The estimated reading time for this post is 3 minutes
In less than the time it takes you to read this article, you could be finished with your workout for the day. The 7 Minute Workout, developed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), is designed to give you both cardio and strength training for your large muscle groups in a minimal amount of time.
If you’re training for the Olympic games in Sochi, this workout won’t replace your fitness schedule (though you could use it while you’re waiting in the airport lounge for your flight to Russia). But if you want to get the maximum results in the minimum time, the 7 Minute workout is a great place to start.
What Is the 7 Minute Workout?
The 7 Minute Workout is a high intensity circuit training using your body weight for maximal results in a minimal amount of time, according to the ACSM website. The workout is a series of 12 different exercises performed in order for 30 seconds each with a 10 second break between each exercise. You are supposed to work out intensely for 30 seconds then give your body a 10 second rest so you’ll be ready for the next exercise.
The exercises and target muscle groups include:
- Jumping Jacks – total body
- Wall Sit – lower body
- Push-ups – upper body
- Abdominal Crunch – core
- Chair Step-ups – total body
- Squats – lower body
- Chair Tricep Dips – upper body
- Plank – core
- Running in Place/High Knees – total body
- Lunges – lower body
- Rotating Push-ups – upper body
- Side Planks – core
What You Need
You don’t need much for the 7 Minute Workout. All you need is:
- Your body
- A wall
- A chair
- 7 minutes of your time
What You Don’t Need
Things you don’t need for the 7 Minute Workout:
- Exercise equipment
- A gym membership
- Fancy-schmancy workout clothes
Intensity
You’re only spending 7 minutes doing this program so you’re supposed to make it count. No free ride here, if you’re lollygagging during those 7 minutes you won’t see results. It’s not supposed to be fun, it’s supposed to be intense.
From the ACSM website: “Proper execution requires a willing and able participant who can handle a great degree of discomfort for a relatively short duration. It is also essential that participants in an HICT understand proper exercise form and technique. As with all exercise programs, prior medical clearance from a physician is recommended.”
7 Minutes? Really?
Hey, if 7 minutes is all you have then this workout will be an efficient way to use your time. Of course, a longer workout will produce better results.
ACSM recommends at least 20 minutes of workout time to achieve the best results, so try to do three sets of these exercises if you have the time. If 7 minutes is all you can spare then this workout will make the most of those 7 minutes.
How Tech Can Help
After the ACSM article was published last year, plenty of folks got busy not just with the 7 Minute Workout but with bringing that workout to you via videos and apps. You can use tech to:
- Learn the exercises
- See the proper form for the exercises
- Alert you when it’s time to take a break or start a new exercise
- Remind you to do the workout
Apps
If you have a smartphone or a tablet, you can grab apps for the 7 Minute Workout. Plenty of apps are available for the workout, you can read the reviews and descriptions to see which ones fit best for you. Most are free so you can try them out to discover whether you want music, a countdown, reminders or other features.
Here are some highly rated 7 Minute Workout apps available for mobile devices:
iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch
Android
Kindle Fire and Android
Windows Phone
BlackBerry
YouTube Video
Don’t have a smartphone? You can still do the 7 Minute Workout. Check out this YouTube video from Lifehacker that will guide you through the 7 Minute Workout:
Your Thoughts
Have you tried the 7 Minute Workout? Do you like the idea of maximum fitness results in a minimum amount of time? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
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This article is the 4th in The Wonder of Tech series Tech + Fitness to show you how tech can help you achieve your fitness goals. Be sure to check out the other articles in the series:
FitBit Zip: Wearable Tech Inspiring You to Get Active
Thanks for this idea, Carolyn – I’m going to incorporate this 7 minute workout into my morning routine… I hike, exercise, etc. in the afternoons, but this looks like a great way to start the day…
FYI – for some reason, I can’t see the words I’m typing into your comment box… I write it on notepad and copy and paste. It appears when I publish, but… just letting you know. Strange. I’m using Chrome.
Cheers!
