Lack of time is the most common barrier to adapting to exercise. We are conditioned to think that we have to train for 45 or 60 minutes to get results. In reality, very few people have more than an hour to exercise. Those who do often stick to the same steady-state cardio workout and still don’t see results. Done right, a 10-minute workout can be even more effective than long, slow (and often downright boring) cardio sessions. A 10 minute workout is more manageable to fit into your day, and a 10 minute sweat session can be so much more fun!
The key to making a 10 minute cardio session extremely effective is to increase the intensity. If you can talk, you probably aren’t working hard enough. Short bursts of high-intensity exercise will boost your metabolism and tone your muscles more effectively than constant exercise at a lower heart rate. If you’re new to exercise, it’s a good idea to start slowly (at a pace you can carry on a conversation) and build up over two to three months. However, if you’ve been exercising for a while and have no contraindications to high-intensity training, it may be time to pick up the pace and reduce your time on the treadmill.
I’ve put together three simple and effective 10-minute workouts that you can try. If you haven’t warmed up yet, spend an extra 2-5 minutes relaxing into your workout. End each workout by warming up for a few minutes.
1. 1 minute bursts. Do this exercise on a cardio machine or outdoors on foot or by bike.
1 minute: moderate effort
1 minute: Pick up the pace. He should be breathing hard and definitely NOT able to talk.
Repeat for a total of 5 times. Try to increase the intensity of your hard intervals throughout your entire workout (for example, run faster or increase the RPM on the bike).
2. Ascents of 30 seconds. Do this exercise on a cardio machine or outdoors on foot or by bike.
30 seconds: easy to moderate
30 seconds: Hard
30 seconds: very difficult
30 seconds: Very very hard (You can do it!)
Repeat for a total of 5 times.
3. Full Body Burn
Warm-up: 25-50 jumping jacks
30 seconds High knee running or walking
30 seconds Squats or jump squats
30 seconds High knee running or walking
30 seconds Forward lunges or lunge jumps
30 seconds High knee running or walking
30-second push-ups (knees, toes, or on the wall)
30 seconds High knee running or walking
30 seconds Bicycle Crunches (for abs)
30 seconds High knee running or walking
30 second Burpees (or squats)
Repeat for a total of 2 rounds.
If you have 10 minutes, you have time to fit into your cardio workout. If you don’t have 10 minutes, find the time. You are worth it and the results too!
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