If you’re short on time but want a really effective workout without needing a ton of equipment, then high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is ideal.

If you’re not familiar with this style of training, it involves going hard on an exercise for a short amount of time, followed by a recovery period.

It’s known for boosting heart health and burning a lot of calories, which makes it useful for anyone with limited time.

You can try it yourself by doing this 10-minute beginner-friendly HIIT workout, which I’ve created for anyone who wants to work out at home.

How to do this 10-minute HIIT workout for beginners

You don’t need any fitness equipment for the routine, but you might want to use a mat.

Done correctly, HIIT should get the heart rate up and make you sweat, so have some water to hand. You should be going working enough on each exercise that you can’t hold a conversation.

You’ll work for 30 seconds then rest for 30 seconds.

Do each of the five exercises in turn to complete one round. Do two rounds in total. Take 30-60 seconds rest in between rounds.

• Plank walkout
• Jump the clock
• Knee drive (switch sides on second round)
• Walking tap jack
• Star jump

Form guides

1. Plank walkout

Time: 30sec Rest: 30sec

• Stand with your feet together.
• Raise your hands overhead, hinge forward at your hips and place your hands on the floor.
• Walk your hands forward until your body is in a straight line from your head to your heels, palms directly under your shoulders.
• Pause for a second then walk the hands back to your feet and stand up.

2. Jump the clock

Time: 30sec Rest: 30sec

• Stand with your feet together and hands by your sides.
• Imagine you’re positioned in the middle of a clock face. Do a small jump forward to land on the number 12, then jump back into the middle of your imaginary clock face.
• Jump to number 1, then return to the middle again, then 2, 3, and so on.
• If you complete a full rotation of jumps, reverse the direction and continue until the 30 seconds is up.

3. Knee drive

Time: 30sec Rest: 30sec

• Stand with your legs hip-width apart and core engaged.
• Transfer your weight into your right leg.
• Lean forward slightly, step your left leg back and raise your arms out in front at chest height.
• Bring your left knee up towards your chest, then tap it back behind you.
• Repeat for 30 seconds, then swap legs on round two.

4. Walking tap jack

Time: 30sec Rest: 30sec

• Stand with your feet together.
• Step your right leg out to the side, then the left, so that they are hip-width apart.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to squat down and tap the floor with your right hand.
• Stand and step the feet back together.
• Repeat, tapping the floor with your left hand.

5. Star jump

Time: 30sec Rest: 30-60sec

• Stand with your feet together and hands by your sides.
• Jump both legs out to the side as you raise your arms overhead to make a star shape.
• Lower your arms back down to your sides and bring your legs back together.

I used to swear by high-intensity cardio workouts to keep me fit. As part of my CrossFit style training regime, I’d do at least three 10- to 20-minute HIIT workouts per week that would leave me breathless, sweaty and with my heart rate in zones four (80%-90% of my maximum heart rate) and five (90%-100%).

However, I was becoming bored with this style of training and I was beginning not to enjoy HIIT style workouts anymore.

So, around six months ago, I decided to focus on strength training, coupled with playing tennis for an hour two every week. Tennis raises my heart rate, but not as much as HIIT workout.

So, is one to two hours of medium-intensity exercise enough, or is high-intensity training essential? I decided to find out.

What are the benefits of medium-intensity exercise?

Training in zone three, which is around 70 to 80% of your maximum heart rate, has specific benefits compared with high-intensity training, according to Alan Ruddock, associate professor of sport physiology and performance at Sheffield Hallam University.

“Elite endurance athletes will utilise this medium intensity work within their training programme because what they have to do is balance intensity and volume,” says Ruddock. “They’ll do quite a lot of low-intensity work, but they also need to push the boundaries [with high-intensity work].”

“Medium-intensity training blends mechanical demand, physiological stimulus, plus all of the psychological benefits,” says Ruddock. In other words, it’s good for your muscles and joints, your fitness levels and your mental health.

Crucially, medium-intensity exercise can be fun, compared with high-intensity exercise. “The scientific literature tends to suggest that this medium-intensity cardio [...] is actually the most enjoyable,” says Ruddock.

I can certainly vouch for this from my personal experience. High-intensity workouts were gruelling, and I often had to push myself through them despite my brain telling me to stop. During medium-intensity exercise, like tennis, the fatigue I feel is generally manageable, so I enjoy it a lot more.

What are the benefits of high-intensity exercise?

Although it might not always feel enjoyable, Ruddock says there are plenty of benefits to high-intensity cardio.

“The aim with HIIT is to spend a considerable amount of time above 90% of your maximum heart rate,” says Ruddock. “This helps us deliver more oxygen-rich blood to the body.”

High-intensity exercise can not only improve your cardio fitness, but have a positive affect on your immune and hormone health, and cognitive function.

High-intensity exercise might also be the quickest way to get fitter. “We most quickly see adaptations [in the body] with sprint interval sessions,” says Ruddock. “Studies have shown that just six to nine sessions of sprint training can create rapid adaptations of endurance capabilities.”

This is much quicker than medium-intensity exercise, which takes between six to 12 weeks to affect the body.

A 2008 study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise looked at the effects on VO2 max of different types of training. VO2 max is the maximum volume of oxygen the body is able to use during exercise and is a good indicator of fitness levels.

The study found that six weeks of zone three training improved participants’ VO2 max by 14.3%, whereas six weeks of zone five training improved participants’ VO2 max by 20.6%, showing how much quicker this style of exercise can improve your fitness.

My experience swapping HIIT for medium-intensity cardio

There are a few changes I’ve noticed since replacing HIIT with tennis. For one, because I enjoy tennis, I choose to play it more regularly and do it for longer, and that’s helped boost my endurance.

After a few months, I needed fewer breaks, I wasn’t as breathless and I could also play for longer. I also noticed running and cycling feel easier.

Saying that, I’ve lost some of my ability to sustain hard efforts. I notice that when I do push my body to its limits—challenging myself with lots of burpees or sprinting on a SkiErg machine—it feels more difficult.

I can exercise for longer, but just not as hard.

And even though I feel great after playing tennis, I don't necessarily get the same level of endorphins as after a demanding HIIT class.

Is medium-intensity exercise better than high-intensity exercise?

According to Ruddock, high-intensity exercise isn’t necessarily better than medium-intensity cardio, or vice versa. Variety matters.

“It’s a good idea to do both styles of exercise because you get training variation,” says Ruddock. “You don’t want to do one thing all the time, because it’s not going to provide you with physiological benefits that are afforded to versatility.

“Variation in training load is almost as important as having a good structure in place. I would suggest that the average person combines as many different intensities as possible.”

That might feel overwhelming, but you don’t need to cram all three into a week, especially if you’re just beginning to return to exercise.

I plan to add some short bursts of high-intensity exercise back into my routine, but I’ll be pleased if I can convince myself to do a HIIT workout twice a month, increasing the frequency of those workouts over time. After all, doing something consistently is a smarter approach than trying to overload myself with exercise promises I just can’t keep.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) delivers impressive cardiovascular benefits, but many HIIT workout favorites—like jump squats and burpees—can be hard on the joints.

The good news is that HIIT doesn’t have to include lots of burpees to make an impact.

I regularly program HIIT-style workouts for my clients who can’t run or jump, and they still break a sweat, without the high-impact moves.

Fitness coach Joe Wicks (aka The Body Coach) recently shared a 15-minute low-impact HIIT-style workout that’s ideal for beginners or anyone returning to exercise.

Having recently had a baby, I needed a quick routine that was gentle on my postpartum body but still effective—and this workout was just right.

How to do Joe Wicks’ 15-minute workout

All you’ll need for this session is an exercise mat.

Wicks moves through 15 exercises, working for 45 seconds on each, with 15 seconds of rest in between.

“If you have people living below you, they wouldn’t even know you were exercising,” says Wicks. That sums up the style of this quiet but surprisingly effective routine.

Here are my other takeaways as a trainer and new mum.

It got my heart pumping

Don’t let the words low-impact or beginner fool you—this workout is still a challenge.

While it’s suitable for most fitness levels, you still need good mobility and technique to perform the squats, lunges and push-ups in the workout correctly.

I was surprised at what a tough cardio session this was—my Apple Watch clocked my heart rate hitting the 150s.

That being said, I was moving quicker than Wicks during most of the workout. If I had matched his tempo, I might not have found it as challenging.

His coaching cues were a big win

Unlike many YouTube fitness personalities who use loud, high-energy music and minimal instruction, Wicks takes a different approach.

He uses the rest periods to talk you through form tips and to explain the next move.

Simple cues like “engage the core” and “keep the hands under the shoulders” can make a big difference to those just learning how to exercise properly.

Even as someone who isn’t new to squats or push-ups, these tips were helpful reminders, especially as I began to fatigue.

You can scale it up or down

The great thing about this routine is that it’s adaptable.

If you’re a complete beginner, you can match his speed, or even go slower.

If you want to push yourself, you can move more quickly or add light weights to moves like the squat or reverse lunge.

I picked up some 5lb weights for a few moves and enjoyed the extra challenge.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a popular cardio choice for many fitness enthusiasts.

But if you’re a beginner and feel apprehensive about the words high intensity, I’ve found just the workout for you.

Fitness influencer Anna Engelschall has a HIIT workout on YouTube that offers an easy-to-follow introduction to this workout style.

While there are a few intermediate-level moves, most are accessible making this 25-minute routine a great starting point.

The best part? There are no repeated exercises, so you’ll only have to do your least favorite moves once!

I'm a personal trainer but pregnancy has meant scaling back my usual HIIT sessions, so I was excited to give Engelschall’s workout a go.

All you’ll need to try it for yourself is an exercise mat for comfort.

How to do the 25-minute beginner HIIT workout

Engelschall kicks things off with a quick warm-up featuring mobility drills for 30 seconds each.

The main workout consists of 18 exercises—including deadbug, pop squat and butt kicks—performed for 50 seconds each and just 10 seconds of rest in between.

She wraps things up with a brief three-minute cool down, stretching the quads, hamstrings and lower back.

Remember, you can always give yourself more rest time if needed. That's what the pause button is for!

What I thought of the workout

There were long intervals and short rests

Typically, HIIT workouts feature exercise intervals of around 30 or 40 seconds.

Performing each exercise for almost a minute in Engelschall’s workout became daunting at times, especially with only 10 seconds of rest.

That said, having no repeated moves made a big difference to my motivation. Knowing I only had to push through each exercise once meant I finished each interval strong.

A few times I needed a bit longer than 10 seconds to catch my breath, but I simply paused the video.

The pace was manageable

While the exercise periods were long, Engelschall kept a moderate pace making the workout more approachable.

Going slower than many HIIT instructors helped sustain my energy and helped me maintain good form, even when I felt fatigued.

This slower tempo makes this workout live up to its 'beginner-friendly' name.

It’s also helpful to allow beginners time to focus on learning the movements properly, which makes the session accessible to a wider range of fitness levels.

It was easy on the joints

Another beginner-friendly aspect of this workout was the mix of lower-impact exercises.

While there were a few classic jumping moves like skaters, jumping jacks and (of course) burpees, most of the workout was relatively easy on the joints. Plus, the higher-impact moves were easy to modify if needed.

Since I’m pregnant, I had to tweak some of the core exercises and adjust a few due to a stiff neck and lower back issues.

If you experience similar discomfort, placing one hand behind your head for extra neck support can help.

We've said it before and we'll say it again: you don't need a gym membership to build strength and improve your fitness. You don't need fancy workout gear, an encyclopedic knowledge of human anatomy or Chris Hemsworth's personal trainer on speed dial (although all of those things are quite helpful).

All it takes is one resistance band and a handful of well-chosen moves to strengthen every major muscle group while giving your heart and lungs a solid workout.

That’s the message from Centr (of the aforementioned Chris Hemsworth) trainer Ingrid S. Clay who shared a full-body resistance band workout on Instagram that's perfect for home or travel training.

With the holiday season fast approaching, it couldn't be a better time to add this kit—and these moves—to your fitness repertoire.

How to do this full-body resistance band workout

I've broken down Clay's resistance band workout, adding sets, repetitions and target muscle groups so you're ready to try it yourself.

Start with a light resistance band or the lightest level while you get familiar with the movement pattern, then increase the resistance once you're more confident with your form and ready for the main workout.

Aim for 10-12 reps of each exercise and complete two to three rounds, adjusting rest and reps as you need for a greater challenge.

1. Reverse lunge into overhead press

Targets: glutes, quads, shoulders

• Stand on the middle of the band, holding the handles at shoulder height.
• Take a big step back into a reverse lunge.
• Step forward and press your hands overhead, keeping your core engaged.
• Complete all reps on one side, then switch.

2. Double into alternating hammer curl

Targets: biceps

• Stand on the band with two feet, holding the handles by your sides.
• Curl one hand across your body to work your biceps, then return it to the start.
• Curl the other hand across your body, then return lower.
• Now curl both hands to your shoulders with palms facing.

3. Seated close-grip row

Target: lower back, mid back, biceps

• Sit on the floor with legs straight and the band looped around your feet.
• Pull the handles into your ribs to work your mid and upper back muscles.
• Slowly return your hands to the start position and repeat.
• Keep your torso upright and core engaged throughout.

4. Standing chest press

Targets: chest

• Stand with the resistance band looped around your upper back and hold the handles.
• Draw your hands back to your chest, then press them forward powerfully.
• Maintain tension in the band and keep your torso upright and core engaged throughout.

5. Stiff-leg deadlift

Targets: hamstrings, glutes, lower back

• Stand on the band with both feet, holding the handles by your sides.
• Cross the handles if you need more tension.
• Sit your hips back, maintaining a slight bend in the knees to load your hamstrings.
• Drive your hips forward powerfully to stand upright.

Shop Resistance Bands

It's easy to lose muscle as you get older and that loss can bring a whole host of health problems with it. The solution is simple, though—strength train to maintain and build muscle. That doesn't have to mean a gym membership and heavy weights. Certified fitness trainer Theresa Moloney recently shared three exercises she used to sculpt her arms in her 50s and all you need is a resistance band.

Resistance bands are cheap, effective and easy to store, making them ideal for beginners. There are lots of options from unknown brands on Amazon, but because there is a risk of these elastic bands snapping, we prefer to buy from long-running, well-known brands like Theraband. You can buy a set of three latex or non-latex bands for beginners for less than $15.

Watch Moloney's video to see the three exercises, and keep scrolling for Moloney’s advice about the five mistakes you might be making with resistance bands.