Hi Mark, Wow, I hadn’t heard of anyone every having that problem before. My site automatically updated to the latest version of WordPress right after I published this article. I hope that didn’t cause problems. Your comment published just fine.
I’m glad you found this helpful. You’re right, even if you’re active with other exercises you may want to add this workout on days you don’t have time to be active or if you want a more complete workout.
What an Great Idea, Actually i am a medical student in early morning my time passing by study. But its a great topic i will follow after two month after my exam. Thanks Carolyn…
Hi Mahendra, Yes, if you need to take a break from your studies, you can use this workout program to get your blood flowing in just a few minutes. It’s easy to feel lethargic after spending hours studying so taking a few minutes to exercise can rejuvenate your studies.
Good luck with your exams, Mahendra! :-bd
I would not substitute my fitness or yoga classes for a 7 minute workout, but on some days of the week when I’m too busy for an hour long workout , this would be perfect. It would still give me the feeling I actually did something for my health and get me out of my office chair.
Plus it seems like fun!
Hi Judy, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, you don’t need to replace your existing exercises with the 7 Minute Workout, but you can supplement them instead. You’re right, if you find that you have an extra few minutes to spare you can use that office chair for something other than sitting! :-bd
Hi Carolyn…I have always been a fitness freak and have tried all kinds of work outs but never heard of getting fit in just 7 minutes!! MUST TRY!!
I am a little curious how just 7 minutes of the push ups and jumping is going to help…may be it is for the ones who are already fit to maintain it. Thanks for sharing such lovely thoughts.
Have a nice weekend.
Hi Balroop, You’re right, it sounds as if 7 minutes wouldn’t be enough to break a sweat. All I can say is give it a go. You may be very surprised at how challenging this workout can be! :-O
Sounds a little like the Canadian Air Force exercise which I have been doing every day for years.
Hi Jerry, That’s great! Maybe tech can help enhance your exercise routine. You could follow along with the YouTube video to help you keep track of when to move on to rest and then to the next exercise. :-bd
Hey Carolyn, Excellent article. It’s amazing how easy it is to find time to exercise and how many excuses people still have. After reading this article, I wonder what they’ll say now…? I like the fact that you don’t need any equipment other than yourself and your surroundings. The gyms will hate it 🙂 Great post!
Hi Joyce, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re right, people won’t have any excuses for not working out with this 7 Minute Workout. Hey, who doesn’t have a wall or a chair?
Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment, Joyce.
Hey Carolyn,
I need to do something like this and this is really a great way to start me off. I walk everyday weather permitting but I really need to do more and since I don’t enjoy exercising then forcing myself to do like an hour a day just doesn’t work for me. But, I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately anyway because I’m not getting any younger and I want to stay as healthy as I can. 7 minutes a day to start off with I can definitely handle. I know that once I get use to doing them then I can increase the time until I’m up to 20 minutes a day or maybe even longer.
Thank you for sharing this and I’m looking forward to your Friday series. I have a feeling I’m going to be learning even more from you.
Great job Carolyn and thanks for the addition of the video too. Great help for me.
Enjoy your week.
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Yes, that would be great if you used this 7 Minute Workout for days where you can’t walk because of the weather or your time constraints. With only 7 minutes needed for this workout, you can probably squeeze it in to even your busiest day.
You’re right, as bloggers we tend to sit in front of a computer screen all day so it’s important to get off of our chair and use it to get us in shape!
Excellent point, even if you do have a mobile device you may want to use the YouTube video to guide your workout. You can even play this video on your mobile device without needing an app!
Hey Carolyn,
I am (trying) to pay much more attention to my health, so this article definitely helps. Although I haven’t exactly practiced my exercises in a while (ever since school started back).
In my defense, I would say that I am walking more than a mile every day – from the bus stop to my campus 😀 (Perhaps that’s not too helpful…considering than I am a 20 yr old…I should probably exercise more).
