full-body AMRAP

The exercises are:

• Sumo deadlift x10
• Front rack squat x10
• Push press x10
• Push-up renegade row x10

Set a timer for 20 minutes, then perform the circuit of exercises as many times as possible, resting as needed.

Beginners may want to rest for 60 seconds between exercises, but if you're confident in your form you could do the exercises back-to-back then rest for 30 seconds between rounds.

If you need more detailed explainers for each move, scroll down to the step-by-step guides below.

1. Sumo deadlift

Reps: 10

• Stand over a pair of dumbbells with feet wide apart.
• Sit your hips back, bend your knees slightly and hinge forward to take hold of the dumbbells. Your back should be flat and core engaged.
• Retract your shoulder blades, then drive your hips forward to stand.
• Slowly lower the weights to tap the floor and repeat.

Benefits: A great exercise for the posterior chain muscles of the hamstrings, glutes and lower back, this version of the deadlift teaches safe lifting mechanics with a wide base for support.

2. Front rack squats

Reps: 10

• Stand holding the dumbbells at shoulder height, elbows pointing forward.
• Sit your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat, while keeping your knees wide apart.
• Push through the floor to stand and repeat.

Benefits: Holding the dumbbells at shoulder height, with elbows high, will place extra demands on your core to support your spine. If the weight is too heavy, drop one dumbbell and hold the other upright, in a goblet hold, keeping it close to your body.

3. Push press

Reps: 10

• Stand holding the dumbbells at shoulder height.
• Engage your core and glutes, then sit your hips back to lower into a shallow squat.
• Push through the ground and drive your hips forward to stand, harnessing this momentum to press the weights straight overhead.
• Focus on inhaling as you bring the weights down to your shoulders to help brace your core, then exhale as you drive up to stand and punch the weights overhead.

Benefits: Primarily an upper-body exercise, this move involves generating power from your lower body with a quarter squat, meaning you can lift more than when performing strict overhead presses.

4. Push-up renegade rows

• Position the dumbbells on the floor, shoulder-width apart.
• Assume a push-up position, holding the dumbbell handles rather than with your hands flat on the floor.
• Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor as far as your shoulder mobility allows.
• Push back up until your arms are straight, then row one dumbbell toward your hip, bracing your core and glutes to help maintain stability.
• The wider apart your feet, the easier it will be to maintain balance.
• Lower the weight to the floor, then switch arms, to complete one repetition.
• Make it easier by dropping your knees to the floor.

Make it easier: If you can't do the move above, you can adapt it by dropping to your knees. If that's still too hard, skip the row and perform a plank or push-up against a wall instead.

Benefits: Target your chest, back and core in one hit but pace yourself as this exercise demands a lot of your pelvis to maintain a stable posture.