How to do Theresa Moloney's resistance band arms workout

These exercises are suitable for beginners, but there are a few form tips to keep in mind. For the first and third exercise, aim to keep your elbows perfectly still, so they doen't move forward, backward or to the sides as you lift and lower the band.

The second exercise combines two exercises in one, so unless you're confident with both moves and the hip hinge you need to transition between them, there's no harm in doing the biceps curl and straight-arm kickback separately.

Theresa Moloney's resistance band tips

If you're new to resistance bands, Moloney offers some helpful advice on technique in this Instagram video.

The tip to move slowly for both the lifting and lowering part of each exercise is great advice, both for getting the most out of your workout and avoiding injury. Keeping your core engaged is also essential advice. If you're not sure what that means, we have an expert guide to how to engage your core. It's a skill well worth mastering.

I’ve been an avid runner for almost twenty years, and while all that pavement pounding has come with plenty of benefits, there have been some drawbacks too. My knees, hips, and ankles can get cranky at times, and that can prevent me from hopping on the treadmill for my daily dose of cardio

One such flair up had me scrolling through Instagram in search of a low-impact alternative, where I found fitness influencer Cindy Yu’s No Jumping HIIT workout. The movements she included looked fun, engaging, and friendly on the joints, so I decided to give it a try.

How to do Cindy Yu’s low-impact HIIT routine

High Intensity Interval Training, also known as HIIT, involves short periods of exercise followed by even shorter periods of rest. You’ll perform the eight exercises in Yu’s routine for 30 seconds each followed by 10 seconds of rest in between the exercises. Aim to complete six to eight rounds of the circuit. The exercises are:

1. Alternating lateral step curtsey lunge
2. Rocking horse
3. Sumo squat heel lift
4. Side-tap front-tap
5. Double-step touch knee lift
6. Side-lunge touch down
7. Double-step touch ham curl

Yu does a great job at demonstrating each exercise but she doesn’t give any modifications or alternatives. The movements should be doable for beginners and experts alike, but if you’re dealing with current or past injuries, be mindful of how you move. There’s also no warm-up or cool-down included, so set aside a few minutes for both.

What I learnt from doing this workout

My average heart rate surprised me

Since I’m a bit of a cardio lover, I didn’t anticipate a low-impact HIIT routine could raise my heart rate to an average of 138 beats per minute—a lot higher than I thought it would be.

The great thing about this workout (and most HIIT workouts) is that you can perform the exercises at your own pace. I went a little faster than Cindy did in her demonstrations, which made the workout appropriately challenging. You can also slow it down to a more manageable tempo if the instructor’s speed feels too challenging. As long as you’re working for the allotted time, you’re doing it right.

It reminded me of step aerobics

If you’ve ever missed old-school step aerobics, this routine is for you. Several of the exercises included multi-step movements and even some arm choreography, which reminded me of the step classes I used to take when I first started working out. It was a nice blend of HIIT with dance-influenced exercises, so fans of Zumba and Jazzercise would likely enjoy this workout too.

It was fun

The exercises in this routine were unique and different from the usual squat jumps and burpees. While easy to follow, they still kept me focused, as they required some coordination, and made the workout fun. It was also a nice change of pace to work on new moves that didn’t impact my joints. Adding my favorite playlist to the mix made the time fly by and even more enjoyable.

There's no doubt that a gym membership has its advantages. Access to a wealth of equipment means you can really challenge your body and more easily follow the principles of progressive overload. But home workouts are more convenient, more affordable and you'll still get plenty of benefits from the time you spend training. And with just a resistance band you can replicate many common gym-based movements.

Coaching duo Zoë and Emily recently shared a routine on Instagram that shows how to do just that. Demonstrating both resistance band and gym (using dumbbells and a cable machine) versions of each exercise, the routine is a great way to build full-body strength, wherever you are.

How to do the resistance band routine

Perform 15 to 20 reps of each resistance band exercise, aiming for three to four sets in total.

For the best results, repeat this session regularly. Aim to do this workout two or three times a week. As you get stronger, increase the reps to keep challenging your muscles.

For more resistance band sessions, subscribe to Zoë and Emily's workout library, or try this full-body resistance band workout.

The benefits of resistance bands

Resistance bands are affordable, easy to store and effectively increase the difficulty of some exercises by adding resistance, helping you build strength.

They can also modify challenging movements such as push-ups or pull-ups, making them easier. An assisted pull-up uses a resistance band attached to the pull-up bar, while in an assisted push-up, you wrap the band around your arms above the elbows. This helps to push your chest back up from the floor.

You can also easily adjust the resistance of many exercises by shortening the band to make an exercise harder or lengthening it to make it easier.

Sit-ups and the plank are not the only ways to build core strength. As a personal trainer who holds chair workout classes for seniors, I've seen for myself how seated exercises can strengthen the abs and deep core, too.

The best thing about these exercises is that they're suitable for all ages and fitness abilities. Plus, strengthening your core can help protect the lower back, which can be affected by long periods of sitting.

How to do these chair exercises for abs

This seated workout has five moves using a resistance band to target and strengthen the core. All you need is a chair and a medium-strength resistance band.

Before beginning each move, engage your core, and keep your torso as still as possible.

The workout uses straight sets. So complete 8 reps on each side of the first exercise. That's one set. Rest for 30 seconds, then complete another 8 reps on each side. Continue in this fashion until you've completed three sets then move on to the next exercise.

One of the most effective ways to get stronger is to repeat workouts, making it a little more difficult each time. That's one reason why I've included rep ranges. After a day or two's rest, try the workout again, but this time with 9 instead of 8 reps. Once you've hit 10 reps, choose a band with greater resistance and start over again at 8 reps.

1. Banded car driver

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 30sec

• Sit in a chair, holding a mini looped band in both hands with your palms facing.
• Raise the band to shoulder height in front of you, with your arms extended. There should be a little tension in the band. Engage your core.
• Imagine you're holding a steering wheel and move your hands to turn the wheel 45° clockwise.
• Pull the band apart twice, then return to the starting position.
• Repeat the movement in the opposite direction, moving your hands anticlockwise. Continue alternating directions for each rep.

2. Side arm extension

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 30sec

• Sit in a chair, holding a mini looped band in both hands in front of your chest, palms facing you. Engage your core.
• Extend your left arm out to the side.
• Reverse the movement under control.
• Complete all your reps on one side, then swap sides.

3. Chest row

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 30sec

• Sit in a chair, holding a mini looped band in both hands.
• Press one end of the band into the middle of the front edge of seat with your left hand. Engage your core.
• Holding the other end of the band in your right hand, lift your right hand to your chest, bending your elbow and moving the elbow out to the side.
• Reverse the movement under control.
• Complete all your reps on one side, then swap sides.

4. Press down

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 30sec

• Sit in a chair, holding a mini looped band in both hands.
• Raise your right hand to your left shoulder, and with your left elbow pinned to your torso, bend your left elbow so your left hand is in front of your right hand. Engage your core.
• Keeping your left upper arm still, extend your left arm to pull the band down to your hips.
• Reverse the movement under control.
• Complete all your reps on one side, then swap sides.

5. Overhead boxing

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 30sec

• Sit in a chair, holding a mini looped band in both hands overhead, with your palms facing. Engage your core.
• Extend your left arm up and bend your right elbow to pull your right hand down.
• Return to the start and repeat on the other side. Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Why chair workouts are good for the core

You might assume that exercising in a chair is an easier workout, but actually it's a great low-impact way to strengthen the core. What I love about seated workouts is that when you do upper-body exercises, it forces the core to resist the tension in the band that is pulling you out of your seated posture.

Why I teach chair workouts

You can work the whole body during a chair workout, building quad and glute strength by doing seated leg lifts and banded hip openers, as well as shoulder mobility by doing arm extensions. Seated exercise is suitable for all ages and fitness levels, and in my opinion it's a great way to build strength gently.

If you're interested in developing your flexibility and posture, try this chair yoga for seniors routine.

Looking to switch up your cardio routine? Adding a resistance band is an effective way to add strength and intensity to your bodyweight workouts. They're versatile, affordable and more portable than free weights, making them perfect for travel too.

This mini band workout from NASM-certified trainer Lindsay Bennett will help you work up a sweat, while also targeting your glutes and thigh muscles. It only takes ten minutes, but there are six high-intensity exercises to do that use a short loop resistance band like this one from Amazon.

Bennett recommends using a light to medium band and doing each move for 15 seconds on each side and completing as many rounds as you can. Scroll down to try the workout for yourself.

How to do Lindsay Bennett’s mini bands legs workout

Benefits of using resistance bands

Resistance bands add tension to your training as weights do. Like dumbbells, they are also versatile. If you have a long looped band, you can stand on it to do lateral raises or hang it from a bar or tree for lat-pull downs. Shorter looped bands are great for things like lateral walks and glute kickbacks.

Resistance bands engage stabilizer muscles, which support larger muscles and joints during movement, strengthening the area and lowering the risk of injury. This makes them an excellent, safe and low-impact option for beginners and seniors.

Beyond adding resistance, bands can also make movements easier, for example by helping you maintain your knee alignment while squatting.

Unlike dumbbells, which often require different weights for different exercises, you can adjust the length of a band to increase or decrease the difficulty, making them a really useful tool.

Resistance bands to try

One of the best things about resistance bands is their price. They're much cheaper than weights, and more portable too. Here are a few of my top finds from Amazon.

Last month as I was packing for my vacation, I dug out some resistance bands. Lighter and more compact than free weights, they are a great bit of home fitness equipment you can pack in your luggage.

I was so surprised by how good they were for working out on holiday that I swapped them for my usual weights when I got home. Here’s why they're my new go-to training tool.

My core got stronger

One of the best things about resistance bands is how good they are for core strength and stabilization. Your core has to hold steady against the instability of the band, which provides a continuous challenge. The result? A more challenging and dynamic workout that hits multiple muscle groups at once, particularly the muscles in your trunk.

Training this area is essential for posture, balance, functional movement and—most critically for me—to be strong enough to carry my young children to bed when they have fallen asleep and are a dead weight!

I improved my range of motion and mobility

As well as being excellent strength training companions, resistance bands are also useful for stretching. They offer controlled tension, which helps muscles lengthen gradually. This means you can ease into poses, supporting your muscles throughout a move.

After a month of using resistance bands, my range of motion improved and I found it much easier to stretch into different positions. In particular, practicing leg extensions with a band anchored to a chair helped gradually improve my hip mobility.

The workouts were gentler on my joints

Now that I'm in my mid-forties I’m more at risk of developing osteoporosis during perimenopause, so I always try to do joint-friendly and bone-boosting workouts. That is where bands come into their own. They are gentle on the joints and research by Harvard Medical School has shown they can fire bone-forming cells into action, improving strength and density.

I also found that any post-workout DOMS I had were often milder than I got with a weights workout, too.

Do you skip warming up before an upper-body workout? I have to cop to it, too, but while it might seem like you're saving time, skipping this step could be causing more damage than you realize.

"Warming up is important to lubricate the joints, raise the heart rate and prevent injury," explains Lewis Paris, personal trainer and founder of Lewis Paris London. "If you start your workout cold, the mind and body are not prepared to handle the load you are about to withstand."

Paris explains that warming up promotes the production of synovial fluid that supports range of motion—particularly important if you’ve been sitting at a desk all day.

"A proper warm-up loosens tight muscles from sitting and gives your body the grace to perform at your desired level," says Paris.

His go-to warm-up routine consists of eight exercises done with a light-to-medium long-looped resistance band, allowing for natural movement with just enough resistance.

Paris advises doing each exercise 10-15 times at a controlled tempo, either once a week or before every upper-body session.

How to do this upper-body warm-up

1. Shoulder dislocate

Reps: 10-15

• Hold the ends of a resistance band in front of your hips with your arms extended. Your palms should be facing you.
• Keeping your arms extended, draw a circle with your hands to bring the resistance band over your head and to your glutes.
• Reverse the movement back to the start.

2. Band pull-apart

Reps: 10-15

• Hold the ends of a resistance band in front of your hips with your arms extended. Your palms should be facing you.
• Raise the band to shoulder height, and engage your shoulder blades and rear delts.
• Keeping your arms straight throughout, move your hands out to the sides, pulling the band apart.
• Pause and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
• Return to the start under control—don't let the band pull you.

3. Overhead press

Reps: 10-15

• Stand on one end of the resistance band with your feet wider than hip-width apart.
• Take hold of the other end of the resistance band and raise your hands to shoulder level, with your wrists above your elbows.
• Engage your core and glutes, and press the band overhead.
• Lower it to your shoulders under control.

4. Front raise

Reps: 10-15

• With the resistance band still secured under your feet, hold the band in both hands in front of your hips.
• Keeping your arms straight, raise your arms in front of you and overhead.
• Return to the start under control.

5. Row

Reps: 10-15

• Wrap the band around a stationary post or pillar.
• Step away from the anchor point until the band is taut and your arms are extended. Keep your shoulders down and a slight bend in your knees.
• Using your back muscles, pull the band to your torso, brushing your sides with your elbows as they move backward.
• Return to the start under control.

6. Behind-the-head overhead press

Reps: 10-15

• Attach the band to a stationary post or pillar.
• Hold the band with your hands shoulder-width apart and raise your hands overhead.
• Step back until the band is taut.
• Lower the band behind your head, maintaining a strong posture to avoid being pulled forward.
• Extend your arms to return to the start.

7. W

Reps: 10-15

• Hold the band in both hands with your palms facing up, and your upper arms tucked into your body and elbows bent at 90°.
• Pull the band apart, keeping your elbows pinned to your sides. Focus on activating your back muscles and keeping your shoulder blades down throughout the movement.
• Return to the start under control.

8. External rotation

Reps: 10-15 each side

• Hold one end of the band by your hip, and hold the other end at shoulder height, with your elbow bent at 90° and your elbow at shoulder height.
• Keeping your elbow at shoulder height at a 90° bend in your elbow throughout, raise your hand by rotating your upper arm.
• Pause when your hand is above your elbow, then return to the start under control.

Resistance bands are the ultimate traveling companion for on-the-go workouts. They allow you to perform a wide range of exercises, and they’re small enough to be stuffed into the bottom of your bag when you’re done.

If you’re heading on vacation, or you just want a quick resistance band workout to try at home, we’ve got you covered. This routine from International Personal Trainer Academy expert Amanda Capritto will work your upper and lower-body muscles with just six moves.

