Everyone has their favorite strength-training exercises, right? Personally, I’m a fan of squats, planks, and dumbbell presses. You might be partial to chair exercises or a standing abs routine. And the workout here is all about another specific type of movement—standing exercises (for when you just don't feel like grabbing a mat!).
There’s a good reason to try a standing workout: “Most people sit at a desk for a majority of their day,” says Amanda Hudock Hoffman, CPT. “So they should be training in the opposite way that they spend most of their time.”
The idea, she explains, is to counteract any tightness or weakness developing from sitting in that same position all day long. Plus, most standing movements will work your whole body if you’re intentional about creating all-over tension, Hudock Hoffman notes. The key to doing that, she says, is to focus on maintaining engagement in your torso. You can also think about engaging the lower body during upper-body exercises, and vice versa.
Meet the expert: Amanda Hudock Hoffman, CPT, is a certified personal trainer based in Cleveland, Ohio, and leads kettlebell and strength-training classes virtually.
Now, Hudock Hoffman has a few tips to help you maximize your session: Make sure to use heavy weights where instructed, and follow the tempo cues. The workout hits multiple movement patterns (push, pull, squat, and hinge) with rep schemes that are lower than what’s standard (think: three sets of 10 reps with light to moderate weight), she adds. Grabbing heavy weights and paying attention to the tempo cues as prescribed will challenge your body in a different way.
Ready to give a standing workout a try? Below, you’ll find Hudock Hoffman’s step-by-step instructions for the 16-minute standing workout and her picks for the best standing moves. You can add this standing workout to your routine twice a week to hit every muscle group each time, which is what she recommends. Note: It includes a lot of forward and backward movement, so you’ll want to complement it with rotational and side-to-side work.
16-Minute Full-Body Standing Workout
Time: 16 minutes | Good for: total body | Equipment: dumbbells/kettlebells
Instructions: After the four-move warm-up circuit, complete the recommended reps for the first two exercises. Rest for 60 to 90 seconds, then repeat. Then, complete the recommended reps for the last two exercises. Rest for 30 to 45 seconds, then repeat.
Warm Up: Duck Walk
Complete the following warm-up exercises with 30 seconds of rest between rounds. Repeat the circuit twice, then start the standing workout.
How to:
- Stand with feet wide and toes pointed out and hands behind head.
- Lower into a deep squat.
- Keep torso upright as you walk around, maintaining the low squat position for 30 seconds.
What you’re working: This one primarily activates the hips and mobilizes the ankles, according to Hudock Hoffman.
Why it rocks: The hips and ankles are central for squatting (which is coming up later in the workout), per the trainer.
Warm Up: Halo
How to:
- Stand with feet wider than hips and hold a light dumbbell or kettlebell.
- Begin with the bell in front of your face, and bring it around your head in a halo pattern.
- Pause two to three seconds at your left ear, the back of your head/neck, your right ear, and in front of your face.
- Repeat, alternating directions for 30 seconds.
What you’re working: This one hits the shoulders and activates the core, Hudock Hoffman says.
Why it rocks: As you bring the weight around your head (and alternate directions), you’re hitting the shoulders from different angles to mobilize and activate them for upper-body moves, according to Hudock Hoffman. The weight helps with that all-around activation, she notes.
Warm Up: Marching
How to:
- Stand with feet under hips and hands behind head.
- Bring your left knee to hip height or higher with your foot flexed (toes pulled toward your shin). Focus on bracing through your core to stand tall.
- Hold at the top for two seconds.
- Lower with control.
- Repeat at a slow tempo, alternating legs for 30 seconds.
Option: Move your arms like you’re running (opposite arm with opposite knee).
What you’re working: This move will start to elevate your heart rate, Hudock Hoffman says.
Why it rocks: “I like to do something dynamic before lifting because you’re going to get the blood flowing throughout the body,” she says. And the tempo cues give the exercise a single-leg component to help with your stabilization later on in the workout. (Plus, as you’re holding that position with your knee at hip height and your toes pulled toward your shin, you’re going to engage your hip and ankle to prep for the squat.)
Warm Up: High Knees
How to:
- Standing with feet under hips.
- Run in place quickly, driving your foot into the ground and bringing your knee to hip height with each stride.
