This 7-Minute Workout Could Replace Your Gym Membership
The Internet is going nuts over a workout posted on the New York Times today, which offers a science-backed, seven-minute, total-body workout that’s apparently so effective it could do the job—and get the results—of a long run and weight-training session combined.
I know, I know—it sounds too good to be true. But the 12-exercise workout is based on an article in the recent issue of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal written by a pair of certified strength and conditioning specialists in Orlando who have a ton of experience working with clients who want big results in very little time. From their article:
To address the limitations of traditional exercise protocols [i.e. that they are too time consuming for “time-conscious adults”] and provide an effective and efficient program for our clients, one of the exercise strategies we use is high-intensity circuit training (HICT) using body weight as resistance. Our approach combines aerobic and resistance training into a single exercise bout lasting approximately 7 minutes. Participants can repeat the 7-minute bout 2 to 3 times, depending on the amount of time they have. As body weight provides the only form of resistance, the program can be done anywhere.
The 12 exercises are as follows. Do each for 30 seconds at the highest intensity you can muster, then take a 10-second rest before moving on to the next exercise:
1. Jumping jacks
2. Wall sit
3. Push-up
4. Abdominal crunch
5. Step-up (onto a box, step or chair)
6. Squat
7. Tricep dips
8. Plank
9. High-knees running in place
10. Lunge
12. Side plank
If the workout sounds familiar, that’s because it’s similar to a lot of the BeWOW workouts we publish every Monday right here on Be Well Philly. Like this one, many of our workouts utilize a pattern of high-intensity work, followed short periods of rest. The fancy term for it is high-intensity interval training, and it’s been all the rage among personal trainers for years. Try this workout the next time you’re at the gym (or in your living room!), and check out our BeWOW workouts to help you mix it up.
