All you need is 10 minutes and a pair of light dumbbells to strengthen and mobilize your upper body

A woman stands in a bedroom holding light weights, with her elbows bent out to the sides and the weights held above shoulder height. She is smiling and we see a bed and decorative shelves behind her.

You rarely need to reach for the heaviest weights in the squat rack to get an effective upper-body workout.

In fact, Brittni Johnson, certified Pilates instructor at BetterMe, says often all you need is a pair of extra-light dumbbells to build strength and mobility—as she's demonstrated with this Pilates-inspired circuit.