This 25-minute resistance band workout builds strength in your chest and abs

If you struggle to find enough gaps in your week to break up your muscle groups into separate training days, then why not combine two into one session and reap double the benefits. With this 25-minute chest and abs workout you will be building strength and muscle in your upper body and midsection, and it will take less than 30 minutes to do so.

The only form of equipment you will need to complete this routine is some of the best resistance bands, which is great since minimal equipment means it's suitable for home use, or the gym, or even when you're travelling and don't have access to equipment. Sets of resistance bands also typically come with varying resistances in the pack so you're able to implement progressive overload into your training and continue to grow your muscles.

Once you've got some bands at the ready then you're good to get stuck into this circuit based workout shared by the ACHV Peak YouTube channel. This family-run workout channel shares resistance band and dumbbell workouts suitable for all levels. So, if you're new to resistance band training this will be a great starting point. Then, if you feel ready to try working with some weights after this routine, you can take a look through these beginner strength training tips.

There are eight circuits in total to work through during the 25-minute period. Four of these will focus on strengthening your ab and core muscles, while the remaining four circuits will tune into your chest helping you to tighten and grow muscle in this part of your upper body.

Watch ACHV PEAK's 25-Minute Abs and Chest Workout

You won't need bands for the abs section of the workout but it's a good idea to place something padded underneath you, like one of the best yoga mats, as these circuits are floor based. You will work through variations of some of the best abs workouts, such as plank step throughs, heel touches, and cross body crunches. 

Research has shown that regular core training can improve your core muscle endurance and your performance in other sports like running. So it's certainly worthwhile adding these ab circuits into your training for the physical results as much as for the more aesthetic results like carving out more defined looking abs.

The chest exercises, which form the other part of this workout, will require your muscles to fight against the force of your resistance bands to achieve similar outcomes as if you were training using the force of weights against your muscles. One study published in the Sage Open Medicine journal found that resistance band training can result in similar strength gains as conventional gym equipment.

However, if weight training is what you would like to graduate onto from band workouts then a pair of the best adjustable dumbbells will make this easy and space efficient to do so at home.

These are modifiable weights meaning they allow you to adjust the weight mid-workout and you don't require a full rack of weights as they fit multiple dumbbells in one. Plus, they can be used in many of upper body and core exercises such as the chest press or Russian twists for the latter.