age is really just a number

Kaizen is a Japanese term that means making small changes can add up to significant improvements in your life. In fitness, that often means using short workouts that can be just as impactful but require a whole lot less time and effort. The result? You’re far more likely to do it and to stick to it.

We’ve talked about Kaizen before in this blog. To refresh yourself, click here.

This workout will train your full body, and it only takes ten minutes. And you only need a single dumbbell. So if you have a few minutes to spare, why not give it a try now? And it takes only three movements:

Exercise One: One-Handed Dumbbell Squats

To start, you’ll be performing ten squats with a dumbbell hanging in front of you. Keep your arm hanging down the middle between your legs, holding the dumbbell, squat directly downwards, and then push up through your legs.

Exercise Two: Dumbbell Swing

Now, while still squatting, you’re going to start swinging the dumbbell directly upwards. This is essentially the same as a kettlebell swing, with the obvious difference being that you’re using a dumbbell, not a kettlebell. The movement is excellent for your legs, core, and shoulders, and it’s also great cardio.

Exercise Three: Half Burpee

Now you’re going to put your dumbbell down and perform half burpees. You start on all fours and then jump forward with your legs close to your hands and then out into press-up position. In other words, this is a burpee without the jumping part at the end. Burpees are another great exercise that involves cardio. It also trains the abs and works the pecs and upper body, all in one move.

Completing the Workout

To complete this workout, you’re going to perform ten repetitions on each exercise. Once you’ve done that, you’re going to switch immediately to the other side and do another round. Then you’re going to pause for fifteen seconds and go again!

The astute among you may have noticed that this doesn’t target every muscle group. Sure, there’s no bicep curl in there and nothing for your rear deltoids. However, these are highly compound movements that will have an anabolic effect. Meanwhile, the whole body is working in unison through each of the exercises. When you combine these factors, you have a workout that involves the entire body to at least some extent and encourages growth. Sometimes you don’t need to target a body part precisely to trigger change – you need to shock the whole system into action.

So don’t rely on this workout. And if you only have one dumbbell, buy another! Use this as something a bit different, though, and as a lesson in creating training with low resources. No excuses! Get after it!