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Accessible fitness is all about making workouts work for you. Ditch the lengthy gym slogs in favour of a no-less taxing workout you can do anytime, anywhere with great results.
Whether you hate exercise, are recovering from an injury and don’t want to push it, or are simply tight on time, these ten minute, equipment-free workouts are your new best friend.
Yes, we’d all love to run 10k every morning, or spend an hour in the gym each evening (yeah, right) but for most of us, life gets in the way.
Dogs need walking, kids need feeding, side hustles need after-dinner attention. The answer, then, is to condense some of your workouts into shorter, more manageable blasts.
Think of these as bite-sized fitness snacks—small but effective, keeping you going until your next full workout.
Being able to do full-body workouts in just ten minutes can be extremely convenient and effective for people with busy schedules – i.e. you.
Farren Morgan, CEO of Tactical Athlete Training, spent almost a decade in the British Army and knows that being able to optimise your fitness in even the smallest window of time has a huge benefit. “Short workouts help maintain physical and mental resilience, boosting your fitness and ensuring you're always prepared to perform under pressure,” he says.
“The main benefit is that you did a workout, and something is always better than nothing,” agrees Sean Cooper, PT at YOUR Personal Training.
Cooper’s also quick to point out that longer ‘workouts’ aren’t always better. You might have spent an hour in the gym, but how much of that was faffing, checking your phone, looking for equipment, talking to your friends, waiting to use a machine, zoning out and so on?
“Condense your efforts into ten minutes and you could achieve a relatively effective workout with ease,” he says.
If you’re worried that 10 minutes isn’t enough, you’re missing the point. Yes, longer, slower gym sessions are advised — and you should always stick to your specific training programme — but, in a pinch, there are plenty of science-backed benefits of squeezing in a quickie.
Morgan points to a study by McMaster University, where participants of various fitness levels partook in multiple one-minute intervals of stair climbing, separated by periods of light activity or rest over six weeks to monitor their cardiovascular fitness and endurance.
Results showed that short bursts of high-intensity exercise can lead to similar health benefits as longer workouts, especially when it comes to improving cardiovascular health and insulin sensitivity.
Meanwhile, a US study highlighted that 10 minutes of daily moderate-to-vigorous activity for adults over the age of 40 could help prevent over 100,000 deaths each year.
All in all, it sounds like even 10 minutes of moving about can have a significant impact on your lifespan and wellbeing. So, there’s really no excuse not to bust out a quick workout right now…
As we all know, getting the heart rate up not only helps us feel good in our bodies, but can help us clear the mental cobwebs.
“If you’ve been stuck in a fitness rut for a while, challenging yourself to do a 10-minute, intense workout can also bring you out of your slump and keep you working towards your goal,” says Penny Weston, founder of MADE.
It’s habit-forming too; Weston says a quick 10-minute moderate workout can help you maintain your goals, and trick you into putting in more effort because you know it’ll be over sooner.
You’ll feel even better for it when you’re done. “Any exercise is shown to help with brain function, mood and mental focus,” says Weston. “Exercise can boost blood flow to the brain, which can increase neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, known as the ‘happy hormones’ which can improve focus and mood.”
Research from Harvard Medical School showed that even brief physical activity can improve mood and cognitive function. What’s more, a 2018 study in the journal Neuropsychologia highlighted that reaction time was slightly improved after a 10-minute cycle.
In other words, the best time for a quick 10-minute workout might be in the middle of your work day. Or, why not multiple times throughout your work day, as required?
“The reality is that a short workout gives you a break, helps release endorphins and relieve mental stress,” says Cooper. “A quick-blast workout is more likely to improve mental focus by simply having a scheduled break where you can fully switch off, enabling you to return refreshed and revitalised.”
With that in mind, our experts have prepared a variety of equipment-free, on the go workouts catered to your goals. You can do these if you’re pushed for time, travelling, or simply want to challenge yourself with something new.
If the barbells are all being hogged in the gym, or you’re travelling and don’t have your trusty kettlebell to hand, Morgan suggests completing two rounds of the below, working on each exercise for 45 seconds and resting for 15 seconds between moves.
After a dynamic warm-up of arm swings, standing hip circles, and wrist rolls, launch into:
These can be standard or modified (kneeling). “Focus on a controlled movement for upper body strength,” says Morgan.
To avoid injury, keep your chest up and knees aligned with your toes.
Lie face down, raise your arms and legs off the ground, and hold for 45 seconds to strengthen the lower back.
“Engage the glutes and quads, really feeling it through the muscles,” says Morgan.
Hold a plank and tap each shoulder in turn without rotating the hips.
Cooper’s cardio crusher takes things outside for a workout that will have your heart racing in no time at all.
Start by jogging for two minutes, then go into:
“Make it tougher by placing the soles of your feet against a wall while you work,” says Cooper.
Place your feet against the park wall for support, then let it rip. Add in a twist for extra points.
“Squats are great for building muscle – and burning calories,” says Cooper. “Adding a jump at the bottom of the movement takes it to the next level.”
Deadbugs engage the entire body, making for the toughest half-minute of your life. Lie on your back with a bend in the knees. Bring the opposite leg and arm in, before extending fully as the next pair come in.
There’s a reason boxers are so toned. Get your dukes up and go for it.
Weston’s total body blaster follows an AMRAP principle. That’s as many rounds as possible within the 10-minute time frame.
By focusing on a range of exercises you’ll improve mobility, strength, and your overall fitness.
Aim for 20 reps per exercise. Found it too easy? Add in two extra rounds next time.
“This is a brilliant exercise to work those obliques,” says Weston. Lift your legs off the ground - the higher you lift, the harder the exercise. Your back must be at a 45-degree angle to the floor and your knees slightly bent, your hands reaching from side to side as you twist.
Put your hands on the floor at your side and keep your lower back on the floor. Then pull the left knee in towards your chest at the same time as extending your right leg, as if you are cycling.
Go down into a push-up position from standing, complete a push-up, then jump back up.
Like the jump squats, these are a killer. The key is to spring up off your back leg, switching legs in mid-air. And repeat.
“These will get your heart rate up and will burn calories quickly,” says Weston. They are also pretty exhausting. Sorry about that.
Words by Tom Ward
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