The Ultimate 25 Minute Gym Workout

25 Minute Gym Workout Printable Tracking Sheet

We have all used lack of time as an excuse for skipping the gym. This 25 minute gym workout gives you zero excuses not to hit the iron. Get ready to sweat, tremble, and lift your way to the body you want.

The Method

The Tabata method is extremely useful when you want to get a lot of work done in a short amount of time. With a 20 seconds work/10 seconds rest protocol, you will turn into a muscle-building fat-burning machine in 25 minutes. Combining weights with this cardio-based method is a recipe for the hardest, most effective gym workout you have ever done. Tabata calls for eight rounds of 20 seconds work/10 seconds rest for a total of 4 minutes. This equals one round. In this particular workout, there are going to be 4 exercises instead of eight, therefore you will repeat each circuit twice to finish a round.

Technique Tips

Lat-Pulldown

Pick a weight that you would fail at for 10-12 reps. Focus here on squeezing your lats and putting all of the tension into the back rather than the biceps.

E-Z Bar Curl

This is where the gun show happens. Keep you elbows in close to your sides to isolate the bicep. Do not using momentum to raise the bar. Slow and control movements are your friend here.

Dumbbell Bent-Over Row

Keep your back flat here. The absolute worst thing you can do is have a rounded back because it will make it so the tension is not in the center of your back. Keep you elbows close to your sides and squeeze your shoulder blades to bring the weights up.

Alternating Hammer Curls

This is not a reciprocating curl. Alternating hammer curls mean that you will finish the rep with one arm before starting the next rep with the opposite arm. Keep your elbows in close to your sides and don’t use momentum to bring the weights up.

Goblet Squat

Hold a kettlebell or a dumbbell at chest height. Lower into a squat and once your quads go below parallel squeeze your glutes to stand back up. Pick a weight that you would fail at in the 10-12 rep range.

Weighted Walking Lunges

Hold dumbbells at your side or place a barbell on your traps to complete this exercise. Lunge as you step forward, and using your front leg push off to move into a lunge with the opposite leg. Make sure that your front knee is hitting 90 degrees to complete the lunge.

Seated Calf Raises

Sit on a seated calf raise machine. The biggest piece here is to make sure you are completely extending at the bottom and the top. Control your heels all the way down and extend the weight as high as possible to get the best burn.

Alternating Weighted Side Lunges

The inner and outer thigh can be a problem area for some people. This exercise will take care of that. Hold a dumbbell at chest height. When you lunge to the side, make sure you are sitting back on your heel to create that 90 degree angle in the knee.

Dumbbell Bench Press

What I love about dumbbell bench presses is that they recruit the stabilization muscles more than a barbell bench press. Make sure to lower the weights evenly and push through the weight to extend evenly.

Overhead Triceps Extension

These are hands down one of my favorite exercises to banish the double wave. Hold one dumbbell behind your head. Keeping your upper arms about even with your ears, lift and lower the weight. You don’t need to go super heavy here.

25 Minute Gym Workout Printable Tracking Sheet

Incline Fly

Using an incline bench, extend the dumbbells above your chest. Keeping only a microbend in the elbows, open your arms out to the sides. Squeeze your pecs to return the dumbbells to the starting position.

Triceps Pushdown

Burn baby burn! These will have those triceps on fire. I personally love using a straight bar attachment to do these but the rope attachment is another great option!

Arnold Press

These are going to fire up every part of your shoulder. Your anterior delts are literally going to be burning like no one’s business. Move through this exercise at a slow and controlled pace so that you are igniting every fiber.

Cable Crunch

Say hello to those upper abs. Cable crunches are awesome for really defining your upper abdominal area because they are placing so much tension on that area. You may be afraid that doing weighted abs will make you have a manly midsection. Fear not, they will only make your abs stronger and more defined!

Lateral Raises

Time to hit those boulder shoulders again! Lateral raises will make those shoulders look killer in that little black dress. Only raise the weights to shoulder height so as to keep the unwanted pressure off the shoulder joint.

Weighted Leg Raises

That pooch in your lower abdomen that drives you insane will be gone after doing these! Weighted leg raises will shred your lower midsection because they put so much tension on those loose muscle. Only lower your legs enough so your lower back does not come off the floor.

High Knees

Remember high school sports practices where your coach told you to “get those knees up!”? The high knee makes an appearance in this 25 minute gym workout because it engages your abs and gets your heart rate up. And, seriously, get those knees up!

Jumping Jacks

The exercise as old as time is still getting attention for a reason. Jumping jacks are great because they get your whole body involved. Keep your core tight as you move through this exercise to keep pressure off your lower back!

Burpees

Everyone hates burpees for a reason. They WORK but they are HARD. Keep your core tight, and get as many in 20 seconds as possible!

Side Shuffles

These are awesome for burning out the legs and getting the heart rate up. Sink that butt down, keep your core tight, and shuffle those unwanted pounds off!

I know that circuit style workouts can sometimes be difficult in a gym setting. Get all the equipment you need around you and make this gym workout work for you. As long as you are lifting heavy and giving it your all during that 20 second work period, you will see results. If you are unsure how to perform some of these exercises, check out Bodybuilding.com’s exercise database. Click below to get the printable form to keep track of your workout!

25 Minute Gym Workout Printable Tracking Sheet

Do you have a favorite gym workout that you do when you are short on time? Drop it in the comments or send me and email so that I can check it out!