20-min Tabata-Style Home Workout (no equipment)

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)

Do you have weights at home, but not sure what to do? We offer Online Strength Coaching. Receive a custom workout based on what equipment you have, your goals, needs, and current ability. Only 1-week commitment required.

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Patrick Ryan

Personal Strength Training by Thomas King

I’m 43 and started at JKC just over a year ago. I started at JKC because of multiple recommendations from existing clients. There are 2 main elements that distinguish JKC for me. Firstly the sense of community. I’ve been to multiple gyms in multiple cities/countries, you just can not manufacture the sense of community and support you get from other gym goers and the team. It’s very motivating and happy to say I’ve made some friends at JKC.

The other major distinguishing factor for JKC is the expertise and passion of the team. Jon, Thomas and Craig craft highly personalized programs based on my fitness goals and know how to push me best without being pushy. They pay close attention to ensuring my form is solid before encouraging me to take on more weight for the exercise. Plain and simple they love what they do and it shows.

Kristy Howard

I’m 40 years old & started training at JKC in 2015. The gym I was working out at closed and my husband recommended JKC. JKC meets you where you are in your fitness journey and tailors the work to help achieve your goals. I’ve trained with Jon & Thomas pre pregnancy, while pregnant and now post baby and they have helped me enormously to stay fit through all life phases.

I joke with the guys often that I’ve seen no change in my fitness level since joining the gym, but the reality is I’m in far better shape at 40 than I ever was at 30 thanks to them.

Kyle Howlett

I had always wanted to start lifting weights and get stronger, but didn’t know where to start. I was looking not just for a gym, but for training on proper technique to prevent injury and a program designed for my specific goals. I also wanted a fun and supportive atmosphere to keep me coming back. JKC delivered on all of this and more.

Jon and Thomas have a wealth of knowledge that help their clients get the most out of their time in the gym. Programs are continuously modified to keep the workouts challenging. Even through everyone’s program is unique, you always have the coaches and other clients cheering you on and pushing you to achieve new bests.

Nancy Wadden

I chose JKC because I was looking for something different. I’ve seen and done the trendy workout programs before, I was looking for something that I knew I could see myself still doing a year from now! JKC has a lot of clients that have been going for years. That was a huge motivator for me! The small group coaching sessions are great and I really enjoy the format. It’s nice having 2-4 people working-out with you during your session. The camaraderie is great, everyone is very upbeat and positive – zero gym judgment!

David Squires

Personal Strength Training by Jon-Erik Kawamoto

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.

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