"I love this workout because it’s simple, straightforward and relatively fast-moving," she says. "It can also be performed as a high-intensity workout or a strength-building workout depending on the resistance band setup you have.

"For instance, if you only have light-to-moderate bands, you can move quicker and take less rest to make this akin to a HIIT workout. If you have heavy bands, you can perform the movements slowly and with a lot of rest to achieve a strength-building stimulus."

How to do Amanda Capritto’s resistance band workout

Superset x3

- Resistance band squat x10-15
- Resistance band good morning x10-15

Superset x3

- Resistance band bent-over row x10-15
- Resistance band overhead press x10-15

Superset x3

- Resistance band biceps curl x10-15
- Resistance band overhead triceps extension x10-15

This workout consists of three supersets—two exercises performed back-to-back with no rest in between.

In practice, this will mean performing 10-15 resistance band squats, then immediately completing 10-15 resistance band good mornings, followed by a rest.

Repeat this superset three times before moving on to the next one. Once you’ve finished three rounds of each superset, the workout is complete.

As Capritto explains in the introduction, if you’re using a lighter resistance band, take a 30-second break between sets. If you have heavier bands and want to build strength, take 90 seconds between sets as this will allow your muscles to recover more so you can hit the next set with renewed intensity.

If you've not got a set of bands at your disposal yet, I like this this option on Amazon, which comes with four different levels of resistance.

1. Resistance band squat

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-15 Rest: -

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a long-looped resistance band under the middle of both feet. Loop the top of the band around the back of your neck and shoulders.
• Keeping your chest up and your back flat, bend your hips to lower your hips as far as you can towards the ground.
• At the bottom, drive through your feet to return to the standing position.

2. Resistance band good morning

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-15 Rest: 30-90 seconds

• Keep the band set up as it was for the resistance band squats.
• This time, hinge at the hips to bend over until your torso is roughly parallel with the floor. Keep your back flat and push your butt back while doing this.
• Squeeze your glutes and drive your hips forward to reverse this motion and return to the starting position.

3. Resistance band bent-over row

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-15 Rest: -

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place the center of the band under the middle of both feet. Hold the other end of the resistance band in each hand.
• Keeping your back flat, hinge at the hips to bend over until your torso is roughly parallel with the floor and your arms are extended down. This is your starting position.
• Drive your elbows upwards to row both ends of the band up to the bottom of your rib cage.
• Pause at the top of the repetition for a moment, squeezing your shoulder blades together, then control the band back to the starting position.

4. Resistance band overhead press

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-15 Rest: 30-90 seconds

• Stand upright with a long-looped resistance band placed under the middle of both feet.
• Hold the other end of the band in both hands in front of both shoulders.
• Press the band upwards to extend your arms overhead, pushing your head through your arms at the top of the rep so your biceps finish by your ears.
• Control the band back down to your shoulders to complete the repetition.

5. Resistance band biceps curl

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-15 Rest: -

• Stand upright with a long-looped resistance band placed under the middle of both feet.
• Hold the other end of the resistance band at your hips so the band is taught, your arms are at your sides extended down, and your palms are facing away from you.
• Using both hands, curl the band up toward your shoulders.
• Pause at the top of the rep for a second, twist your little fingers towards you slightly and squeeze your biceps, then lower the band back to the starting position.

6. Resistance band overhead triceps extension

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-15 Rest: 30-90 seconds

• Take a staggered stance, with a long-looped resistance band placed around the bottom of your back foot.
• Stretch the band up so you’re holding the other end in both hands behind your head with your elbows pointing upwards.
• Keeping your upper arms steady, straighten arms overhead, then control the band back to the starting position.

Can you build strength with resistance bands?

It is definitely possible to build strength and muscle with resistance bands, especially if you’re newer to resistance training and require less of a stimulus to make progress. But Capritto says this isn’t the case for everyone.

“If you have resistance bands that are thick or heavy enough to reach the point of failure or near-failure, where the last rep of your set feels almost impossible, then yes, you can build muscle with resistance bands only.

“However, if you’re able to easily complete 20 or more repetitions of any exercise without

fatigue, you’re not going to build muscle that way—at least not for very long. Beginners will see some muscle growth with just about any resistance training protocol because the overall stimulus is entirely new to their body.”

The body follows the SAID (specific adaptation to imposed demands) principle, meaning it adapts to better handle the tasks you consistently ask it to do. In the case of strength training, this means you need to be continually challenging your body in order to prevent your progress from plateauing.

“As people progress, it’s important to implement progressive overload—continually loading the musculoskeletal system with higher weights and/or more challenging stimuli—to see continued results,” Capritto says.

So at some point, you’ll need to switch your light resistance bands for heavier ones, or opt for some dumbbells to increase your load. Need some new gear? Have a look through our round-up of the best resistance bands and best adjustable dumbbells.

Resistance bands are an underrated training tool. They’re cheap, effective and small enough to fit in even the smallest of backpacks, making them ideal for squeezing in some exercise whether you’re home or away.

If you’re looking for a routine to try, why not give this six-move session from International Personal Trainer Academy expert Domenic Angelino a go? It promises to hit your upper and lower body in just 30 minutes, exclusively using resistance bands.

"This resistance band workout is designed to help you build muscle while also increasing endurance in muscles that tend to be weak for a lot of people," Angelino says.

How to do Domenic Angelino’s resistance band workout

• Resistance band squats 3x8-10
• Resistance band glute kickbacks 3x10-12
• Resistance band bent-over rows 3x8-10
• Resistance band upright rows 3x10-12
• Resistance band one-arm overhead press 3x8-10 on each side
• Resistance band front raise 3x10-12

Perform the exercises above in straight sets (as opposed to a circuit format). This means you will complete all sets of each exercise before moving on to the next move.

So, you’ll start with eight to 10 resistance band squats, rest for 60 seconds, then repeat this sequence two more times before starting the resistance band glute kickbacks.

1. Resistance band squat

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10

• Place one end of a long resistance band under the middle of both feet and loop the other end around the back of your neck.
• Stand upright with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart.
• Push your hips back then bend your knees to lower your hips.
• Lower them as far as you can while keeping your chest up and your back flat, then drive through your feet to return to a standing position.

2. Resistance band glute kickback

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12

• Start on all fours with your knees directly under your hips and your hands directly under your shoulders.
• Place a light long resistance band around your right wrist and the middle of your right foot.
• Extend your right leg behind you until it’s straight, keeping the band across the midfoot.
• Control your leg back to the starting position.
• Complete the reps on one side then repeat on the other.

3. Resistance band bent-over row

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10

• Stand upright with a long resistance band under the midfoot of both feet. Hold the band tight in both hands.
• Keeping your back flat, hinge at the hips to lean forward until your torso is almost parallel with the floor.
• Drive your elbows upward to row the band towards the bottom of your rib cage.
• Slowly straighten your arms again then repeat.

4. Resistance band upright row

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12

• Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and a long looped resistance band under the midfoot of both feet.
• Hold the resistance band in both hands at thigh level.
• Keeping your hands close to your body, row the band directly upward to your shoulders, allowing your elbows to flare out to the side.
• Control the band back to the starting position.

5. Resistance band one-arm overhead press

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a long resistance band under the middle of your right foot.
• Hold the resistance band in your right hand in front of your right shoulder with your elbow bent and palm facing inward.
• Extend your right arm overhead so your biceps end up by your right ear.
• Slowly control it back to your shoulder.
• Complete the reps on one side then switch arms and repeat.

6. Resistance band front raise

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a long resistance band securely under your feet.
• Hold the resistance band in both hands in front of your hips with palms facing inward.
• Keeping your arms straight, lift the band up in front of you until your arms are parallel with the floor.
• Still keeping your arms straight, slowly lower the band back to the starting position.

Can you build strength and muscle using a resistance band?

"Yes, you can increase strength and muscle by training with resistance bands if you use them in a manner that is effective," says Angelino.

In other words, for each exercise, you must use a band that challenges your muscles enough to deliver the stimulus needed for strength and muscle gain. If a move feels too easy, it’s unlikely to have any effect.

That’s why it’s worth having a range of resistance bands at your disposal (I like this resistance band set on Amazon) and adjusting the band you use for each exercise on a case-by-case basis.

Angelino does add that resistance bands aren’t the most effective tool for building strength and muscle. That accolade goes to free weight exercises.

"Unlike when you use a machine, cables or free weight, it’s hard to select the exact resistance you want to use for an exercise," he says. "Some bands do come with different resistances, but it’s not as precise as picking up a 20lb or 35lb dumbbell. This can make it harder to systematically program resistance band training in a way that supports progressive overload."

But that doesn’t mean resistance bands are ineffective, and they make up for this shortcoming with other benefits.

"You don’t need a home gym to do resistance band workouts, just slightly more space than you would to stand normally," says Angelino.

"They’re versatile too, so you get more bang for your buck than if you bought a machine that only allows you to do a small number of specific exercises.

"You might not be able to build a comprehensive workout program with just one machine, but you can with just one resistance band."

If you’ve never tried high-intensity interval training (HIIT) before, it’s a time-effective way to work multiple muscle groups and get your heart rate up. The unique training style involves short bursts of movement followed by brief periods of rest.

To get the most out of a HIIT workout you need to go hard during the movement intervals and recover during the rest periods.

Here's a short nine-minute routine to try from 8fit, which is suitable for beginners.

Watch 8fit's nine minute HIIT workout for beginners

There are five moves to master in this routine: arm pulses up, arm pulses down, squats, running on the spot and high planks. You'll do this for three rounds, working for 20 seconds and resting for 10, with a longer 30-second break in between rounds. You don’t need any equipment but working on a yoga mat might make you more comfortable.

It's a good idea to warm-up before the routine so your muscles are prepped for the exercises. You should also cool down afterward with some stretching exercises.

The many health benefits of HIIT

HIIT is great for improving cardiovascular health, as it gets your heart rate up. On top of that, it can help you burn calories even after you’ve finished working out. This post-exertion metabolic boost can happen after any type of exercise, but studies show it's particularly high after HIIT.

Research in the BJSM also revealed that high-intensity interval training can improve oxygen consumption (your muscles’ ability to use oxygen) as much as traditional endurance training, even if you only work out for half the time.

And if you are diabetic, this study in Obesity Reviews found HIIT may help lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin resistance more than traditional continuous exercise.

Given the wealth of bodyweight workouts freely available, investing in home gym equipment might not feel necessary. However, if building strength is your aim, adding some equipment could help you see and feel changes sooner.

The obvious choice is dumbbells, but Pilates instructor Jodi Montlake says there's a piece of equipment that will serve you far better, especially if you're on a budget—the resistance band.

"Resistance bands are light, cheap, and add strength and intensity to your workouts," says Montlake. "Plus, they can also help with stretching and mobility."

Bands add resistance to your workouts in the same way weights do (something we've explored in resistance bands vs dumbbells), making the movement more difficult so your muscles have to work harder, leading to muscle adaptation and growth.

But as well as adding resistance, bands can also modify some exercises. "Sometimes the band is there to make it harder, but sometimes the band can assist movements and make them easier by supporting you," says Montlake.

This makes them a great piece of kit for beginners. They're also affordable, so you can experiment with them rather than investing in an expensive pair of weights if you're new to working out.

Another benefit of resistance bands is their versatility. "With dumbbells, you usually need different weights for different exercises. Whereas with resistance bands, you can shorten the length to make it harder or lengthen it to make it easier," says Montlake.

The Pilates trainer recommends starting with a long resistance band at medium weight. "I prefer long bands because you can do more with them, especially when it comes to standing Pilates exercises," she says.

Here are three exercises Montlake recommends doing to get the most out of your resistance band, using it to stretch, strengthen and support your muscles.

1. Single-leg stretch

This is a mobility exercise where the band increases the stretch.

• Lie on your back and place the resistance band around your right foot, holding the other end of your band closer to your body to create tension.
• Straighten your right leg as much as you can, keeping the left leg on the floor.
• Keeping it straight, slowly lift your right leg and pull it toward you, feeling a stretch down the back of the hamstring.
• Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the left leg.

2. Fire hydrant

This exercise will help you build strength in the lower body, with the resistance band adding tension and increasing the difficulty.

• Start on all fours, with your hands under your shoulders, your knees under your hips and your back flat.
• Place the resistance band around both legs, just above your knees.
• Engage your core, then lift one knee to the side until your thigh is parallel to the floor.
• Hold for a second at the top, squeezing your glutes then slowly lower your leg back to the starting position without letting your knee touch the floor.
• Repeat for 8-12 reps then repeat on the other side.

3. Roll-up

The resistance band is used in this exercise to support you and make the movement easier.

• Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you.
• Wrap the resistance band around your feet, holding the other end in your hands.
• Keeping your spine upright, extend your arms out in front of you holding the band.
• Relax your shoulders and brace your core, then lower your torso to the floor. Try to roll your spine down, vertebrae by vertebrae. Keep your arms extended and tension in the band. Finish with your back flat on the floor and your arms extended overhead.
• Roll back up slowly, using the band to help you move with control.
• Repeat for 8 reps.

Resistance bands are a great tool for working on your strength, balance and stability. The tension they create challenges your muscles through a wide range of motion, which can help you build comprehensive strength.

They’re portable, cheap and easy to store. Plus, it’s thought that the strength gains from using a band are similar to training with dumbbells or resistance machines, according to a study published in Journal List.

Want to experience a resistance band workout for yourself? I’m a personal trainer and this 30-minute workout is designed to improve lower-body strength (particularly in your glutes and quads) and boost your balance with just five moves and a band.

If you need some equipment for the routine, have a look through Prime Day resistance band deals here.

How to do the five-move resistance band workout

• Banded penguins: 3x10
• Front to back leg swings: 3x10 on each side
• Side to side leg swings: 3x10 on each side
• Backwards leg circles 3x10 on each side
• Donkey kicks 3x10 on each side

Start with a warm-up to increase the heart rate and blood flow to those soon-to-be hardworking muscles. I recommend a two-round circuit of 20 jumping jacks, 20 squats, 20 lunges with a twist, 20 toe touches, 20 hip openers and 20 arm circles.

Next, perform the exercises listed above one after the other without resting. At the end of the fifth exercise, rest for one minute then repeat. Aim to do three sets.

Dedicate time at the end to stretch, ideally for five to ten minutes. If you need some inspiration or ideas on what to do, check out our stretching guide. If you’re new to these exercises, scroll down for a quick explanation of how to perform them.