- Continue for 15 seconds, speeding up throughout the interval.
What you’re working: Similarly, this exercise gets your blood flowing and elevates your heart rate.
Why it rocks: This move can prep beginners for future plyometric work by helping them practice their landing and speed, Hudock Hoffman explains.
Goblet Squat
How to:
- Stand with feet hips width distance apart, toes turned slightly outward, and hold a kettlebell or dumbbell at chest height.
- Breathe in and squat slowly, lowering your butt as if is sitting in a chair for 5 seconds. Keep your torso vertical and allow your knees to drive toward your toes and past your ankles.
- Hold the squat at the bottom for two seconds.
- Exhale to stand tall for one second. That's one rep.
- Complete 5 reps.
What it works: Like any squat, this move primarily targets the quads and glutes, and it can also work your core and back since you’re holding the weight up around chest height, Hudock Hoffman explains.
Why it rocks: This is a good squat variation for all levels. Plus, for beginners, the tempo forces you to think about your form and not rush through the exercise—for more advanced exercisers, you can go pretty heavy with it, she says, and the tempo should challenge you.
Alternating Bent-Over Row
How to:
- Stand tall with feet under hips and holding dumbbells or kettlebells in each hand.
- Hinge your hips back, allowing your knees to bend but maintaining vertical shins.
- Row one weight at a time, lifting until wrist reaches hip, and pause for two seconds.
- Lower weight with control until arm is extended.
- Continue alternating arms. Maintain a braced core and your hip hinge throughout.
- Complete 5 reps on each side.
What it works: This one’s an upper-body move that works your back, shoulders, arms, hip complex, and core, and allows you to get a little rest from the squat.
Why it rocks: Hudock Hoffman likes the alternating form of this exercise because it can allow you to lift a bit heavier (it takes less energy to row just one arm, but the other one is still working to stabilize).
Single-Leg Deadlift
How to:
- Begin standing with right foot staggered behind left. (Option: Hold a weight in your right hand.)
- Inhale as you hinge into your deadlift, allowing your right leg to lift up as your torso lowers. Keep this leg as straight and active as possible. From the ground up, think: stabilize with the foot, slight bend in standing knee, square hips and shoulder, braced core, and pull back slightly on the weight to engage your lats.
- Exhale to stand. That's one rep.
- Complete 5 reps on right side, then switch legs and complete 5 reps on left.
What it works: This one primarily hits hamstrings and glutes, according to Hudock Hoffman.
Why it rocks: You want to have some single-side work in every session to train imbalances in the body, she says.
Single-Arm Push Press
How to:
- Stand with feet hips-width distance apart, holding one dumbbell or kettlebell with your right hand at your shoulder.
- Inhale as you soften your knees (get into a quarter squat or slightly less).
- Exhale to punch the weight above your head.
- Inhale as you stabilize the weight over your head, keeping your elbow straight. (If you’re using a kettlebell, also flex your wrist forward slightly to keep it straight.)
- Exhale as you lower the weight back to the racked position. You can catch with soft knees (in that quarter squat position) if the bell feels heavy, or simply lower with control if it doesn’t feel as heavy. That's one rep.
- Complete 5 reps on right side, then switch sides and repeat.
What it works: The power for your push press comes from your hips, per the trainer. Meanwhile, your arm works to bring the weight up, you’ll stabilize with your shoulder, and use your back and shoulder to lower the weight back down.
Why it rocks: This move also helps you get some single-side work in, Hudock Hoffman notes. Plus, since you’ll use your lower body for power, you’re likely going to be able to press heavier to build that upper-body strength, she adds.
How To Select The Right Weights
For heavy weights: If you can’t maintain good form, your weight is too heavy, according to Hudock Hoffman. But, if you feel like you can do a few extra reps in each set (following the tempo cues), it’s time to increase your weight.
For medium weights: This should be a weight that makes you feel like you’re working—but you still have two or three reps left in the tank at the end of the set. (Think: You shouldn’t feel completely exhausted.)
Erin Warwood is a San Francisco-based writer, runner, and sparkling water enthusiast. She holds a B.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and an M.S. in journalism from Northwestern University. In her free time, you can find her watching Survivor, trying new Peloton workouts, and reading Emily Giffin novels. Her ultimate goal: become a morning person.