At Men's Health, we can't deny the efficacy of weight machines. But that doesn't mean you have to swear by them. While modern training equipment has its place, sometimes it pays to dabble with a more simple approach.

Grab a couple of kettlebells, for instance, and you can storm through a superb full-body session without recourse to the gym. Here, elite trainer Peter Parasiliti takes you through a 20-minute workout, which should be done three times a week, that's designed to build total-body muscle anywhere.

"Working to failure at the last rep should be the goal with all of these exercises," explains Parasiliti. So if you finish a set with a grin on your face, unless you're an avid masochist, you need to add more weight. Try to mix up your sets and reps as much as possible to keep your muscles guessing, too. Let's get after it.

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Goblet Kettlebell Lunge

    • Sets: 3-5
    • Reps: 8-12 each leg
    • Rest: 90 seconds
    1. Stand with your legs slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, clasping a kettlebell in each hand in front of your chest with palms facing each other.
    2. Then, step back into a reverse lunge, so your knee brushes the floor.
    3. Push back up to the start position using your front foot.
    4. Repeat on the same side for your designated number of reps, then switch legs.

    Progression: As you become stronger, begin to alternate lunges – right leg followed by left leg. Then try stepping forward into regular lunges. Again, start off using the same leg, then begin to alternate. Walking lunges – pushing off your front foot immediately into the next lunge rather than returning to the start position – will be most challenging of all.

    Muscles worked: Glutes, quads and hamstrings – plus it will really fire your core musculature, building stability and strength
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    Men's Health: To focus on your triceps, keep your elbows near your torso. Flare your elbows out to switch the emphasis to your chest.

    Kettlebell Floor Press

    • Sets: 3-5
    • Reps: 8-12
    • Rest: 90 seconds
    1. Lie on the floor in between two kettlebells and grab them with arms extended.
    2. Curl the kettlebells up toward your biceps so that the bells relaxing on the outside of your perpendicular forearm.
    3. Now you're ready to press. Push the kettlebells up, locking out your elbows, then return them to the floor. Repeat. Because the weight is hanging below your hands, this will feel different – and harder – than a traditional dumbbell presses.

    Progression: To get a fuller range of motion, take this move to the bench, making sure you squeeze your shoulder blades together at the bottom point of the movement. Still too easy? Use an alternating pattern, performing the move with one arm at a time, or for an even greater challenge use a reciprocal pattern: press one kettlebell up then, as you lower it, press the other bell up simultaneously – like a piston.

    Muscles worked: Chest, anterior deltoids and triceps
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    Standing Bent-over Kettlebell Row

    • Sets: 3-5
    • Reps: 8-12
    • Rest: 90 seconds
    1. Holding a kettlebell in each hand, feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent, hinge at the hip: bending forward so your torso is almost parallel to the floor.
    2. Ensure your spine is relaxed.
    3. Row the bells into your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
    4. Return to the start position along the same line of motion. And repeat.

    Progression: To make things harder, move your feet closer together and row just one kettlebell at a time. Try both alternating arms each rep and running through all of them with each arm before switching.

    Muscles worked: Middle traps, rhomboids and biceps