1. Banded penguins

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

• Start with the band around your ankles and legs hip-width apart.
• Take one foot off the floor and raise it to the side. Bring it back to the start position then lift the other foot and raise it to the side.
• Repeat this movement going side to side on the spot, maintaining resistance on the band, so you look like you’re walking (or waddling!) like a penguin.

2. Front-to-back leg swings

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

• Put the band around your ankles and stand with your legs hip-width apart. Brace your core muscles to stabilize your torso and spine (you can read more about how to engage your core here).
• Balance on your left leg as you lift your right foot off the ground. Extend it forward and then swing it back.
• Repeat for ten reps then swap legs.

3. Side-to-side leg swings

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

• Stand with your band around your ankles, legs hip-width apart, shoulders back and chest open.
• Balance on your left leg as you lift your right leg and swing it first to the right (lateral raise) then across your body to the left. This might feel wobbly so brace your core to stabilize yourself. You can also put your arms out at shoulder height or hold a wall or chair for balance.
• Repeat for 10 swings then swap legs.

4. Backwards leg circles

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

• Put the band around your ankles and stand with your legs shoulder-width apart.
• With your hands on your hips or out at shoulder height to stabilize you, lift your right leg off the floor and circle it backwards for one rotation. You can rest your foot after each rotation. Repeat for ten reps on each leg.

5. Donkey kicks

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

• In a tabletop position put the band around your feet. Bend your knees and bring your feet close to your buttocks.
• Lift your right foot off the floor and kick it up towards the ceiling. Swap legs and kick the left foot up. Keep swapping legs and repeat for ten reps on each side.

If you struggle to remain consistent with exercise when you go on vacation you’re not alone. Luckily, we’ve got the perfect workout for you.

This 30-minute full-body circuit, created by personal trainer Stacey Roberts offers a dumbbell and loop resistance band option. So as long as you have access to a hotel gym or a resistance band stashed in your suitcase (you can get a set for less than $7 on Amazon) you can do this quick, effective routine.

How to do Stacey Robert's full-body workout

How effective are resistance bands for strength training?

They may not look like much, but resistance bands are great for mobility and strength training. In fact, a study published in Journal List in 2019 found that bands provide similar muscle gains as traditional weights.

And that’s not all. Using resistance bands could also aid weight loss when combined with a calorie deficit. A 2022 systematic review published in Frontiers in Physiology found that resistance band training lowers body fat in overweight people more than other forms of exercise, including free weights and bodyweight moves. The review looked at 18 trials involving 669 people.

If you’re new to resistance bands, they are affordable, versatile and portable making them an excellent addition to your home (and away) gym. And because, like weights, they come in a variety of resistances, as you get stronger you can use heavier bands to make your workout more challenging.

Hungry for more routines? Try this resistance band arm workout, to build upper body strength.

You don’t need dumbbells to strength train. All you need is a budget-friendly resistance band and this workout from personal trainer James Stirling.

Stirling, also known as London Fitness Guy, is a fount of minimalistic home workouts that can be done anywhere—and he recently shared an upper-body routine to work his chest, back, shoulders and arms.

The circuit is made up of six resistance band exercises—the bent-over row, biceps curl, kneeling overhead press, lateral raise, banded push-up and reverse fly—and a set of 10 burpees to finish each round.

It also includes three mobility-boosting warm-up moves to kick off the session, which I suggest you perform for 1-2 minutes per exercise before getting started.

If you don’t own a resistance band, it's worth buying one for your home gym kit. Here are three options worth considering, and here’s a chest workout with resistance bands to do with your new purchase.

Shop resistance bands with handles

How to do James Stirling's upper-body resistance band workout

Stirling recommends performing 15 reps of each exercise and five rounds in total of the main circuit.

However, that makes for a lot of reps, so it’s worth adjusting the reps and rounds to suit your level of fitness, and if you’re a complete beginner, also rest for 30 seconds between each exercise so your muscles have time to recover.

Stirling also notes the need to focus on the "slow, lowering phase" for each exercise. This is to keep the working muscles under tension for as long as possible during each set. The longer the muscles are under tension, the more they will grow.

I suggest aiming to make the lowering movement last two to three seconds, fighting against the resistance of the band, then immediately go into the lifting part of the exercise.

The burpees at the end of each circuit will spike your heart rate, helping you to burn calories and develop your cardiovascular fitness. Take your time, and step rather than jump back and forward, if the workout is becoming too intense.

Getting started with strength training can feel overwhelming, but you don't need a private gym full of weights or a personal trainer to build strength and muscle.

One of the most useful pieces of equipment you can have at home is a simple resistance band. This workout tool challenges your muscles by placing them under tension. They're incredibly cheap (you can get a pack of five for less than $10 on Amazon) and easily stored in a cupboard or drawer.

Personal trainer Sadielee Thomas recently shared a workout that proves how versatile these bands can be. Using just four moves, Thomas' workout targets muscles in the lower body including the glutes and quads, as well as the core muscles, which include the abdominals and the obliques.

How to do Sadielee Thomas' resistance band workout

Complete 12 to 15 repetitions of each exercise, aiming for the higher end of the rep range if you can, or the lower end if the movements feel too challenging. Try to complete three or four rounds in total.

Take breaks as and when you need and make modifications where necessary. For example, you can do the first move (plank with a leg lift and a twist) with your knees resting on the floor.

The benefits of resistance band workouts

Resistance bands are small, cheap and compact, making them ideal if don’t have a lot of space or a big budget for your home gym. According to a study published in SAGE Open Medicine, resistance band training has similar outcomes to using weights for building strength.

This workout is great for beginners, as Thomas moves through each exercise slowly for 12-15 reps, which is enough time to improve muscular endurance and help you on your way to increase muscle mass, both of which are important aspects of strength.

Want more workouts like this one? Have a go at this full-body resistance workout or try this resistance band workout for arms.

You don’t need a gym membership and fancy equipment to build full-body strength. You can challenge your muscles at home with nothing more than a resistance band.

NASM-certified personal trainer Sadielee Thomas recently shared an Instagram Reel that proves this. Using four exercises, her banded routine targets muscles across the body, including the triceps, biceps, quadriceps, and core.

You can do this workout from home or in a quiet corner of the gym. All you need is a short-looped resistance band and a little space.

How to do SadieLee Thomas' resistance band workout

This is an interval-style workout and Thomas recommends completing each exercise for 45 seconds, followed by 15 seconds of rest. Move through the circuit four times in total for a 16 minute workout.

Benefits of resistance band training

A resistance band is a large elastic band that you can use to challenge your muscles. They're easy to store and cheaper than dumbbells, so they're a good option if you're new to strength training.

Research in SAGE Open Medicine found that "elastic [resistance band] training can promote similar strength gains to conventional resistance training." This means a workout like Thomas' can be just as effective as using dumbbells or kettlebells.

Whether you're doing a full-body dumbbell workout or exercising with resistance bands, the key to making gains is to progressively overload your training. This means that you should increase the intensity of your workouts over time, to ensure you keep challenging your muscles.

To do this, you can buy bands with an increased level of resistance. You can also increase the intensity of a workout by doing more repetitions of each movement or holding positions for longer.

Looking for a new set to support your workout regime? Our guide to the best resistance bands can help

One of the cheapest and easiest ways to upgrade your at-home training is to invest in a set of good quality resistance bands. 

That’s the only equipment you’ll need for this five-move workout from certified personal trainer Rachael Sacerdoti, designed to strengthen your lower-body. 

"Resistance bands are super versatile and can provide a great workout for all fitness levels," Sacerdoti says. "They’re also useful for building strength and developing specific areas, such as the glutes [butt muscles] and hips."

How to do Sacerdoti’s resistance band workout

• Banded side raise x10 per side
• Banded butterflies x15
• Banded squat x12
• Banded kickback x12 per side
• Banded side step x20 

Perform the five exercises as a circuit, rest for 30-60 seconds, then repeat. Do this twice more to complete three rounds in total. 

If you’re new to this type of training, Sacerdoti recommends adding a 30-second rest between each exercise. 

How to choose a resistance band

Not all resistance bands are created equal. They come in a range of sizes and strengths, so it’s important to know what you need for your session. 

This workout requires a short looped band. These are great for looping around your legs to strengthen unsung muscles like the adductors (muscles in the inner thigh that bring your leg inward) and abductors (muscles in the outer edges of your hips that move your leg out to the side).

You can also buy long-looped resistance bands (handy for assisted pull-ups), and tubed bands with handles or door jams on either end, which work well for muscle-building exercises like rows, curls and triceps extensions. There are also flat therapy bands to perform assisted stretches, too. 

Once you’ve picked the style to suit your fitness needs, you have to choose a resistance that’s right for you.  

"When choosing your bands, go for ones that provide you with appropriate resistance for each exercise," says Sacerdoti. "It should challenge you without compromising your ability to maintain proper form."

If it’s a short looped band you’re after, Sacerdoti recommends the Elvire Fabric Resistance Bands, available on Amazon. 

And if you’re looking for more routines to try, have a go at this full-body resistance band workout or try this upper-body resistance band routine.  

Don’t have room for a set of weights at home? Try resistance bands instead. These versatile training tools allow you to build muscle from the comfort of your home but can be easily stored away. What’s more, in our investigations into resistance bands vs weights, we found that you can actually achieve similar strength gains with either tool.  

Personal trainer Andrew Watkinson of Fitagain has put this workout together exclusively for Fit&Well, which uses a looped resistance band. Beginners should opt for a lighter resistance band when they do it, but you can increase the challenge with a heavier option if you need to. 

If you're looking for a full-body routine, try our full-body resistance band workout instead, or check out our resistance band leg workout, to build lower-body strength.

Upper-body resistance band workout

• Front raises 3x12
• Chest Press 3x12
• Single-arm bicep curls 3x12 (each arm)
• Tricep single-arm extensions 3x12 (each arm)
• Banded rows 3x12 (each arm)

1.Front raises

Sets: 3 Reps: 12

• Begin by stepping on the center of a long resistance band with both feet, ensuring it's securely under your soles. Hold the handles of the resistance band in each hand, with your palms facing downward. Your feet should be hip-width apart and your arms should be fully extended by your sides. Maintain a straight posture and keep your core engaged. 
• Lift both arms in front of you simultaneously until they reach shoulder height or slightly above. As you lift, exhale and focus on using your front shoulder muscles to perform the movement. Hold the raised position briefly to feel the contraction in your front deltoids.
• Lower your arms back to the starting position in a controlled manner while inhaling.

2. Chest press

Sets: 3 Reps: 12

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and wrap the band around the middle of your back, grasping its ends in your hands. Ensure the band is taut and provides resistance. Keep your hands close to your body at chest height, with your elbows bent and your palms facing forward. 
• Press your hands forward and away from your body while keeping your elbows slightly bent. Engage your chest muscles and exhale as you push. Fully extend your arms at the end of the movement, and hold the position for a moment to feel the chest muscles working.
• Inhale as you slowly release the tension and bring your hands back to the starting position.

3. Single arm bicep curl

Sets: 3 Reps: 12 on each side

• Stand on the center of a resistance band with your right foot, ensuring it's securely under your sole, and hold the ends of the band with your right hand. Your palm should be facing forward and your arm should be held down at your side. 
• Exhale as you flex your elbows and curl your hand toward your shoulder, bringing your palm close to your bicep. As you curl your hand, focus on squeezing your bicep and maintaining tension in the resistance band. Hold the top position for a moment to feel the contraction in your bicep.
• Inhale as you slowly extend your arm, returning to the starting position. Keep your elbows close to your torso throughout the exercise. Change sides when you’ve completed the set number of reps.

4. Tricep single-arm extensions

Sets: 3 Reps: 12 on each side

• Loop one end of the resistance band under the heel of your right foot and secure it by stepping on it. Grasp the other end of the resistance band with your right hand and bring the band up and over your shoulder.  Your arm should be bent, with your elbow pointing upwards and your hand positioned behind your head. 
• Exhale as you extend your right arm straight up, straightening your elbow. Focus on using your tricep to perform the movement. Hold the fully extended position for a moment to feel the contraction in your tricep.
• Inhale as you slowly bend your elbow and return to the starting position. Complete the set number of repetitions and do the same exercise on the other arm

5. Banded rows

Sets: 3 Reps: 12 on each side

• Loop the middle of the resistance band under both of your feet and secure it by stepping on it. Hold the ends of the resistance band with both hands, palms facing each other, and arms fully extended in front of you. Hinge at the hips while keeping your back straight and your chest up. Engage your core muscles, keep your feet hip-width apart, and maintain a soft bend in the knees.
• Begin the exercise by pulling the resistance band toward your abdomen. Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together. Exhale as you pull the resistance band, engaging your back muscles. Hold the fully retracted position for a moment to feel the contraction in your upper back.
• Inhale as you slowly release the tension and extend your arms back to the starting position.

Looking for some new workout equipment? Have a look at our guide to the best resistance bands

HIIT workouts have long been hailed for their effectiveness. They help you work up a sweat, get your heart pumping, and may even (temporarily) boost your metabolism. A quick session usually takes less than 30 minutes and often doesn’t require any equipment. 

So, if you don’t have time to make it to the gym this week and are looking for a low-impact way to raise your heart rate, save this equipment-free routine from LA-based personal trainers Juice & Toya.  

Watch Juice & Toya’s low-impact HIIT workout

This routine has no jumping, so it's ideal if you need to take it easy on your joints or don’t want to upset your downstairs neighbor. 

There are nine exercises, all with an extra variation, so 18 moves to try in total. You complete this twice through to finish the 20-minute workout. 

You'll be working for 25 seconds, but will need to stay sharp on your feet as rest periods are only five seconds between variations and 15 seconds in between moves. 

How does cardio affect your metabolism?

Cardio is not the workout you want to leave out of your routine. As the name suggests, cardiovascular workouts improve your heart health. Working your heart also helps your lungs function better and improves blood and oxygen flow around the body, which is important for energy, immune function and overall health. 

The intervals in HIIT training challenge the heart as you alternate between working hard and recovering. This also leads to increased calorie burn during and after the workout (although it’s worth noting that the elevated calorie burn is temporary).    

If you are not used to HIIT workouts you might feel some delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) the next day as the moves will have caused tiny tears in your muscle fibers. 

Sounds ominous, but your body will repair these microtears, making the muscle fibers larger and stronger. 

Just make sure you’re consuming adequate amounts of protein across the day, as your muscles need the amino acids in this nutrient for the repair process.  

Want to top up your protein levels without adding any carbs or sugar to your diet? Have a look at our guide to the best protein powders for weight loss

If you’re hunting for an efficient, effective and equipment-free workout you can do at home, you’re in luck. 

