It seems that no matter how hard we try, it can be difficult to get to the gym, go for a run, or do an at-home workout due to life getting in the way. If you have more than one job or you’ve got little ones running around all hours of the day, difficulty becomes nearly impossible.
Scientists saw the problem, and – as scientists tend to do – got to work on creating a solution. What they came up with was The Scientific 7-minute Workout – A workout that requires nothing more to complete than a chair, a wall, and your own body weight. Not having to buy any equipment makes this workout appealing enough, but that’s not even the best part…. The best part is:
This workout only takes seven minutes to complete.
Seven minutes. That’s it! Who can’t find seven spare minutes in their day, especially when those seven minutes could be the starting point to getting your health on track? I know what you’re thinking (because I felt exactly the same thing) – How on earth could seven minutes make any sort of difference when I’ve been told for ages that I need to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day?
The program is based on HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). When you’re doing a HIIT workout, you’re essentially pushing your body to close to its max for the entire workout instead of gradually working up to a sweat. The Scientific 7-minute Workout is said to be the equivalent of going for a run and spending some time in the weight room without having to actually do those things.
The Workout
The Scientific 7-minute Workout is 12 different exercises – The program works by you pushing yourself hard for thirty seconds and then resting for ten. The entire seven-minute routine goes as follows:
- 30 seconds of jumping jacks.
- 10-second rest.
- Wall sitting for 30 seconds.
- 10-second rest.
- 30 seconds of push-ups.
- 10-second rest.
- 30 seconds of crunches.
- 10-second rest.
- Stepping up onto a chair for 30 seconds.
- 10-second rest.
- 30 seconds of squats.
- 10-second rest.
- 30 seconds of doing tricep dips with your chair.
- 10-second rest.
- Planking for 30 seconds.
- 10-second rest.
- 30 seconds of running in place with high knees.
- 10 seconds of rest.
- 30 seconds of lunges.
- 10-second rest.
- 30 seconds of doing pushups with a rotation.
- 10-second rest.
- 30 seconds of doing a side plank.
It’s important that you take the ten-second rests because your body needs time to recover in between the intense 30 seconds of exercise. It’s also important that you push your body throughout the 30-second periods in order to reap the full benefits of the workout plan – You should be constantly sitting at an 8 on a 1-10 discomfort scale.
The official recommendation is you repeat this routine three times, making a full workout last for 21 minutes. However, if you don’t have the appropriate level of fitness, my suggestion would be to take it slow and gradually work your way up to those 21 minutes. Those who are busy can also do just 1-2 reps whenever they can squeeze them into their schedule.
Does it work?
I personally tried this workout last night just to see how effective it is. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll inform you that I’m an avid yoga practitioner but don’t generally do a lot of cardio besides dog walking.
I found the first half of the routine to be relatively easy, but by the time I got to the plank I could really start to feel it. By the time I’d finished the workout, my heart rate was up, I was beginning to sweat, and I felt like I’d done a decent workout. I’ll admit that for someone who’s incredibly physically fit, this workout probably isn’t going to do a whole lot for you other than warm you up, but for the average person or someone who doesn’t have a whole lot of time to spare, it’s worth trying out.
