Be super efficient with this 20-min bodyweight circuit you can do in the comfort of your living room.

By Jon-Erik Kawamoto, MSc, CSCS, CEP

This workout is surprisingly challenging for only being 20-minutes. I was sweating and panting by the end!

The St. John’s Board of Trade hired me to host a ZOOM workout this morning. It was very successful and I even was sweating and panting at the end!

I promised to share the workout on our blog, so here we go.

You might be wondering what a “Tabata” is? Tabata is common slang in the fitness industry these days to describe a workout method that involves 20-seconds work and 10-seconds rest. It’s actually the last name of a researcher from Japan. His full name was Izumi Tabata and he led a famous study that looked at cyclists performing supramaximal sprints on a stationary bike. I don’t need to get too deep into his research here, but I will send you to an article I wrote for Bodybuilding.com called The Real Tabata: A Brutal Circuit from the Protocol’s Inventor if you want to read more.

The full workout protocol is 20-sec hard, 10-sec easy for 8 rounds which equals 4 minutes.

In today’s Zoom workout, we did 20-minutes worth, so 5 rounds of 4 minutes. No rest was taken between sets.

Screenshot from my St. John’s Board of Trade ZOOM home workout from Monday, April 6th

To do the workout, do each exercise listed below for 20-seconds. Do as many reps as possible without breaking form. Take 10-seconds to maneuver to the next exercise. Going through each exercise once is equal to one round, and 4-minutes.

Round 1 Exercises (minutes 0 – 4)

Bridge March Demo
  • Bodyweight Squat (20-sec)
  • Pushup Plank (20-sec)
  • Split Squat right leg in front (20-sec)
  • Split Squat left leg in front (20-sec)
  • Leg-V Sit Up (20-sec)
  • Glute Bridge March (20-sec)
  • Side Plank Clamshell right (20-sec)
  • Side Plank Clamshell left (20-sec)

Rounds 2 & 3 Exercises (minutes 5 – 12)

2 Cues to Fix Your Front Plank
  • Isometric Squat
  • Push Up Plank Shoulder Tap
  • Isometric Split Squat right foot front
  • Isometric Split Squat left foot front
  • Accordion Sit Up
  • Isometric Glute Bridge
  • Side Plank Knee In/Out right
  • Side Plank Knee In/Out left

Rounds 4 & 5 Exercises (minutes 13 – 20)

Push Up Demo
  • Squat Jump
  • Push Up
  • Split Squat Jump right
  • Split Squat Jump left
  • Leg V-Sit Up
  • Glute Bridge March
  • Side Plank Lifts right
  • Side Plank Lifts left
Squat Jump Demo

You might be surprised how much work you can get done in only 20-minutes with no weights. Enjoy!


home workout
Jon-Erik Kawamoto, MSc, CSCS, CSEP is a Strength and Conditioning Coach, Co-owner and Founder of JKConditioning. With 15 years in the industry and over 10 years as a freelance fitness writer, Jon has helped many change their lives through fitness. To inquire about coaching, workshops, presentations or writing, you can contact him through our Contact Us page. (photo credit: Jim Mullowney Photography)

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A few years ago, I pinched a nerve in my neck which led me to be stationary as any form of movement would cause extreme pain. During this time, my fiancé (Sean) started at JKC and loved it!! Once I overcame the nerve issue, Sean spent a long time trying to convince me that JKC is exactly what I needed to safely start working out again (I’m slightly stubborn and was super scared of re-pinching the nerve). Long story short, Sean was right… as much as I hate to admit it!

I never had luck at gyms, if it started to hurt I would call it a day. At JKC that is not an option, as Jon & Thomas will push you to finish the workout, whether you want to or not! Working out in a group setting is also a big benefit of working out at JKC, if you’re not feeling motivated you can simply feed off of someone else’s energetic vibes.

Not having much if any experience with professional gyms I though it would be along the lines of going to a facility and doing your own thing, getting some instructions from time to time, if you asked for it, and for most part working out on your own, in a large impersonalized setting. I was a bit apprehensive as I figured I’d be standing around a lot looking at all this equipment wondering what to do with it, or worst doing something to hurt myself. Well I couldn’t have been more wrong. Both Jon and Thomas are very attentive, professional trainers, who lay-out an exercise program, from start to finish, for you. They demonstrate the exercise they want you to do and then watch you do it to make sure you got it right. Jon and Thomas are very thorough, patience and non-assuming.

trap bar deadlift

A few of my wonderful friends and colleagues recommended JKC. I was told by one colleague that “It’ll be the best thing you ever do for yourself” and she was right! To be honest, I didn’t have much experience in any gym setting. And NO prior weight training experience. It was always so overwhelming! But from the first day, nothing was intimidating about JKC. Each workout is set up just for me, and with my specific skills and goals in mind. There are no stupid questions, you learn as you go, and what I really love, I always feel included and important, regardless of my skills/experience.

I originally joined JKC because I was anxious about passing out and embarrassing myself since I hadn’t weight trained in a while and I’d hoped to find somewhere sympathetic. My husband @terry_hussey had been training at JKC and his success there made me miss the achievement you feel from a good workout. I went to meet Jon and immediately knew it was going to be a safe space for me. I was never judged for the fears I had and where I was starting from. Jon and Thomas made sure to check on me often, and found a way to challenge me but make me feel secure at the same time, and Terry and I were able to book sessions together, so working out became a shared win for us!

JKC is different from other gyms because of the personal growth you have outside JKC (the sessions inside JKC creates a great positive feedback loop!). You gain self confidence, learn how to show up for yourself, meet a community of newfound friends, and get the support of your trainers who are behind you 100%. I’ve left a scattered workout so proud of myself I’ve honestly shed a tear in the car on the drive home. JKC is the mental health relief valve I need to stay positive, and keep my anxiety and health related fears at bay.

My original reason for joining JKC was to get some sage advice to help with my running. I had been looking for awhile, came across Jon, met for an assessment, and was quite happy with how that all went. Apart from the running specific strengthening and conditioning approaches, JKC is different from other gyms as I am a fan of the small group sessions where everyone has their own goals and individualized programs. As well, the run coaching is super. All the coaches go the extra mile to make sure you get the best out each training session. They are fantastic motivators! My favourite memory is deadlifting 330lbs. Making a lot of great friends and meeting some really cool people is pretty high up on that list, too.

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