As for 7 min exercises, well I remember coming across a website called 7 min exercises a few weeks back (not sure if that website is related to this study – you can check the website here: 7-min.com).
Thank you for reminding me about exercising, Carolyn 😀
I will try to do it from tomorrow on (I am planning to implement a new pomodoro schedule..this should work well with that).
Hope you had a wonderful weekend!
Hi Jeevan, Yes, your walk to the bus stop certainly counts as exercise but the 7 Minute Workout will give you a good balance for the different muscle groups.
Great idea to incorporate the 7 Minute Workout into your new Pomodoro schedule! I hope that goes very well. I know a lot of people who swear by it.
Hello Carolyn,
Seven minutes for exercise is a really great idea! For super busy people, I cannot imagine anything better!
However, for persons like me who spend at least 1 full hour a day working out or cycling, such a simple option like the seven minutes routine may not replace my vigorous exercise cycle.
Always,
Terungwa
Hi Terungwa, That’s fantastic that you work out so long each day. You’re getting a good bit of exercise with your exercise regimen. You’re right the 7 Minute Workout is designed for people who don’t have a lot of time for exercise and want to make the most of that time.
Perhaps you might find the 7 Minute Workout advantageous if you are missing working out a certain muscle group. For example, if you need to work on your core muscles, you could do those exercises from the 7 Minute workout.
Great post!
I watched the video and enjoyed performing the routine, I guess this exercise is for those who are just starting up to get fit. The exercises are plain simple and helpful if performed regularly. 🙂 THANKS!
Hi Gwapo, Thanks, I’m glad you liked this article. Actually, this workout routine can help everyone because it works on the different muscle groups and helps with both strength and cardiovascular. If the workout seems easy, then try to increase the reps during the 30 seconds intervals or do several sessions of the workout.
You’re right, the exercises are very simple and easy to learn which is another advantage of this workout program.
Hi Carolyn….I LOVE the idea of the 7 Minute Workout…the app is loading as I type this. I just got myself a FitBit Force and am really trying to hold myself accountable to attaining a more active lifestyle. We work so hard at creating optimal health for our businesses and yet we neglect our own health Thanks for the gentle reminder…I’m off to do some jumping jacks 😉
Claudia
Hi Claudia, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You go, girl! That’s awesome you are creating a more active lifestyle for yourself. You’re absolutely right, so often we advise others to make healthy choices yet we ignore our own advice. So great you’re doing this for yourself. :-bd
I’m also excited for you using the FitBit Force. We just had a review of the FitBit Zip last week here at The Wonder of Tech.
We are spending our hours and hours in gym and physical centres to keep ourself but all going in vain. I would like to thank you very for sharing such nice and informative article with your readers.
I hope with less effort and less time we can keep ourself fit for ever. Thanks
Hi Martin, Yes, for those who can’t get to they gym, the 7 Minute Workout can be an efficient way to stay in shape. Believe it or not, it’s a harder workout than you might think!
Hi Carolyn,
Wow! This is awesome information. I definitely love the sound of it. 7 minutes and an intense exercise? This is incredibly motivating. I usually go for an hour of gym and because of that, I am unable to do it everyday. But this technique is fresh, easy and very doable everyday.
So, what I am going to do is, study this a bit more on their website and then, add it to my daily to do list in addition to the normal gym workout I go for a couple of times a week.
Thank you for sharing this valuable technique and helping busy people like us get some attention to our own well being 🙂
Have a wonderful rest of the week!
Regards,
Kumar
Hi Kumar, Yes, this 7 Minute Workout can really be a great supplement for your regular workout routine. This way you could make sure you’re hitting the major muscle groups in a short period of time.
That’s great that you are so diligent about keeping fit. Well done! :-bd
I’ve been working out since a year I guess. But this workout plan seems really simple and useful. I’d surely bookmark this post to through it.
Thanks
Hi Samir, That’s great you’ve been working out for a year. Yes, you can use this workout program to supplement what you’re already doing and use it when you don’t have much time to exercise.
Enjoy!