By doing these in home total body workout routines, you don’t have to spend hours and hours of your precious time in the gym or on the track in order to get in shape, and stay in shape – or to lose a few extra pounds. I am not knocking gym workouts or working out for prolonged periods of time. If this is what you want to do, and you can put that much time into your fitness routines, good for you.

However, most people in this day and time of trying to get ahead in a career, and at the same time trying to take care of the family or home front, simply don’t have hours and hours in their schedule for working out.

If you fit into this category, then these home total body workout routines are for you. The reason that I am suggesting the following series of exercises is because I do them myself every other day, and they work well for me. I believe that they will also work for you. However, everyone is different. What works for one person may not work for another. The key is to find what exercises work best for you, based on your style and fitness goals, and then stick with them.

During these home total body workout routines, I basically do 6 different exercises, 3 lower body and 3 upper body, in about 30 minutes every other day. Each time after I finish all of the exercises, my heart rate is up, and I am breathing hard and sweating immensely. I am able to feel the effects for the rest of the day. On the other days, I do some type of cardiovascular, high intensity, interval training exercises like walking, jogging, biking, or playing tennis.

I do all of the home total body workout exercises in pairs. For example, an upper body workout is paired with a lower body workout. I usually do 3 sets of each exercise in a pair. You will need to purchase a pair of 5 to 15 pound dumbbells and an exercise ball to do most of these exercises. The exact weights of the dumbbells depends on your present level of fitness and strength. All of the exercises are described below.

Home Total Body Workout – Arms Curl and Abdominal Crunch

Arms Curl –
1. In a standing position, with a dumbbell in each hand, arms straight and hanging down to the side of the body, flex your left arm to bring the dumbbell up near your chest.
2. Slowly, lower your left fore arm to bring the weight back down to your side.
3. Alternately, do the same movement with your right arm, as you keep your left arm down to the side.
4. Repeat the same movement with each arm 10 to 15 times or repetitions.

Abdominal Crunch – You will need an exercise ball for this exercise. Of course, feel free to do the traditional abdominal crunch without an exercise ball.
1. Sit on the exercise ball with hands clasped together and arms extended directly above your head.
2. Lean backward as far as you can, and at the same time, move your arms downward to knee level.
3. Return to sitting position again and return your arms directly above your head.
4. Repeat this movement 15-25 times or repetitions.

After doing one set of the abdominal crunch, you will do a second set of the arm curl, and then alternately, perform a second set of the abdominal crunch. Then, perform a third set for the arm curl, and a third set for the abdominal crunch. Rest or recover no more than 30 seconds between the sets.

You should end up doing 3 sets of each exercise. This should take no longer than about 10 minutes. After resting for no longer than about 1 minute, you will then move on to the second pair of exercises.

Home Total Body Workout – Standing Reverse Fly And Dumbbell Lunges

Standing Reverse Fly –
1. Stand with feet slightly more than shoulder distance apart and slightly bend your knees.
2. Lend forward and slightly bend your back while holding the dumbbells with arms extended straight down in front of you.
3. Open arms out keeping elbows slightly bent.
4. When arms are parallel to floor, slowly lower dumbbells back down in front of chest.
5. Repeat this movement 10 – 15 times or repetitions.

Dumbbell Lunges –
1. Holding dumbbells at sides, stand upright with feet slightly less than shoulder width apart.
2. Step forward about 2 feet with one foot and bend knee to about 90 degrees. As you plant your foot bend trailing knee so it nearly touches floor.
3. Push off with front foot to return to starting position.
4. Repeat this movement 10 to 15 times or repetitions

As described above, alternate doing one exercise after the other, resting no more than 30 seconds after each set. Again, you should end up doing 3 sets of each exercise.

Home Total Body Workout – Standing Shoulder Presses And Standing From Seated Position

Standing Shoulder Presses –
1. Stand upright with dumbbells over head. Make sure back is straight.
2. Lower dumbbells slowly to shoulders.
3. When arms are at 90 degrees, press the dumbbells back up.
4. Repeat this movement 10 to 15 times or repetitions

Standing From Seated Position –
1. Stand in front of a sturdy chair with your feet slightly wider than hip distance apart
2. Bend your knees, shift your hips back and take a seat slowly. Keep your weight on the ball of your feet and don’t let your knees extend past your toes.
3. Lower down until you touch the chair, and then immediately stand back up raising your heels slightly off the floor. You can hold dumbbells in hands for extra resistance.

All of the above home total body workout exercises can be completed in about 30 minutes if no more than 30 seconds is used to rest between sets, and no more than 1 minutes to recover between sets of exercises. These are just some of the upper and lower body exercises. There are many more you can choose instead of the ones listed above.

As a matter of fact, I suggest that you change up the exercises frequently. Changing the exercises will result in the workout of a variety of muscle groups instead of just a few. For example, you may want to try some of these exercises: arm front raises, single arm row, shoulder shrugs, overhead triceps extensions, aerobic step exercise, and wall sit exercise.

The advantage of doing these home total body workout routines is that you are working out all of the major muscle groups in the body. The result is a higher metabolic rate and greater fat burn. Your body will continue to burn fat long after you complete these exercises. I suggest that you do these exercises every other day in order to give your body time to recover. I usually do some type of cardio exercise on the non-total body workout days. Remember to stretch before and after you do your total body workout.