Skip the gym — you only need 15 minutes to build full-body strength with this bodyweight workout

Full-body workouts are the most time-effective way for most of us to train. Unless you’re able to hit the gym several times a week and target certain areas of the body with different workouts, then aiming to work all the major muscle groups in one session is a smart way to train.

This 15-minute workout from fitness trainer Jay T. Maryniak, who goes by JTM_FIT on YouTibe, is the perfect session to add to your week if you’re looking for a quick blast to hit your whole body. It doesn’t require any equipment, bar one of the best yoga mats , and you can do it anywhere you have enough space to roll out said mat.

The workout involves doing 15 exercises in 15 minutes, working for 40 seconds and resting for 20 seconds with each move. Follow Maryniak’s example for each exercise to make sure your form is on point, and that you’re working the right muscles.

While you do get 20 seconds of rest a minute, because you don’t repeat moves, you’ll spend a lot of that time switching positions and seeing what exercises is coming up, so the pace of the session is high and your heart rate will stay elevated throughout, adding a boost to your cardiovascular fitness to the strength gains from the session.

Watch JTM_FIT’s 15-minute bodyweight workout

Maryniak uses a mix of classic compound exercises like squats and lunges in the workout, as well as some plyometric moves with jumping and isometric abs exercises like the plank and hollow body hold . As well as being a great workout in its own right, if you’re a beginner the video will teach you a lot of useful fundamental exercises that you can include in other training sessions.

You can also scale the workout according to your fitness level by shortening or lengthening the work periods. If you have done the workout a few times you could try to do it without any rest, or complete two rounds of the exercises for a 30-minute bodyweight session. You can also progress the workout by using weights for some of the moves, if you do have dumbbells at home.

The fitter you get, and the more accustomed to the exercises, the faster you can move in the workout to maximize the benefits while maintaining good form. When you first do it, or if you’re a beginner in general, then it’s more effective to move with control and get your technique right rather than rushing.

If you do have weights and would rather do a dumbbell workout, this 20-minute full-body workout is a great option, while if you’d rather focus on your core, have a bit more free time and are up for a challenge, I tried this 40-minute bodyweight core workout and it’s undeniably effective.

More from Tom's Guide

• A Pilates instructor shares an 8-minute Pilates abs workout for deep core activation — so I tried it
• Forget sit-ups — this no-equipment ab workout blasts your deep core
• Three 10-minute ab workouts that hit all your core muscles