UK-favorite Joe Wicks has joined forces with Apple Fitness+ trainers Kim Ngo and Jamie-Ray Hartshorne to bring you a high-energy session that will raise your heart rate and lift your mood. 

Follow-along with the YouTube video below to give it a go for yourself. 

How to do Joe Wicks' 15-minute bodyweight HIIT workout

This workout contains 15 exercises, and you’ll do each one for 40 seconds followed by a brief 20-second rest. The video includes a quick warm-up and cool-down too, meaning it takes just 20 minutes from start to finish. 

There are two difficulty levels. Wicks and Ngo demonstrate the hardest version of each exercise throughout the workout, while Hartshorne provides a slightly easier alternative.

What is a HIIT workout?

Wicks’ workout is an example of a high-intensity interval training (or HIIT) session, combining intense bursts of effort with short breaks to work your heart and lungs as well as your muscles. 

It features explosive moves like "air jacks" and core strengthening exercises like mountain climbers to develop speed, strength and athleticism simultaneously.

"HIIT can help to decrease body fat, increase strength and endurance, and improve health outcomes," the Harvard School of Public Health reports. It can also boost your mood, according to Wicks and his team.

"Sometimes I have to remind myself that you never regret a workout. You always feel better at the end of it, and that’s what keeps bringing me back,” Wicks says. 

Want more workout videos? The trainers have also teamed up on the official Apple Fitness+ platform within the Apple Fitness app, which has a one-month free trial available for new subscribers. Wicks joins Ngo for a 10-minute full-body strength session and co-hosts a 10-minute HIIT workout with Hartshorne. 

Read through our guide to the best yoga mats, if you need something soft and grippy to support your at-home workouts

If you’re anything like me, finding the time and motivation to exercise in the cold winter months can be difficult. 

Even though I’m a personal trainer, prioritising my own workouts, especially with two young children, can be challenging to say the least. So I’m a big fan of fast, high impact workouts that cover a lot of muscle groups all in one hit. 

This three-move full body blast takes about nine minutes (not including a warm up and cool down) and is a great way to burn calories. If you're a beginner to this style of exercise, it could help you build muscle, too. 

How to do my three-move full-body workout

This workout has three compound exercises—moves that work multiple muscle groups at the same time. The plyometric (jumping) element to the first two moves raises the heart rate, which is great for boosting cardiovascular fitness and endurance.

Do each exercise for 30-40 seconds with a short 10 second break in between. Aim for three rounds, with 60 seconds rest before you start the next set. Make sure you warm up and cool down, too. 

Scroll down to watch me perform the moves and to read a full explainer of how to do each one.

1. Squat jumps into jumping jacks

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and squat down, pushing your hips back as if you’re sitting onto a chair.
• Push through the heels to jump straight up, bringing your feet together at the top of the movement.
• Pause for a second before doing a jumping jack, then repeat. 

2. Knee crunches into leg kicks

• Start with legs hip width apart then raise your left knee and bring it across your body to meet your right elbow.
• Return your left leg to the floor, then kick your left leg up and reach your right hand towards your left foot. Swap sides and repeat. 

3. Up down plank

• Start in high plank position, with your hands beneath your shoulders and your toes pushing off the floor. Your body should form a straight line.
• Brace your core as you drop your left elbow to the mat, then the right elbow. 
• Hold this low plank position for a few seconds, then press your left and right palms into the floor, and push back up to a high plank position. 
• Repeat, occasionally swapping which arm you lead with. 

Benefits of a full body workout

Full body workouts are a really time-effective way to exercise. They often combine elements of aerobic exercise and strength training, so they improve your cardio fitness and build muscle at the same time. Moves such as the jump squat require total-body effort, which builds strength—and torches calories fast. 

Want more full-body routines? Try this beginner bodyweight workout, or if you have access to some weights have a go at this full-body dumbbell workout.

Resistance bands are affordable, accessible training tools that you can use to build strength and muscle. If you don't have the space to store a set of weights or the time to go to the gym, these bands are a great alternative.

We see a lot of upper body resistance band workouts here at Fit&Well, but this routine focuses on the lower body, specifically the legs and glutes. It comes from personal trainer Alanah Bray, of Fitagain Retreats, and it only features three simple moves. 

Why strengthen your glutes? Well, these backside muscles are partly responsible for pelvic stability and spinal support, so strengthening this area could help you maintain a healthy posture. 

You'll need a fairly long resistance band to do the routine—check out our guide to the best resistance bands, if you need some advice on which kind to buy.

Lower-body resistance band workout

• Split squats: 3x12 on each side
• Front Squats: 3x12 
• Double leg Romanian deadlifts: 3x12

1. Split squats

Sets: 3 Reps: 12 per leg

• Place a resistance band under one foot, holding it with both hands. Step your other leg back, adopting a wide split stance, while keeping your front knee directly above your ankle.
• Bend both knees, lowering your body until your back knee is a few inches off the ground. Keep your back straight and ensure that your front knee is at 90-degrees.
• Push through the heel of your front foot while gripping the resistance band, rising to your starting position. Repeat and switch sides. 

2. Front squats

Sets: 3 Reps: 12

• Stand with feet hip-width apart and place the resistance band under the soles of both feet. Bring the top of your resistance band up and over the shoulders—there should be plenty of tension in the band.
• Hinge at the hips and lower your body into the squat. Ensure the back is straight, the core engaged, and knees not traveling forward over the toes. 
• When your thighs are parallel to the ground, push through your heels to return to the starting position, fully extending the hips and knees and squeezing the glutes.

3. Double leg Romanian deadlifts

Sets: 3 Reps: 12

• Stand with feet hip-width apart and place a resistance band under your shoes. Hold it securely in each hand, ensuring it is taut, with a slight bend in the knees.
• Hinge at the hips, driving them backwards, lowering your torso to the ground. Keep the back straight and engage the core. The band should stay close to your legs.
• When you feel a stretch in your hamstrings (the back of the legs) push back to the starting position by driving the hips forward.

It says a lot that Chris Hemsworth didn't need a muscle suit to play a Norse god, relying instead on his own brawny physique. The Thor actor has built himself a body that's fit and functional, as proved by his regular surfing and adventuring videos.

How has he done this? With regular workouts like this challenging full-body routine that uses just a couple of resistance bands.

The 40-year-old Centr fitness app founder posted the routine to his Instagram recently—you can watch the video below then give it a go at home, when you next have 15 minutes.

How to do Chris Hemsworth's full-body resistance band workout

• Banded squats x10
• Banded curls x10
• Banded prisoner squats x10
• Banded push-up into spider climber x10
• Banded snap jumps x10
• Banded fire hydrants x10
• Russian twist x10
• Scissor kick x10

Complete three rounds of the exercises listed above, resting as little as possible between them. If you're new to any of these moves, watch Hemsworth's video below for a quick demonstration of each one.

Benefits of this workout

This is an example of high-intensity resistance training or HIRT—a known-favorite of Hemsworth's.

It combines the low-rest/high effort format of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with the strength and muscle-building benefits of resistance training, delivering the advantages of both exercise styles in one time-efficient session.

The circuit format will deliver cardio perks, challenging the endurance of your heart, lungs and muscles. Meanwhile the banded elements add resistance to your movements, helping you develop strength.

This routine works a wide range of muscles too. Banded squats strengthen your legs, curls hit the biceps in your arms, push-ups work your chest, shoulders and triceps, and several of the exercises are designed to develop your various core muscles.

Why is strength training important?

Strength training causes micro tears in your muscle fibers which—if you're fueling your body correctly with adequate amounts of protein—your body will repair, so that they're bigger and stronger than before.

Stronger muscles can support and stabilize your body more effectively, improve your mobility and make your joints more robust, leaving you less at risk from injuries.

This is particularly handy for runners and those who play other recreational sports, enabling them to improve their running economy, generate more power and avoid unwanted pains and niggles.

Another thing people often overlook is using strength training exercises for weight loss. Any exercise session will raise your heart rate, leading to elevated calorie burn, but building muscle has longer-term impacts.

Muscle is a metabolically active tissue, requiring energy to maintain. So, the more you have, the more calories you will burn at rest, boosting your metabolism and helping you achieve a calorie deficit—the common denominator for weight loss.

At Fit&Well, we believe a great workout can be done from home with minimal kit. All you need is a set of resistance bands and you can easily build strength and muscle in your living room or backyard. 

This resistance band workout from celebrity trainer Louisa Drake ticks all of our favorite boxes: it's accessible, adaptable and it takes less than 20 minutes to do. 

The workout will target your upper body, leaving your shoulders, biceps and triceps feeling stronger in no time. (If you're looking for a full-body routine, try our full body resistance band workout instead.)

To do it, perform each of the exercises for 30-70 seconds with minimal rest in between, then repeat the routine two to five times in total. 

The workout

• Band pull apart, 30-70 seconds
• Lat pull-down, 30-70 seconds
• Incline row, 30-70 seconds
• Overhead triceps extension, 30-70 seconds
• Standing chest press, 30-70 seconds
• Standing bicep curl, 30-70 seconds

1. Band Pull Apart

Time: 30-70 seconds Sets: 2-5

• Stand with your knees slightly bent, feet shoulder-width apart. Grip the middle section of the band in front of you at shoulder height with an overhand grip, palms facing down. Inhale to prepare.
• Keep your arms extended with a soft bend at the elbow. Exhale and pull the band out laterally, until your shoulder blades contract.
• Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

2. Lat Pulldown

Time: 30-70 seconds Sets: 2-5

• Grab the middle of the resistance band and bring your arms straight up over your head. Inhale to prepare. 
• Exhale as you pull the band down and back behind you, bending your elbows. Return to the starting position and repeat. 

This movement can also be done by attaching the middle of the band to an overhead base or anchor point, holding one end of the band in each hand, and then bending your elbows to pull down your hands in line with your chest. Both variations can be performed standing or kneeling.

3. Incline Row

Time: 30-70 seconds Sets: 2-5

• Standing with feet hip-width apart, place the resistance band under your feet. Cross the band in front of you and hold the ends in each hand, palms facing your thighs. Inhale to prepare.
• Exhale and pull your elbows up level with your hips or slightly higher, bending your elbows out to the sides. Lower back to the starting position and repeat.

4. Overhead Triceps Extension

Time: 30-70 seconds Sets: 2-5

• Standing with feet hip-width apart, place one end of the resistance band under both heels. Hold onto the other end of the band and pull it over your shoulders. Your hands should be together behind the head and the elbows bent. Inhale, this is your starting position. 
• Exhale as you extend both arms up to the ceiling. Engage your torso, keep the ribs relaxed and your shoulders down while maintaining a neutral spine.

5. Standing Chest Press

Time: 30-70 seconds Sets: 2-5

• Place the band around your back and under your arms. Plant your feet hip-width apart or adopt a split stance with your left foot forward and right foot back. Extend your arms directly in front of your chest, holding the ends of the band with an overhand grip (palms facing down), ensuring that your hands are shoulder-width apart. Inhale, this is your starting position.
• Exhale as you pull the band to your chest, bending at the elbows and outwards to bring the ends of the band towards you until your hands are in line with your chest. It is important that there is still some tension in the band when in this position. If there isn’t, you will need to adjust your hands to grip further down the band. Return to the starting position and repeat. 

6. Standing Bicep Curl

Time: 30-70 seconds Sets: 2-5

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart with your feet placed over the middle of the band. Grab an end in each hand, starting with your arms down at your sides, palms facing forward. Inhale to prepare.
• Exhale and pull your arms toward your shoulders by bending at the elbow until you get a good bicep contraction. Slowly lower back down and repeat.

Looking for more workout ideas? Check out our resistance band leg workout, to build lower-body strength

I love squatting, but I have always struggled to keep my legs correctly aligned when carrying out the movement—particularly once I started adding weighted goblet squats into my routine. A good leg workout should be challenging, but not at the expense of good form, so I made it my personal mission to find a fix.

One solution was to do the squats in front of a mirror, but as I often work out from home I don't always have access to one. I spoke to Sam Shaw, a qualified PT and the founder of Lemon Studios in London UK, who advised that I could try using a resistance band. 

How to do a squat with a resistance band for support

"Resistance bands are a really useful piece of kit for trying to improve your squat technique. To effectively do this you place the band around your legs, comfortably just above your knees," says Shaw.

"When you squat, you should start by standing up straight and placing your legs shoulder width apart, or a little wider, and focus on keeping your chest up, hinge the hips backwards and keep the weight predominantly through the heels as you gently lower down," explains Shaw.

"As you squat, you will push your knees out against the band and the resistance will improve your glute activation."

Why is it useful?

"This is very useful for those with slightly lazy glutes or who are quad dominant on a squat. It’s very common with people who struggle with glute engagement when squatting for their knees to cave inwards, which means the load will be travelling through the quads, and potentially the knees and IT band. So by focusing on driving the knees out against the band, you are engaging the glutes and activating the whole posterior chain—glutes, hamstring, calves and abductors," says Shaw. 

Sure enough, when I added the resistance band into my routine, my squat form improved and my glutes kicked into action.

Bear in mind

Not every personal trainer recommends this method to help with squat form, so we spoke to Keoghan Bellew a Personal Trainer at Fitness Superstore, who gave us this caveat:

"When using resistance bands to improve squat form, it's crucial to ensure the band's resistance is appropriate for your strength and mobility levels. Too much resistance can alter form negatively, while too little might not provide the intended benefit. Beginners may want to start with a lower strength band and gradually increase the resistance as their strength improves." 

"Using a resistance band can improve form in other ways, too. Anchoring a long loop resistance band under the feet and around the shoulders can encourage you to maintain an upright posture during squats, while also challenging the upper body and core muscles. This can be especially effective for goblet squats or split squats," adds Bellew.

If you're feeling low and sluggish, one of the best ways to improve your mood and increase your energy is by moving. But that doesn't mean you need to spend hours in the gym.

A simple bodyweight workout is a great way to boost your endorphins and this routine created by personal trainer Rhiannon Bailey only takes 25 minutes.

It's a HIIT style session, which involves short bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by rest. This style of workout is designed to challenge your cardio fitness, keeping your heart rate high. The jumping exercises in the routine will also build strength in your legs, while the core-strengthening exercises like the plank jacks will develop your mid-body muscle and fire up your arms.

You don't need any equipment to do the routine, just some space—ideally in a ground-floor apartment or the outdoors, so you don't bother your downstairs neighbours.

