Believe it or not, even busy people can incorporate exercise into their daily schedules by just sparing 10 minutes every day. A short session like this can sometimes be a lifesaver as well as a sanity-saver when it comes to dealing with everyday stress. Working out comes with a host of health benefits and lets you sleep easily at night. They don’t necessarily have to be extremely long-drawn affairs for you to reap the benefits. Even a 10-minute workout can do wonders for your body.
So, the next time you feel overwhelmed with work and in need of a break, why don’t you try any of these 10-minute routines? You will feel instantly better, become more focused, and also stay on track with your fitness goals.
- Beginner-Friendly Total Body Workout
This is an intensive routine that is quite simple and beginner-friendly. Essentially, this routine involves doing as many repetitions as possible of all the steps within ten minutes. It goes this way:
- 5 push-ups
- 10 squats
- 15 plank taps
- 20 jumping jacks
(Image source: https://pixabay.com/photos/woman-workout-fitness-fit-exercise-7539138/)
These four workouts can help move your whole body, and they are also great for your cardiovascular system. You can incorporate these with alternative periods of rest, or no periods of rest at all if you are looking to challenge yourself. You can also alter the number of reps for each exercise as you see fit. Essentially, this routine will get your body moving, and doing it regularly will certainly help you lose weight and build muscle.
- Energizing Bodyweight Workout
Bodyweight exercises are among the most effective workouts if you are looking to build muscle. This workout is designed to work up a sweat and keep you on your toes. It goes this way:
- Squats
- Knee pushups
- Mountain climbers
- Lunges
(Image source: https://pixabay.com/photos/plank-exercise-female-fitness-fit-2054729/)
The best way to go about this routine is to perform each of these exercises for 30 seconds. Try to get in as many reps as possible within these 30 seconds. Then, take a rest for another 30 seconds. This is important because continuous muscle exertion can lead to fatigue. After the period of rest, do the routine all over again. Ideally, you should be able to get in at least four rounds of the routine in 10 minutes.
- Strength Training Routine
Strength training isn’t something that needs to be done only at the gym. You can also train this way at home by alternating between these exercises:
- 5 Squats
- 10 Pushups
- 30 second Plank
- 15 Crunches
(Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-black-tank-top-and-black-leggings-doing-yoga-3823063/)
Note that this workout will not necessarily leave you drenched in sweat. Therefore, it is a wonderful routine to do at work when you are on your break. Ideally, you should try to complete at least 30 seconds of each exercise for each rep and take some rest in between. However, resting is optional with this routine since it involves strength training. You should be getting in 4-6 reps of the entire workout in under 10 minutes, depending on your intensity.
- Ladder Workout Challenge
This workout involves a ladder-like movement from low-intensity to high-intensity exercises. Essentially, this challenge consists of doing as many burpees as possible within a given time frame. It works in this way: increase the intensity of the reps from 1 to 2, then 2 to 3, and so on. Start with a set of dumbbell thrusters, jumping lunges, and bungees, doing each for 1 rep. Then do the same routine for 2 reps each. Continue along these lines until you reach 10 minutes.
(Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/strong-young-sportsman-jumping-over-barrier-3764580/)
This is a very work-intensive routine, and it involves the use of almost all the muscles of the body. If you are looking for a workout that challenges you and builds your muscles, this is a great option.
- Cardio Blast Workout
Are you looking for a routine that can be altered in terms of intensity depending on how energetic you feel? Well, look no further. This cardio blast workout is designed with every kind of person in mind, so you can start at a beginner level and slowly progress to an advanced level. It goes this way:
- 5 Jumping rope
- 5 Burpees
- 5 Squat jumps
- 30 second Plank
- 5 Lunges
(Image credits: https://pixabay.com/photos/female-jumping-rope-action-956640/)
These five sets of cardio-intensive exercises are sure to get your heart rate up in no time. For a beginner level, you could start with 30 seconds of exercise followed by 30 seconds of rest. Then, you can take it up a notch to 40 seconds of exercise with 20 seconds of rest and finally progress to 50 seconds of exercise with 10 seconds of rest.
- Circuit Workout
This circuit workout is great if you are looking for something consistent without a routine to help you build muscle. It goes this way:
- 5 Burpees
- 10 Pushups
- 15 Plank Jacks
- 20 Jump squats
(Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-in-black-t-shirt-and-black-pants-sitting-on-concrete-bench-4761339/)
You may choose to rest between the circuit workout or continue with the remaining reps. However, it is recommended to rest for a few seconds since these exercises can strain your muscles, leading to muscle fatigue. You can also personalize this workout by increasing or decreasing the number of reps at your convenience. As long as you finish this routine 4-5 times in 10 minutes, you should be able to change it around.
- Morning Workout Routine
If you are the kind of person who prefers to start their day with some light exercise, this morning workout routine is perfect for you. This is not extremely intensive, and as a matter of fact, you can perform this as many times throughout the day as you wish. This is also perfect to do at your office and other outdoor spaces since this will not leave you drenched in sweat.
It goes this way:
- 1 minute of stretching
- 1 minute of push-ups
- 1 minute of plank hold
- 1 minute of squats
- 1 minute of lunges
(Image source: https://pixabay.com/photos/exercise-fitness-lunges-sportswear-1845756/)
You will be able to fit this routine into ten minutes easily without feeling overwhelmed since it consists of relatively easy exercises.
- Two-Move Workout
You do not have to perform a lot of exercises in one routine to get the benefits of working out. As this two-move workout will demonstrate, you can pretty much work your whole body with just two moves performed alternately. This is how it goes:
- 10 push-ups
- 10 squat jumps
(Image source: https://pixabay.com/photos/sport-fitness-exercise-pilates-1686063/)
For a beginner-friendly level, you could take 10 seconds of rest in between each of the workouts and continue it this way for 10 minutes. For an advanced level, you could choose to rest directly between reps instead of between the exercises. Push-ups are great for engaging all the muscles in your body, and squat jumps get your heart rate up and running in addition to working your lower body.
- Total-Body Strength Workout
If you are looking for the perfect intensive training routine, look no further. This is a full-body workout, meaning it engages every part of the body and, additionally, helps you build muscle. This workout can leave you super sweaty since it is very intensive. Therefore, make sure to have your sportswear on for this one. This is how it goes:
- 5 squats
- 5 squat jumps
- 5 plank jacks
- 5 backward lunges
(Image source: https://pixabay.com/photos/sport-fitness-exercise-pilates-1685934/)
This is a heart-pumping workout routine that will leave you feeling super refreshed. You can integrate 10 seconds of rest into this routine at your convenience. It is generally advised to rest after two reps of each exercise.
- Monster Workout Challenge
If you are looking for the ultimate champion workout that will tone your body perfectly, this monster challenge is for you. Ready to see how it goes?
- 10 burpees
- 10 high plank leg lifts
- 10 touchdown lunges
- 10 knee pushups
- 20 jump squats
(Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-man-jumping-on-box-1552248/)
As you can see, this routine is far more intensive than any of the others we have discussed. This will not only help you lose stubborn weight, but it will also help in toning and sculpting your body. You should incorporate rest in between workouts to get the most out of each rep. Keep in mind that you should start slow and then work your way up to higher reps.
In Conclusion
Many people tend to think that unless it is an hour-long session at the gym, it does not count as a workout. Well, they could not be more wrong. It has been seen that short periods of activity followed by intervals of rest (also known as HIIT) can be far more effective in burning calories and building muscle. We have demonstrated how even a 10-minute workout can help you stay on the path of wellness, especially when you are short on time. Go on, have your pick!