The 7-Minute Total Workout, No Equipment Required!

#1 Is It True?

The May-June issue of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal published an article about the new and wonderful 7-minute workout. The best bit? It requires no gym equipment whatsoever! All you need is a chair, a wall, and your own body weight; do each exercise for 30 seconds with a 10 second rest in between.

Scientists have discovered that the best kind of workout is one that concentrates on the following 12 exercises. Even only a few minutes of high intensity exercise creates molecular changes in your muscles that are similar to those created after running or riding a bicycle for hours! The following 12 exercises that make up the miraculous seven-minute workout do require brief intervals of rest in between each however, in order for the workout to be effective. Ten seconds of rest between each high-intensity exercise is the optimal length of time.

#2 Jumping Jacks

Jumping jacks can also be called star jumps or side-straddle hops. To perform a jumping jack, the first step is to stand up straight with your feet together and your arms at your side. Next, bend your knees slightly and follow this with a jump.

While mid-jump, bring your legs out to the side about shoulder width or slightly wider. As you are moving your legs outward, you should raise your arms up over your head. Remember, your arms don’t have to be completely straight, and a small curve is fine. Your feet must land either shoulder-width, or wider, apart and your arms will remain suspended in the air over your head. The final step is to then jump again, this time placing your feet back together and your arms back down by your side. Repeat this as many times as necessary in order to get your heart rate up.

#3 Wall Sit

The wall sit is a fairly simple exercise that requires you to stand approximately 2 feet in front of a wall with your back facing it. Lean against the wall slowly and begin to slide down the wall until your knees are bent at 90 degree angles, as though you are sitting in a chair. Keep this position for a minimum of 20 seconds or a maximum of 60 seconds depending on your strength.

It is important to keep your abdominal muscles contracted whilst holding this position. You can then come back to your starting position, rest for ten seconds, and then repeat the wall sit. Simple yet effective!

#4 Push-Up

You’re all familiar with push-ups, and this exercise is great for targeting your pectoral muscles, triceps, and anterior deltoids. Push-ups also benefit your midsection and core as a whole. Push-ups are performed by pushing your body up and down using your upper body and arm strength.

To do a correct push-up, you must first get on the floor and position your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Next, raise your body up onto your toes so you are balanced on your hands and toes. It is important to keep your body in a straight line from head to toe without sagging your torso or arching your back. Don’t forget to keep your abdominal muscles contracted throughout the exercise! To safely resume back to your starting position, slowly bend your elbows and lower yourself until your elbows are at a 90 degree angle.

#5 Some Notes on Push-Ups

Push-ups are one of the best calisthenics you can do, but most people do them wrong. Make sure your form is perfect on these! Many people do them too fast, robbing themselves of the workout. A good push-up takes about 3 seconds to complete.

Also make sure your body is as flat as a plank and your elbows are at a 45-degree angle from your body. You can change the muscles being worked by adjusting your hand positions as well. Try widening your hands or putting them very close together (aka 'diamond pushups' making a diamond shape with your fingers) for a new challenge.

#6 Abdominal Crunch

You might be familiar with sit-ups, but did you know that when it comes to strengthening your core and flattening your stomach, abdominal crunches are more effective? To begin this exercise, simply lay on the floor, facing up and with your knees bent. Next, curl your shoulders towards your pelvis. You can either place your hands beside your neck, resting gently behind your neck, or placed across your chest.

It is important not to press heavily against your neck or chest though, as this can cause injury. To perform a proper crunch, your lower back must remain resting against the floor. This allows your hip flexors to rest so all of the attention can be focused on your abdominal muscles.

#7 Step-Up Onto Chair

This exercise sounds pretty straight forward, and the truth is, it is! Although a simple exercise, the step-up onto chair routine is super effective for your body. Not only does it work on your abdominal muscles, but it also builds lean muscle mass, boosts your metabolism and aids in weight control – Bonus!

Regular exercises such as the step-up onto chair is also great for your overall wellbeing, boosting your mood and energy levels. To perform the step-up onto chair exercise, position a sturdy chair in front of you. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and your arms at your sides. Next, step up onto the seat with one foot and press down while bringing your other foot up next to it. Step back with the leading foot and bring the trailing foot down beside it to finish one complete step-up. Easy, right? All you have to do is repeat this movement for at least 20 repetitions.

#8 Squat

The squat is well known for toning the muscles in your buttocks, but this simple exercise also does so much more! Squats train the muscles in the thighs, hips, buttocks, quads and hamstrings. Squats also benefit the bones, ligaments and insertion of the tendons throughout your lower body.

Squats are a vital exercise for your body, and they increase the strength of your legs and buttocks, as well as develop optimal core strength. To perform a proper squat, your feet should be flat on the ground, about shoulder-width apart. Point your feet slightly facing outward, rather than straight ahead. Never let your knees extend beyond your toes, as this will increase the likelihood of damage to your knees.

Keep your back straight and bend at your knees as if you were going to sit back in a chair. Don’t forget to keep your heels on the ground. Thrust your hips forward and pull in your abs whilst keeping your back only slightly arched. Slowly lower your body so that your legs are almost parallel to the floor.

#9 An Extra Note on Squats

Squats can be dangerous if done incorrectly, so make sure your form is perfect on these. Keep your back straight and bend at your knees as if you were going to sit back in a chair. Don’t forget to keep your heels on the ground.

Thrust your hips forward and pull in your abs whilst keeping your back only slightly arched. Slowly lower your body so that your legs are almost parallel to the floor. Make sure your eyes are looking straight ahead; looking down will mess with your spinal alignment and could lead to injury.