How to do Rhiannon Bailey's bodyweight HIIT workout

Perform each exercise for 40 seconds followed by 20 seconds of rest. If you're new to HIIT workouts and this is too challenging, go for 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest instead, to allow you some time to get your breath back. Complete five rounds in total.

Although you should be moving quickly, don't compromise on your form. For example, when squatting, keep your chest high and try to drop your hips so that they're lower than your knees. A number of these movements will also engage your core muscles, so think about squeezing your abdominal muscles throughout the workout to maximise engagement. 

HIIT workouts are tough, so you can expect to feel some delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) the next day. This is caused by tiny tears in the muscle. As ominous as this sounds, it's actually a good thing; your muscles will repair these tears and grow back stronger.

Try to follow tough workouts like this with a rest day. And make sure you're eating sufficient protein to help your muscles repair themselves.

Hands up who flunked biology class at school? If the subject failed to capture your attention in your teens, now is the time to swot up, because it can have a direct impact on your health and fitness goals. 

To kickstart your abs using the power of science, we have an intense six-minute Tabata routine from Australian-founded app Centr. Tabata-style workouts are characterized by high-intensity interval training (HIIT) exercises followed by a short rest period. The name originates from Dr. Izumi Tabata, a Japanese professor of sport and health science, who was part of the team who came up with the format. 

These workouts can boost your endurance by increasing your VO2 max level (the amount of oxygen your body can consume during exercise) which is a key indicator of your aerobic fitness. Basically, it's a measure of how efficient your body is at delivering oxygen where it's needed—for example, to your muscles during an intense workout.

It's a super-efficient way to train and the video below demonstrates how you can get started. All you'll need is a good yoga mat—if you don't already own one, have a look at our round-up of the best yoga mats on the market. 

How to do Centr's six minute abs workout

This workout, led by personal trainer Luke Zocchi, consists of five abdominal exercises including seated scissor kicks and straight-leg reverse crunches. Perform each exercise for 20 seconds, followed by a 10-second rest period. After you have completed one full round of the exercises, rest for 30 seconds before repeating the moves. 

The aim of this routine is to boost cardiovascular endurance while conditioning your abdominal muscles. During each exercise try to keep your head still and inhale as you begin the repetition and exhale as you finish it. 

Health benefits

HIIT/Tabata workouts are great if you’re pushed for time and they offer some impressive health benefits, too. As outlined above, they're great for improving VO2 max and cardio fitness.

A study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology also found participants who completed a program of HIIT showed a greater improvement in eight health indicators such as BMI and body fat, compared to those who stuck to moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT).

Looking for more equipment-free, short workout ideas? Try this simple HIIT workout for fat loss, which uses bodyweight exercises to get your heart rate up. For a greater challenge, try tagging on a leg workout to the above abs routine, to fire up a broader range of muscles across your body.

If you want to strengthen muscles across your entire body, you could do an arm workout today, a leg workout tomorrow and an abs workout the next day. Or you could hit all three areas in one time-efficient routine. 

This short, full-body workout only uses a humble resistance band, so you don't need to own a lot of different equipment to try it. If you don't already have one, take a look through our round-up of the best resistance bands for some recommendations. 

Once you've got your gear, then you're ready to try the new routine from Sweat app trainer Britany Williams. Williams provides 10 exercises to choose from (which she demonstrates in the video below). You can do all 10 if you're feeling fresh, or pick your favorite six if you're short on time. 

Watch Britany Williams' thighs, arms and abs workout

Perform the exercises as a circuit for 12-15 repetitions each (or 10 repetitions on each side, if it's a one-sided movement like the kickstand deadlift) and try not to rest for too long between moves. 

Once you've completed all of the exercises, rest for one minute then repeat the sequence. Continue this until you've finished three rounds for an efficient workout that should take less than 30 minutes.  

How it works

Part of the reason Williams is able to fit so much into just half-an-hour is her use of compound exercises. These movements use multiple muscles at once, making them an efficient and effective training tool. 

For example, the sumo squat pullback sees you hold a half-squat position, keeping your leg muscles under constant tension. You're also using your back and biceps muscles to pull the resistance band towards you, while stable shoulders are needed to hold the band steady. So you're working a broad range of muscles with just one movement. 

The exercise band also adds resistance to each of the moves, providing a bonus challenge for your muscles. Challenging your muscles is a prerequisite of building strength, as per the progressive overload principle, which requires you to regularly increase the demand on your muscles to make them bigger and stronger. 

If you wanted to keep getting stronger, you could try buying a band that offers more resistance, or you could simply increase the number of repetitions you do of each movement. 

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can look intimidating to beginners, but we’ve got the perfect routine for anyone taking their first shot at it. There are just eight moves to master in this workout and no equipment needed, which means you can rip through this sequence at home or in a quiet corner of the gym.

HIIT involves exercising intensely for short periods, then resting briefly before resuming training. It's high-energy, so it can help you burn through calories in a short space of time, which is why people often turn to HIIT workouts for fat loss. This style of workout can also help you build strength and endurance—and it could even lower your blood pressure. 

Christianne Wolff, personal trainer and author of The Body Rescue Plan, gave us her top moves to introduce beginners to HIIT. 

How to do the workout

Clear a space before you start and make sure you warm up. You will need to repeat each exercise, at a high intensity, for 20 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds before jumping into the next move. Do all of the eight exercises to complete one round. Aim to do three to four rounds in total, depending on your fitness level, with one minute of rest in between. 

Remember to adapt the routine to suit you. If you're finding the pace too challenging, lengthen the rest period between exercises. 

1. Lunge Punch

Stand with your right leg forward and left leg back in a lunge position, then do two punches in the air. Swap your legs over then repeat the punches. Don´t go deeper than a 90 degree angle with the legs and ensure your front knee stays in line with the toe.

2. Tricep dip on the floor

Sit on the ground with your knees bent and hands positioned behind you, directly under your shoulders. Push through your arms and lift your bottom up, then bend your arms at your elbows directly behind you, so you dip down towards the floor, but don't go all the way. Press back up to straight arms then repeat.

3. Lunge walk

Stand up and move into the lunge position, then stride forward and sink into a lunge on the other leg. Use your core muscles to control the balance. If your knees don’t like lunges, try not to bend too deeply. 

4. Sit and twist

Sit on the floor with your knees bent. Try hovering your feet off the ground (but if that’s too hard, you can keep them on the floor) and twist from your torso as if you are holding a ball, to the right and then the left. Make sure you are twisting from your whole body and not just your shoulders. 

5. Mountain climbers

Start in a high plank position. Then bring your right knee up towards your left arm, trying to keep your hips down. Repeat on the other side and move as quickly as you can.

Once you have perfected this, try and lift your arm and bring your right elbow in towards the left knee, as in the photo. 

6. Toe touches

Lie on your back with your legs in the air and raise your hands up to your toes. As you move, your shoulders and head should lift up off the ground. In small pulses, reach up towards your toes, then relax your head and shoulders back down slightly. You should only be moving about one inch. Don't touch the floor with your shoulders until the exercise is finished.

7. Lunge twist

Stand with your right leg forward and left leg back in a lunge position. Twist towards the right from the waist, as if you are holding a large ball. Keep your shoulders down, back straight, abs pulled in tight. Come back to centre, switch legs and repeat. 

8. Bridge

Lie on your back, with your knees bent and your feet tucked under your knees. Lift your bottom off the floor by pushing through the heels. If you are flexible enough, try to scoop your shoulders down your back and intertwine your hands beneath you.

How long should a HIIT workout for beginners be?

Your first HIIT session will be a good indicator of your fitness level. We recommend 20 minutes as a starting point, as does Wolff, but if you’re struggling to complete a 20-minute session you can try for shorter sessions or extend your rests. It’s all about listening to your body and making sure you know your limits.

“HIIT training should be performed for about 20 minutes,”  “I like the Tabata style, where it is 20 seconds per exercise, with a 10-second rest, do eight exercises and repeat the eight in four rounds. It totals about 20 minutes with a warm-up, cool down and a stretch at the end.”

Should you do HIIT everyday?

20 minutes of HIIT every day may be excessive. “I would never do 20 minutes of HIIT a day. It is high intensity, and is an anaerobic exercise that you perform to exhaustion,” says Wolff. “I’d recommend, in a week, having at least one day of complete rest, and the others could be a mixture of aerobic, anaerobic, strength and flexibility. Two [sessions] a week of HIIT max.”

It’s worth balancing HIIT sessions with other forms of gentle exercise, like these yoga stretches for beginners. 

If there's one area of my body that I know I need to dedicate more time to strengthening and stretching, it's my hips. I often notice that they feel tight during and after workouts and even on days when I'm not working out.

The reason I have tight hips, which is the case for a lot of people, is because I work a desk job that involves sitting down all day. This has a particularly negative impact on the hips and the core muscle, weakening the muscles and the joints.

To combat this, I'm trying to incorporate exercises into my routine that strengthen these areas of the body. I usually strength train with weights, but this resistance band routine created by Angela Karner, founder of The Good Barre, targets all of the muscles within the core and the hips, so I thought I'd give it a go.

There are seven exercises and Karner recommends completing between eight and ten reps of each move on both sides of the body. It's a fairly quick workout, so I decided to try it on my lunch break, to give my body a proper break from sitting down at my desk all morning.

• Watch Angela Karner's resistance band workout on Instagram

Even though there are no weights involved in this workout, I definitely noticed the strengthening benefits immediately, as my muscles were burning. I'm not used to exercises properly targeting my hip muscles, but these moves required a lot of control and stability, both in my hips and in my core. 

Using a resistance band is a great way to build muscle without weights and I found it was easy to increase the resistance by simply moving the band further back underneath the resting leg. You could also make the band slightly shorter by pinching it or tying it with an elastic band to add more resistance.

This is definitely a workout I'll be coming back to in order to strengthen my hips and core. And as it only took less than ten minutes, it's the perfect way to get moving at lunchtime.

My lower-body and my core were sore by the end of this workout, especially my obliques, which are the muscles down the side of the torso. I made sure to spend some time doing a few stretching exercises afterwards to reduce the effects of DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness). 

Muscle soreness after a workout can be a good thing, as it shows that your muscles worked hard and need repairing to strengthen and grow. But it's really important to warm-up properly to increase your mobility and avoid injury. 

Bodyweight core workouts are a great way to build strength. But if you're looking to challenge your core even more and switch up your workouts, try adding a resistance band into the mix.

They might not look like much, but the best resistance bands are an excellent alternative to weights, especially if you exercise at home and you're short on space. They challenge your muscles just like traditional weights do, by forcing the body to push harder than usual against a source of resistance, which leads to muscle gain.

Using resistance bands instead of weights is also great if you're looking for a low-impact way to workout. Plus, they can help with balance, posture and coordination too.

This workout from Certified Personal Trainer QiQi Hill uses just three moves to work your core, and all you'll need is a short resistance band and a yoga mat or a towel or a blanket for support. Complete three rounds of each exercise for a full core workout.

Watch QiQi Hill's resistance band core workout

Try to actively think about keeping your core engaged during this workout. This will activate your mind-muscle connection, which will help you build strength, and also improve your form as you become more aware of how small tweaks affect your posture.

To engage your core, think about tucking your ribs in and squeezing your abdominal muscles. When lying on your back, avoid arching your back and instead, try to keep your lower back flush with the floor.

You might want to rush through the workout to get it over as quickly as you can, but moving slowly will help you to build muscle here. This is because this will increase the time your muscles are under tension and it will also force you to work on your balance by engaging the core muscles.

As it's a short routine, you could either add it onto the end of an extended shoulder dumbbell workout to train your core, or as a complement to a quick five-minute strength workout to move your body when you're short on time. 

Either way, make sure you stretch before and afterwards, which will prevent injury and muscle soreness. These stretching exercises will boost mobility throughout the entire body and ease any post-workout soreness. 

I’m an experienced gym-goer, and someone who is comfortable with exercise machines and free weights, but I’ve always found resistance bands confusing. All those sizes and types: how do you know which to use when and whether you’re doing it correctly?

As a runner I like to keep things simple and time-efficient, so I’ve never made the effort to understand the benefits of the best resistance bands. Yet, when my marathon training was halted by iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS), also known as runner’s knee, I realised I had to take mobility more seriously.

I was surprised to find resistance bands were pivotal to my recovery. As with many overuse injuries, ITBS can be hard to solve with foam rolling or stretching, and often requires a more targeted approach.

So, I switched running for hiking and put my energies into a rehab programme that had resistance band sessions as a crucial element. Here’s how it went. 

Bands are more effective than you'd think

My personal trainer, Scott Pearson at FastFitStrong, integrated more resistance band moves into my strength program to bolster my recovery. I used to think of these as part of a warm-up, but I started to enjoy them in their own right. 

I focused on hip strengthening (including clam shells) and core work (for example, banded bird-dogs are a great way to add a challenge once you’ve mastered the basic exercise). 

I also took advice from the coach Erin Carson at ECFIT Strength who uses resistance bands as a key part of her strength and conditioning programs. To help strengthen my body and reduce the effects of ITBS, I wanted to master these five exercises. 

• Seated band row: improves shoulder mobility and opens up the upper-back.
• Straight arm pull-down: builds strength in triceps and shoulders. 
• Face pull: encourages external shoulder rotation. 
• Loaded clam-shell: activates glutes and core, and develops hip strength.
• Straight leg abduction: to improve hip strength and create pelvic stability. 

After two weeks, I found that my injury was improving and I even felt like I could recruit specific muscles during weights-based exercises — I could activate my glutes and posterior chain more effectively during squats, for instance. 

Through performing the upper-body exercises I became more aware of bodily alignment and how I was moving when not exercising. This was particularly positive because understanding your how your body moves is a vital part of your recovery.

Why are resistance bands so effective?

My perception of resistance bands before my injury was that they were for low-intensity training, like using yoga straps for stretching. But they actually sparked a connection for me between mindful movement and strength training — two practices I enjoy, but often separately.  

Having not really thought about it before, I was curious why these elastic bands could be so effective. According to Carson, the main mechanism is that they work primarily on posture: they improve “how you stand against gravity”.

As they work on the basics of simple standing and functional strength movements, bands can be used to connect all the main muscle groups, preventing (or improving) the imbalances that cause niggles or injuries, such as the one that I had. 

Plus, if you're comparing resistance bands vs weights, the bands are a great place to start as they don't cost much, each set comes with a range of strengths, and some include handles and looped bands for different exercise. 

