Let's face it: Many of us would work out if we had the time. It can be difficult to squeeze in a consistent workout sesh if you're juggling a full-time corporate job or a full load of classes and still have to do some household chores after braving the Metro Manila traffic. But what if we told you that there's a seven-minute workout that can make exercising daily slightly more achievable?
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What is the seven-minute workout?
First covered by The New York Times nearly 10 years ago, the seven-minute workout was developed by exercise physiologist Chris Jordan for people who live fast-paced lives or have fully booked schedules. The exercise combines circuit training with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to achieve results in a short amount of time. You can even do it in a small space, like your bedroom!
You also don't need any fancy gym equipment since it consists of doing 12 familiar calisthenics exercises—jumping jacks, pushups, or any exercises that use your body weight—each lasting 30 seconds with a five-second resting time between each set. You could even run in place or step up and down a chair. Sounds simple, right?
What is the science behind the seven-minute workout?
And yes, this exercise is backed by science and not a random clickbaity "life hack". Researchers have proven that brief, intensive internal training (and similar workouts) effectively improves health and endurance while being time efficient.
In fact, exercise scientist Eric Tsz-Chun Poon at the Chinese University of Hong Kong led a study in 2023 that had a group of inactive men and women try the seven-minute workout. They alternated between 30 minutes of moderate cycling and seven minutes on a traditional stationary bike. The results showed that both kinds of workouts raised the participants' heart rates enough to make a change in their fitness over time.
How can I make the seven-minute workout suited to my pace and needs?
You may be wondering: What makes the seven-minute workout more challenging compared to traditional exercises? According to Chris Jordan, you need to do each exercise with an eight out of 10 difficulty level. But don't get intimidated by that just yet! Just like when a nurse or doctor asks you how you would rate the pain you're feeling, the difficulty rating of the seven-minute workout varies from person to person.
Yup, you don't have to follow the pace of your workout buddy. That eight is "your perception of an eight," as Chris says, so you can customize the seven-minute workout to suit your current fitness level. For example, instead of setting a target of 20 squats in 30 seconds, you can do less than that. Through time and consistency, you'll eventually see improvement in your endurance as well as overall health and fitness. Win-win!