#10 Triceps Dip On Chair

To begin this exercise, sit on the chair with the palms of your hands on the edge. Slowly slide your buttocks off the seat whilst supporting your weight with your hands. First, straighten your right leg and keep your left leg bent at a 90-degree angle. Keeping your elbows bent, slowly lower your buttocks towards the floor. Push back up until your arms are straight, remembering to keep your elbows tucked in.

It is essential to do one set of 8 to 15 repetitions before alternating to your left leg extended and your right leg bent at a 9-degree angle. Feeling that burn yet?

#12 Plank

The plank exercise has a number of different names, including the front hold, hover, and abdominal bridge. This exercise is vital for building up your core strength and arm strength. The plank involves lying face down on the floor with your elbows resting on the floor and your arms in a 90-degree position. You then push down on the toes of your feet to extend your feet and push your body so it is off the ground and resting on your elbows and toes.

This position is then held for an extended period of time, and the longer you can hold it, the more effective it is. The plank is great for strengthening the abdominals, back, and shoulders.

#14 High Knees Running In Place

The title of this exercise sounds pretty straight-forward – it simply involves you performing a typical running motion while lifting your knees high into the air. You don’t have to go to a running track to perform this exercise though, as it can also effectively be done whilst running in place.

This exercise is great for the muscles in your legs and hips, and can even improve your lower body flexibility. When performing this exercise, you must ensure that your legs are at 90-degree angles when being lifted high into the air. Point your toes forward in order to maintain the correct form and to really benefit from this simple exercise. Also, make sure you do not land on the heels of your feet. Instead, remain on the balls of your feet in order to avoid injury.

#18 Not Feeling Challenged?

For some people this workout will be hard to get through at first. You should be sweaty and fatigued by the time it is through. However if you don't feel challenged enough, try doing it twice, back-to-back, with a one-minute rest in between.

Think that's easy? We bet you won't make it through a third time. Repeating the workout twice makes this quick workout into an intense full-body workout that still only takes about 21 minutes to complete.

#19 Post-Workout Tips

After your workout, you will find that you may feel quite dehydrated if you haven’t successfully been keeping your fluids up throughout the exercises. It is vital that you drink 2-3 cups within two hours after your workout has completed. Then, it is important to drink water regularly after this. Although you may not feel thirsty anymore, you still need to replenish yourself to avoid further dehydration.

Stretching is also an important part of your post-workout ritual, and this is because after a workout, your muscles naturally contract. Stretching will prevent your muscles from shrinking, and it will also allow your muscles to relax. Stretching is also beneficial for boosting circulation to your joints and tissues, reducing stiffness of the muscles and allowing you to get the full benefits from your super workout!

#20 What to Eat After the Workout

After a workout, you'll want to eat carbs and protein to give your muscles the chance to repair and replenish themselves. Dried fruits and nuts will do the trick, so will a tasty meal like chicken stir-fry or grilled Salmon and potatoes.

Don't buy into the no-carb hype; if you want to get in shape your body will need some carbohydrates to promote insulin release, which will in turn get amino acids shuttled to your muscles. The best time to eat is within one hour of working out.

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Burn fat in four minutes

A workout that gives you the benefits of a one-hour run in just four minutes? Bring it on!

 

When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. But I may have found an exception: a simple workout that gives you the same fitness benefits as a one-hour run, in four minutes. And no, this isn't a dodgy late-night infomercial. It's called Tabata protocol and it's a type of high-intensity interval training, named after Dr Izumi Tabata, who developed it in 1996.

The workout

Tabata intervals involve high-intensity bursts of exercises for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest. Continue these consecutively for four to 10 minutes.

Challenge One

Choose one of the exercises pictured and perform as many reps of it as you can in 20 seconds. The higher your intensity, the better your results will be. Rest for 10 seconds before going again. Perform eight rounds in total (four minutes). Try to keep your reps consistent each time. Perform a five-minute warm-up before this workout and a short cool-down to finish off.

Challenge two

This form of Tabata training uses more than one exercise. Perform as many reps as you can of one exercise for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds and then move on to the next exercise for 20 seconds. Keep going in this manner through four exercises. Try a total of five rounds of 10-minute circuits.

1. Rowing

Most rowing machines will allow you to enter intervals into the computer, so it can do all the timekeeping for you. To start, slide the seat most of the way in, lean forward slightly with your torso and reach forward fully with your arms. Drive back powerfully with your legs, before drawing back with your torso and then finally pull with your arms. Keep your stroke long and smooth.

2. Sit-ups

Lie on your back with your knees bent to 90 degrees and your feet flat on the floor. Place your fingers at the sides of your temples, contract your abs and sit up with control as you exhale. Stop just short of upright and then lower. Don't rest on the ground between reps. Your lower back should touch down lightly before you commence your next up phase.

3. Burpees

Squat down on the floor and place your hands flat on the ground just in front of your toes. Leaning on your hands, jump your feet far enough behind you so that as they land, your body is in a perfectly straight push-up-type position. Don't allow your hips to sag to the ground as you land. To finish, jump your legs back in towards your hands and stand up.

4. Squats

Stand in front of a chair or bench, feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and lightly touch your backside to the chair, keeping a steady rhythm, with no pause on the up or down phase. Focus your weight through your heels and keep your gaze fixed on a point directly in front of you.

5. Skipping

As you skip, land lightly on your feet and keep your arm movements to a minimum. You can use any skipping technique you want, as long as you can skip fast and get through as many reps as you can in each interval. About 50 reps is a good total.

Our model

Anya Dorrell, 39, from Sydney, maintains her fitness levels by doing three sessions of high intensity circuit
training every week.