For each exercise there are options for progression and once you’re confident with these there are other workouts to try. You can even replace gym workouts with banded routines, like this resistance band leg workout. 

It's not just about building muscle

Carson stresses that getting to the next level is not always the purpose. She says that when using bands “the body senses safety and stability," so rather than keep pushing further, it’s better “to just keep doing it." 

After four weeks of working with resistance bands I’m feeling more confident and am convinced they’ll play a central role in my future fitness. I’ve noticed that tightness in my lower back and hips has reduced and my ITBS has improved.

But it's also develop build my mind-muscle connection so I'm more aware of how my body moves. Plus, whereas I usually I only think about my breathing when in a yoga class, now I’m tuned into it when in the gym or doing home workout.

The five moves I focused on work muscles all over your body, but if you're looking for the most efficient way to train, use this resistance band ab workout to strengthen your core, and, in turn, improve your posture and boost your stability. 

Working your upper-body doesn't have to be a chore, with hours spent at the gym. Instead, you can use this routine to raise your heart rate and work muscles across your entire body, all using just a couple of dumbbells. 

The session from NASM-certified personal trainer Sydney Cummings Houdyshell follows the efficient Tabata format — 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest — allowing you to finish up in just 30 minutes. 

To take part, all you need is a pair of dumbbells (or adjustable dumbbells, if you want to swap between weights), while a yoga mat  is an optional extra to soften your workout surface. 

You'll work through four rounds of each exercise, following the Tabata 20:10 format in every round. After four rounds you'll have just 30 seconds to rest, so be ready for a fast-paced workout, Cummings Houdyshell warns.

Watch Sydney Cummings Houdyshell's 30-minute Tabata workout

Cummings Houdyshell suggests picking a dumbbell that is somewhere between 50%-75% of the maximum weight you can lift for each exercise. If you're after some guidance, check out our explainer on "What dumbbell weight should I use?". 

Definitely don't pick a dumbbell that's too heavy — you don't want to be forced to stop during the 20-second work periods. But you also don't want to pick a dumbbell that's too light. Instead, the weight should challenge your muscles without forcing your form to suffer. 

This routine is a form of Tabata training, a style of high-intensity training. The method consists of short bursts of intense exercise followed by brief periods of rest. Typically each workout will last for four minutes, with eight sets of 20 seconds of vigorous exercise. After this, you only get 10 seconds of rest. 

These workouts are a great way to improve your cardiovascular fitness and boost your metabolism, as the 20-second windows of work and minimal rest times mean you should be giving your absolute max effort. 

If you're not used to high intensity strength training workouts like this, your muscles may be sore the next day as a result of tiny tears caused by the workout. Don't worry, this is a natural part of the strengthening process. However, you can help them recover by providing your body with the right fuel. 

Many people add some more protein to their diet as, whether it be through food sources, protein smoothies, or one of the best protein powders for weight loss, extra protein will help maintain and build your muscles. 

Weights can be a great way to work your muscles, but one of the best ways to build strength and boost your metabolism is by using the power of your own body weight. 

And they're no less effective, as they can boost your balance and stability, and strengthen your core, even without dumbbells or kettlebells. Since you don't need equipment, you can do them from anywhere, too; the gym, home, or even your local park. 

This workout from Stef Williams, personal trainer and founder of the fitness app WeGLOW, is the perfect example of how simple but effective high-intensity workouts can be. Williams uses high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to help you get fit and strong quickly.

With just four exercises and 20 minutes, you'll build strength all over, while getting a sweat on too. Williams does recommend using a skipping rope for one exercise and skipping will help you improve coordination and core strength, if you have a rope.

But, you can just as well swap it out with running on the spot, or even jumping on the spot without a skipping rope. For the rest of the exercises, you can practice your technique with Williams' demonstrations before starting. 

Watch Stef Williams' four-move HIIT workout

This workout requires both power and precision, so think about putting all of your energy into each move and trying to maintain the movement quality, even as your body becomes fatigued.

Ensure you're reaching full depth during the lunges and squats. Try to touch your knee as close to the floor as you can during the jumping lunges and let your hips drop below parallel when squatting.

Make sure you engage your core muscle during the entire workout by tucking in your ribcage and squeezing your abdominal muscles. Your back shouldn't be arched and your pelvis should be tucked in when your core is engaged.

Your heart rate will rise during this session and you'll probably be feeling pretty sweaty by the end of it, so take the time to cool down. This 10-minute yoga routine is great for stretching out tight muscles and easing any tension.

Recovery tools like foam rollers will also help you wind down after a workout, and reduce the impact of DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness). Take a look at our guide to the best foam rollers if you want to aid your recovery at home. 

We're used to actors taking on intense workout regimes to get in shape for their superhero roles, but between outings as Thor, Chris Hemsworth focuses on exercises to build a body that's ready for the rigors of everyday life. 

If you want to do the same, then why not try this 10-minute routine from Luke Zocchi, his trusted trainer for the last decade? It uses just eight moves and a single resistance band to strengthen all of your core muscles.

"Having a strong core is really the foundation of [physical] health, and it can be used in so many different ways... but I think it gets overlooked a lot," Zocchi explains. "Everyone wants abs, and people think of core workouts as just doing crunches, but you use your core in everything you do. 

"When you lift weights, they're needed for stabilizing your body. But even just for general stuff like having better posture and being functionally strong, your core’s always engaged and in-use all the time."

How to do Luke Zocchi's core workout

Perform the four moves listed below one after the other as a circuit. Complete 10 repetitions on either side of your body for each exercise, resting as little as possible between them. 

Then, once you've finished all of four moves, rest for 60 seconds before repeating this sequence. Continue this until you've completed three rounds. If you're new to these exercises, you can practice the technique using Zocchi's demonstrations. 

• Wood chop (left arm then right arm)
• Half-kneeling wood chop (left arm then right arm)
• Bear row (left arm then right arm)
• Side plank + thread-the-needle (left arm then right arm)

Watch Luke Zocchi's resistance band core workout

This routine is part of a 28-day core program run by Hemsworth and Zocchi's fitness app, Centr. Each day there is a new, short and progressively more difficult core routine to tackle, with members facing the challenge of completing the full four weeks. 

This develops a strong midsection, and may also help you reach your goals sustainably. "When I work on a film set, I get so many people come up to me and go, ‘Awh, I need to get fit but I just don’t have the time’," Zocchi says. 

"So I tell people, 'Why don’t you just start with five or 10 minutes a day, three times a week?'. Just get some consistency, then commit. Everyone’s super busy, but are you telling me you don’t have five minutes to put aside to get started? 

He's also a fan of multi-muscle exercises to develop lean muscle when you're tigh to time. As these work several areas of your body, it's a more efficient way to train than isolation exercises like biceps curls. 

When you're really short on time, though, even a 20 or 30-minute session can seem like a big ask. But some movement is better than none, which is why these five-minute workouts are a great way to develop strength in a pinch. 

You don't need to spend a lot to vary your home workouts; just a few affordable accessories can help you take your gym-free training to the next level. 

Take this workout, for example, which strengthens muscles across your entire body using just a couple of light dumbbells or a resistance band — you choose. The routine was designed by Britany Williams, a trainer for workout app Sweat. 

"Adding either a resistance band or dumbbell to workouts increases the amount of resistance or 'load' your muscles are having to work against," she explained. "This is the fundamental building block of getting stronger.

"Muscles will adapt to lifting heavier resistance levels as you progress, so it’s important to include some kind of resistance in your home workouts to achieve strength and performance gains over time."

Adding a resistance band or dumbbells into your training is a great way to challenge your body and build strength, but there are other benefits too. According to Williams, "this session can help improve balance, coordination, strength and muscular endurance."

"Many of the full-body exercises will also help increase your heart rate as you work both the upper and lower body simultaneously. Balance exercises will challenge the core and hip stability too."

Watch Britany Williams' upper-body workout

It's easy to focus on training your favorite body parts. For many people, this is their core, while others might make leg workouts a more regular fixture in their weekly plans. But it's important to adopt a balanced attitude to training.

To do this, Williams' routine gives you the chance to pick six moves from a list of nine multi-muscle compound exercises. Each one will hit your upper and lower body simultaneously, building a balanced body and providing a time-efficient training session.

"Our upper-body consists of much more than just biceps and triceps—the shoulders, chest and upper back are all vital for proper movement in our everyday lives," she explains.

"From being able to lift and hold your kid, to reaching for something on the top shelf, upper-body strength and mobility can support overall health, movement and can help keep you injury free.

"Additionally, many people (myself included) struggle with poor posture. Upper-body workouts can help improve posture, placing less strain on the core and hips, which can alleviate back and knee pain."

Performing upper body exercises to ease knee pain might seem like a counterintuitive approach. But, luckily, Williams is on hand to explain how the two can go hand in hand. 

"The body is a connected chain," she says. "Often people think of it in silos, as if the legs don’t impact the arms and vice versa, but that’s not the case. Muscle imbalances in one area can create issues elsewhere in the body."

If you struggle with aching lower body joints, using exercises for knee pain can help strengthen the surrounding muscles. And adding some of the best joint supplements can also help ease the pain too. 

There are plenty of different ways you can build strength, and you don't need fancy gym machines or barbells to do so. In fact, you can develop muscle with just a few simple pieces of equipment.

If you don't have much time to work out or loads of storage space at home, you do still have options. Dumbbells and resistance bands are a great way to strength train and you can easily tidy away and use these pieces of equipment at home. 

I usually use free weights like dumbbells during my workouts, and I was interested to see if using a resistance band could challenge me in new ways. So I tried a workout created by personal trainer Britany Williams, which offers alternative exercises that are typically done with a dumbbell using a resistance band.

You might be wondering whether dumbbells or resistance bands are better to help you meet your goals. Both pieces of kit work in a similar way, applying resistance to the muscles so they have to work harder to move, which is what will help them grow. 

It's a full-body workout, with certain exercises isolating the upper-body muscles too, and I decided to choose six moves to try with both dumbbells and resistance bands.

Watch Britany Williams' dumbbell vs. resistance band workout

Williams recommends doing 10-12 reps of each exercise, completing three to four rounds in total. I went for two rounds with a dumbbell and two rounds with a resistance band so I could compare the impact on my muscles.

I used a pair of 10lb dumbbells, as I was working out from the gym following a CrossFit session. If you're exercising at home, it's worth investing in a pair of the best adjustable dumbbells, so you can experiment with the load depending on the type of workout.

I noticed that the full-body exercises, like the standing press and knee raises and the squat and shoulder presses, were more challenging when using a resistance band. This was because they required full-body balance and stability.

When I did these exercises with the dumbbells, it was easier to neglect my form and I ended up isolating certain muscles rather than engaging my core to turn them into full-body exercises, which meant I wasn't doing anything to improve my stability or coordination.

However, certain exercises that are designed to isolate specific muscles, like biceps curls and triceps extensions, I found were more effective with a dumbbell. 

This is because the weight was distributed in a few different areas when using the resistance band, but focussed on the specific muscle I was using a dumbbell, which made these exercises more challenging.

Overall, I think it's definitely worth adding some of these resistance band exercises into my routine, to help me work on balance and core strength. But I won't be giving up on dumbbell workouts just yet, especially while I'm trying to build strength.

Interested in trying a resistance band workout for yourself? This six-move routine will help you build core strength and you can also use a resistance band to build lower-body muscle.

Sit-ups are a great way to work your abs, but they're not the only way to strengthen your core. And, anyway, endless repetitions of sit-ups and crunches can get a bit boring after a while. 

Fortunately, you can shake things up with this short, 10-minute core workout. You don't need weights either — just a single resistance band. The best resistance bands often come in sets of several strengths, so you can find one that'll challenge your muscles. 

This routine was developed for the workout app Alo Moves' Summer Sculpt program and can help you train over the next few months whether you're at home, traveling, or away from the gym with minimal equipment. 

You'll want a medium-strength resistance band that'll challenge your muscles and gives some resistance, plus it's worth rolling out a yoga mat for support if you've got one to hand. 

It's a coached workout, so you can follow along to perfect your form. This is essential to get the most from your training, avoid injury, and keep your core engaged to prevent arching your lower back. 

Watch Alo Moves' 10-minute core workout

You might have heard people use the terms core and abs interchangeably, but there are some differences. Your abdominal muscles, including the rectus abdominis six-pack muscle, form part of your core, a section of muscle around your stomach. 

The core muscle connects your upper and lower body and is responsible for balance, stability, and workout performance. And strengthening the connection between your torso and legs helps improve your posture. 

And because the routine uses a blend of workout techniques like high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) and a Tabata workout, you'll work your muscles hard with very few rests to keep the intensity high.

This raises your heart rate, so you'll burn more energy than during a steady-paced ab workout. And in the longer term, it'll help boost your metabolism; the amount of energy you burn throughout the day. 

It has a similar effect to an equipment-free high-intensity HIIT workout for fat loss, except with a focus on muscle-building moves instead of cardio-focused exercises — ideal for developing visible ab muscles. 

You'll also want to ensure your body gets all the nutrients you need to repair and grow your muscles. Protein plays a crucial role, and you can stay topped up and build lean muscle with the best protein powders for weight loss.

Lifting weights can be a great way to build muscle in the legs, but you don't need to sign-up for a weightlifting class or have a fully-stocked home gym to make impressive lower-body gains. In fact, all you need is a simple, easy-to-store piece of equipment: the resistance band.

The best resistance bands help you make the most of your own bodyweight, offering resistance that your body has to fight against, tearing the muscle fibers so that they grow back stronger.

They're perfect for home workouts, especially if you have downstairs neighbors who don't appreciate the sounds of dumbbells dropping on the floor. You can also get different strengths of resistance bands, to challenge you as you build muscle. 

This session from fitness app WeGlow shows how versatile resistance bands can be. With just three moves, this routine will help you build seriously strong legs. The aim is to do 10-12 repetitions of each exercise, and repeat the three-move circuit four times for a full-body workout. 

Watch We Glow's three-move resistance band workout

If you don't know how to squat, there are a few form tips to keep in mind that will prevent injury and maximize lower-body engagement. First, try to keep your chest upright and don't allow your back to round.

Start with your feet hip-width apart, or slightly wider if that feels comfortable. During the banded squats and the walkouts, ensure your hips drop further than parallel to the ground when in the squat position to engage your glutes and quads.

The resistance band should sit a couple of inches above your knees for the entire workout. If your feet are wide enough, you should feel the resistance as soon as you sit into the squat or step into the lunge.

