Build full-body strength and boost your cardio with this trainer's quick 10-minute workout

You only need 10 minutes and a dumbbell or kettlebell to do this full body circuit

woman wearing blue vest and dark leggings in her living room. facing sideways to the camera holding a kettlebell with one hand doing a swing.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

You don't need to spend hours in the gym to get a full-body workout. In fact, you can get an effective session at home in just ten minutes.

Fitness instructor Fiona Judd, who runs the FitFionaJ app, has designed this fast and efficient workout to hit all the major muscle groups in the body. It can be done with either a kettlebell or dumbbell, as she demonstrates in her video below.

How to do Fiona Judd’s workout

Judd recommends doing 12-16 reps of each exercise. If you have more time you can always add a round or two. Watch her form carefully and practice the exercises without any weight first, to make sure you're getting them right.

There are adaptations you can do to make the moves easier, too, as Judd explains: "On the balanced halo, you have the option to touch your toes lightly on the floor or hover your foot completely off the floor. On the push-up, you have the option of [performing it from your] knees or toes."

Are short workouts effective?

If you’re short on time, any movement is better than none. Breaking up your workouts into a few short sessions throughout the day can be just as effective as a longer 30-minute session.

Sometimes known as exercise snacking workouts, shorter training sessions still count towards your movement goals and can help you stay consistent when pressed for time. If you have a few minutes between meetings or before the kids wake up, that’s the perfect opportunity for an exercise snack like Judd’s workout.

Over the days and weeks, your efforts add up and it’s often easier to commit to a short training session than 45 minutes or a full hour. Doing full-body strength sessions like this one will also improve your cardiovascular health too, as they demand a lot of energy.

Shop dumbbells and kettlebells

Need some new weights for your home gym? The below picks are all taken directly from our round-ups of the best adjustable dumbbells and the best kettlebells.

Maddy Biddulph

Maddy Biddulph is a freelance journalist specializing in fitness, health and wellbeing content. With 26 years in consumer media, she has worked as a writer and editor for some of the bestselling newspapers, magazines and websites in the US and UK. 

She is also a qualified L3 personal trainer and weight loss advisor, and helps women over 40 navigate menopause by improving their physical and mental strength. At Maddy Biddulph Personal Training, she runs one-to-one and small group training for menopausal women who want to get fit to ease symptoms and feel like themselves again.