How to Get a Good Workout in 10 Minutes

While many busy individuals cannot find the time to do a 30 to 40 minute workout, or at least that is the excuse they use, almost everyone including you, can find 10 minutes in each day to squeeze in a quick workout. But because you are limited on time, you have to maximize the other variable – intensity, which is the rate at which you work out.

Try Circuit Training

Some people try to get a full body workout in their short amount of time while others use routines that target a specific muscle group or body area. For example, your workout might consist of a variety of exercises that target the lower body, upper body and abdominal core. Each exercise is performed until the muscle is exhausted and can no longer perform that exercise – called muscle failure. With minimal rest, you move onto the next exercise and totally work a different muscle group to failure, etc.

Target Specific Muscle Groups

Or your 10 minute workout could consist of a series of two minute exercises that target a specific muscle group, such as upper, or lower, or abdominal core. Your next workout would target a different large muscle group. With targeting, you don’t want to work a muscle group to failure with one exercise, but through a series of timed two-minute exercises.

Sample Routine Without Equipment

So just what can you do in 10 minutes without using any equipment? Well, in 5 minutes you can do 100 pushups, 100 knees raises and 50 jumping jacks. Take a very short rest, drink some water after the first set, and then do another 5-minute set, or do one 5-minute set in the morning and another one in the evening.

Increasing Intensity

In the previous paragraph, we discussed a routine that doesn’t require any equipment, however, if you want to take your 10-minute workout to the next level, you can increase the intensity by doing exercises with light dumbbells (3 to 5 lbs.) or resistance bands.  The additional work your muscles have to do to overcome the additional weight or resistance burns even more calories than doing exercises without weights or bands.

High intensity 10 minute workouts have a lasting effect on your metabolism too. Your body will continue to burn calories at a faster rate for a longer period of time after this type of workout than it would otherwise with a lower intensity, but longer workout.