If this feels too easy, opt for a heavier resistance band, which will help you progressively overload your workouts and build muscle. Plus, you can alternate this session with a resistance band arm workout to strengthen other areas. 

If you're new to resistance training, you might feel the effects of these workouts in the days following. This is known as DOMs (delayed-onset-muscle-soreness). You can reduce the soreness by drinking a post-workout smoothie packed with protein,

You don't have to lift heavy weights to build muscle—low-impact workouts are a great way to build strength while protecting your joints, which is ideal if you're injured, new to resistance training, or need a quiet jump-free routine. 

It's possible to use bodyweight exercises alone to develop strength, a set of the best resistance bands can be a great alternative to weights, only cost a fraction of the price, and can be easily stowed away for workouts on the go. 

Barre is one example of a low-impact workout that can get results. Inspired by ballet, barre incorporates bodyweight movements, usually performed on a yoga mat, as well as exercises using a chair or a ballet bar to balance on.

It’s a great form of exercise to try at home and this Instagram workout from barre instructor Angela Karner, creator of The Good Barre, will help you get started. There are just seven exercises and the aim is to do between 8 and 10 repetitions of each before repeating on the other side. 

This routine activates the muscles in the lower body, including the glutes and hamstrings. As many of the exercises are completed while lying on your side, it also targets the obliques, which are the muscles down the side of the torso.

Watch The Good Barre’s seven-move workout

• Watch Angela Karner's seven-move workout on Instagram

It’s important to keep your core engaged throughout this entire workout. This will maximize muscle engagement, while also promoting good form, which is crucial to getting the most from the workout and preventing injury.

To engage your core, think about squeezing your ribs downwards and clenching your glutes, the muscles that run along your bottom and upper thigh, which should keep the center of your body in one straight line.

Try to move slowly and intentionally, rather than rushing through reps. This will increase the time your muscles are under tension, which is crucial for muscle growth, and is one of the reasons you don't need lift heavy weights to build muscle.

Barre is designed to engage some of the body’s minor muscles, which are often neglected during conventional strength workouts. Moving slowly will help you engage these muscles even more.

This routine requires a good range of motion, so make sure you warm up properly before giving it a go. If you lack flexibility, you might find this workout challenging. Try these five moves to improve flexibility to help.

But remember not to worry if you can’t lift your leg as high as Karner during some of the exercises. You will still benefit from the routine by lifting your leg as high as you can, even if this is only a few inches above the ground, and improve your flexibility simultaneously. 

If you're on the lookout for a time-efficient training session offering something a bit different to your average home workout, you're in luck. 

This routine from a NASM-certified personal trainer combines cardio moves with weight training exercises, making it a great way to raise your heart rate and strengthen your arms at the same time. All you need is a pair of dumbbells. 

A pair of the best adjustable dumbbells are ideal for home workouts as they allow you to adjust the weight for each movement and increase the weight as you get stronger—a concept known as progressive overload. However, a fixed weight set or even a pair of filled water bottles will work for this workout too. 

You can follow Sydney Cummings Houdyshell's guided routine to practice the technique for each of the 10 exercises and perfect your form to get the most from your training and strengthen your muscles in just 30 minutes. 

Watch Sydney Cummings Houdyshell's 30-minute workout

This workout solves the common fitness conundrum of cardio vs weights by bridging the gap between the two. As a result, you'll enjoy the benefits of both training styles. 

Cardio is short for cardiovascular, which is a term used to describe anything related to the heart and blood vessels. It figures, then, that this type of training can improve your heart health.

The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio exercise each week, with positive impacts of this including lower risk of heart disease, improved sleep and less weight gain.

Weight training, on the other hand, can increase the size and strength of the targeted muscles—in this case, the arms and shoulders—and boost your metabolism as a result. It can also strengthen your bones and joints. 

As this workout has a strength training element, you'll probably feel the effects of delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) the following day. This is normal and is the result of factors such as tiny tears in your muscles that have happened during your workout.

Your body uses protein to help repair, strengthen and grow your muscles, so it's important to eat enough to support your exercise routine. A post-workout shake, using one of the best protein powders for weight loss, can be a good way to keep yourself topped up. 

Taking on a menopause HIIT workout can be a great way to manage symptoms like fatigue and low mood. You may feel more tired than usual, which makes it hard to find time, motivation, or energy to exercise. 

You don't need to spend hours at the gym to see the benefits of regular exercise, though, as high-intensity interval training (HIIT) routines are an effective companion to the best menopause supplements and only take 15 minutes. 

The aim is to train in short, intense bursts with minimal rest. This helps raise your heart rate, work muscles all over your body, and boost your metabolism, all wrapped in a time-efficient routine to boost your energy and improve your wellbeing. 

As a personal trainer, I know those benefits make a menopause HIIT workout worth your time, but there's another reason. According to a review published in Experimental Physiology, HIIT helps lower visceral fat (around your organs), which often builds up during menopause. 

With that in mind, I've put together an eight-move menopause HIIT workout that you can do anywhere, only takes 15 minutes, and will boost your mood, improve your cardio fitness, and build strength. 

Menopause HIIT workout routine

This routine is designed to be efficient but intense, so you'll do each exercise for 30 seconds, rest for 20 seconds, then start the next move. Do all eight moves twice to begin, gradually increasing to three sets as you get stronger. 

Make sure you spend 5-10 minutes doing a warm-up to prepare mentally and physically for exercise. Cooling down at the end with some low-intensity exercise is just as vital, as it helps reduce your heart rate, encourages relaxation, and can soften post-workout soreness. 

Menopause HIIT workout plan

1. Lunge hops

• Start standing with your feet together, then step back into a reverse lunge with the right leg. Your right knee should be parallel to the floor or as close as possible.
• Push through your heel as you bring your knee into a hop, jumping off the floor with your left leg as you come up.
• Swap legs and repeat for 30 seconds.

2. Broad jumps

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, then bring your hips back and bend your knees to sit back into a half squat.
• Explode into the air, pushing off from your toes, and swing your arms forward and straight up above your head.
• Jump as high and as far forward as possible, then quickly shuffle back to the start position. 
• That's one repetition. Repeat for 30 seconds.

3. Curtsy lunges

• Stand with feet hip-width apart and shoulders back, and tense the muscles around your stomach to engage your core.
• Putting your weight into your right foot, step back with your left foot behind your right foot — almost as if you're curtsying.
• Bend your knees and lower your hips until your left thigh is almost parallel to the floor. 
• Push slowly back up and return to the initial standing position. 
• Repeat on the other side and alternate for 30 seconds. 

4. Squat jumps

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.
• Bend your knees and press your hips back as if you're going to sit down on a chair.
• Push through your heels and squeeze your glutes (the muscles around your buttocks) as you jump out of the squat. 
• Land back in the starting position with your feet shoulder-width apart. 
• Repeat for 30 seconds. 

5. Mountain climbers

• Start in a plank position, with your hands shoulder-width apart, your back flat, and your shoulders above your wrists. 
• Tense the muscles around your stomach to engage your core, and pull your right knee diagonally towards your chest. 
• Return to the plank position with your right foot back on the floor. 
• Repeat on the other side and alternate quickly for 30 seconds. 

6. Ice skaters

• Stand tall with your arms by your side and legs slightly wider than shoulder distance apart. 
• Hinge at your hips and lean forward as you bring one leg behind you into a reverse lunge with your front knee at 90 degrees. 
• Swing your arms in front of your bent knee and leap your back leg forward to switch sides in a skating motion. 
• Alternate your arms as you switch sides like a speed skater.

7. Plank walkouts

• Start in a plank position, with your hands shoulder-width apart, your back flat, and your shoulders above your wrists. 
• Tense your stomach muscles to engage your core and create a straight line from your back down to your feet. 
• Your feet should be slightly wider than hip-distance apart. 
• Slowly walk your hands forward, maintain a straight back, and don't let your hips or tummy drop toward the floor. 
• Once you've walked out as far as possible without impacting your posture, pause, then walk your hands back to the start position. 
• That's one repetition. Repeat this pattern for 30 seconds. 

8. Up-down plank

• Start in a plank position, with your hands shoulder-width apart, your back flat, and your shoulders above your wrists. 
• Lower your right elbow to the mat, then your left, coming into a low plank hold. 
• Hold this position for a few seconds, then place your right hand on the mat and straighten your right elbow. 
• Do the same on your left side to return to a plank position. 
• Repeat this pattern for 30 seconds. 

This routine is designed to help keep your body moving and should help reduce the severity of menopause symptoms like tiredness, low mood, and weight gain. 

High-intensity routines are ideal for managing your weight, as the short rests keep your heart rate high, so you burn more energy than during a traditional steady-paced routine. 

And sustaining this elevated heart rate prompts longer-term changes to your metabolism, which is why many people also take on a HIIT workout for fat loss. But this menopause HIIT workout has other benefits. 

Exercising for happiness is a legitimate goal, and HIIT is a great way to get your body moving and encourage the release of mood-boosting hormones that can improve your wellbeing. 

The food we eat also plays a crucial role in how we feel, so it's worth putting together a menopause diet plan. Importantly, it doesn't need to be restrictive, so you can enjoy some of your favorite foods and support your body through menopause. 

Exercising at home, it can be easy to find yourself on the couch rather than your yoga mat (trust us, we've been there). So, why not try mixing up your workouts to keep things fresh and give your motivation levels a lift? 

If you're after some inspiration, this time-efficient Tabata session from personal trainer Anna Engelschall is a great way to raise your heart rate and work your abs in under 40 minutes. 

You can do it without any equipment, but Engelschall suggests adding a light dumbbell to a couple of the movements to increase the difficulty. 

The first 24-minute portion of the workout focuses on cardio-based moves designed to improve your fitness levels and boost your metabolism. This is followed by 15 minutes of abs exercises and a short cool-down (after which we're sure the couch will be calling your name again). 

Follow along with Engelschall's video below to give the workout a go for yourself, and use her demonstrations to check you're performing each exercise correctly. 

Watch Growingannanas’ 35 minute Tabata workout

Tabata workouts are an eponymous concept created by Dr Izumi Tabata. They can be defined as any session that follows a format of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. This makes them a great way to create intensity and improve aerobic capacity in a short space of time. 

Engelschall's two-pronged approach means this routine also doubles up as an abs workout. And, as with any abs workout, there are a few general tips to keep in mind.

Firstly, try to keep your lower back flat on the floor during lying exercises like knee hugs and scissor kicks. This will ensure your core muscles are doing the work and being strengthened, rather than allowing other surrounding muscles to swoop in and steal the glory.

Another way to make sure you’re getting the most out of core strengthening exercises is to avoid hoicking your hips in the air when you’re in a plank position. Instead, try to keep your body in one straight line from the top of your head to your heels, as this will switch on your midsection muscles as they work to keep your spine stable.

If you enjoyed this style of workout, try this four-week Tabata workout exercise plan which features sessions that follow the same format to help you get fit and strong. Or, if you want a shorter commitment, test yourself with this tricky eight-minute Tabata challenge. 

Resistance bands are an excellent way to work out. Compact, versatile, affordable and effective, just one band can help you build strength, muscle, and mobility by opening the door to hundreds of new moves. 

If you're on the hunt for a strength training workout to do with your set of the best resistance bands, consider this four-move, full-body routine from fitness trainer Elise Young 

It sounds like a short session, but it will still work your legs, glutes, arms, shoulders, and core using just one short, looped band. It will even strengthen your back muscles, which are notoriously tricky to target during home workouts. 

To try it for yourself, perform 12 kickstand deadlifts on each leg, 20 tap outs, 15 single-arm rows on each arm and 20 bear tap outs in turn, resting as little as possible between exercises. 

Repeat this sequence three times for a four-round workout. Whether you're new to these exercises or could use a refresher, watch Young's video demonstrations to practice your technique and perfect your form before you start. 

Watch Elise's Body Shop's four-move resistance band workout

The past few years taught us the value of quality home workout equipment, and there are plenty of great options now on the market; from the best adjustable dumbbells to smart treadmills and exercise bikes. 

However, unlike these pricey rivals, you can often pick up a set of resistance bands can often be picked up for less than $20. Young shows just how versatile they can be too, selecting four exercises designed to hit muscles throughout your entire body. 

The deadlifts engage your glutes and hamstrings, while the tap outs help you build healthy hip flexors — muscles that are often missed during standard leg workouts, but are vital for preventing injuries, maintaining good posture and carrying out everyday tasks such as walking and running. 

Even though this routine targets muscles all over your body, there are times when you'll want to focus on a specific area. Use this resistance band leg workout to build strength in your lower body or a resistance band arm workout to build stronger biceps and triceps.  

There are differences between resistance bands and weights, but you'll still get an effective workout using your bands. They're also ideal if you want to save space at home, or like to train while you're away from home. 

However, If you do want to increase the load, learning how to do a kettlebell swing is a great way to work your whole body with weights. This single move engages muscles all over, raises your heart rate, and boosts your metabolism for all-day fat-burning. 

You might think the biggest muscles in your body can be found in your legs or back, but that title actually goes to the gluteus maximus; a pair of muscles that make up the bulk of your backside. 

They're not just for show either. A strong set of glutes can help power you forward when running, boost your balance and even support your lower back, so working these muscles is well worth your time. 

Weighted exercises like hip thrusts and deadlifts are a great way to do this, but you can also strengthen your glutes at home using just a resistance band with this workout from NASM-certified personal trainer Sadie Lee Thomas.

Thomas uses four Pilates-inspired moves to target the muscles. She uses a weight bench to do these exercises, but you can easily do them on a chair or on the floor if you're looking for a minimal equipment alternative.  

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds on each leg, rest for 30 seconds, then move on to the next one. Once you've finished all four, return to the start and repeat this sequence for a total of four rounds for a glute-building workout in just 18 minutes.

Watch Sadie Lee Thomas' four-move glute workout

Though this routine only gives you a series of 30-second windows to work through each exercise, don’t take that as your cue to rush through repetitions. Instead, focus on slow, intentional movements, squeezing the glutes in order to increase muscle activity through mind-muscle connection.

This will boost the time these muscles spend under tension. As a result, though you're not moving as fast, the exercises will actually feel more challenging. 

You should also keep a nice, neutral spine throughout each exercise and avoid craning your neck upwards. This position will provide a bonus core workout as your midsection muscles work to keep your torso stable.

If you're looking for more minimal equipment routines, why not try this resistance band ab workout to build core strength? You could also give this full-body resistance band session a go, or try using resistance bands to develop your mobility.