Can you get a good workout in 5 minutes? Yeah!

It may take 10 minutes to get the physique you need to be on the cover of a bodybuilding magazine, but you can get a good, fast, intense workout in 5 minutes or less.

The name of the game is to choose one or two exercises that target multiple muscle groups at once. Some of the best exercises to choose from are push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and cleans with overhead presses.

The goal is to do as many repetitions of one or two exercises in 3-5 minutes.

If you’re doing push-ups, do as many as you can in 5 minutes. Whether it’s pull-ups, squats, or presses…the goal is to do as many as you can in 5 minutes.

I doubt you’ll be able to do pushups continuously for 5 minutes, so you’ll have to break it up into several sets. Whether you do 5 or 9 sets in that time frame is up to you and your current fitness level.

The key is rest between sets. You can rest for 10, 15 or 20 seconds…it depends on your fitness level, but try to keep the same rest period. Don’t forget you only have 5 minutes, so you can’t rest for a full minute, the goal is to do as many reps as possible in those 5 minutes.

Do it one of two ways

One way is to do a set progression…the first set you can do 12 reps…the next set…9, then 6 reps and so on. You keep lowering the number of reps for each set you do. Trust me, this is a good little exercise when done correctly. You’re trying to do as many reps in that short amount of time, which means you want to keep your rest time to a minimum, but keep the rest period the same.

The other option is to choose a target number of repetitions for each set.

You can do sets of 5, 7, or 15 reps per set, it doesn’t matter if you choose it based on your fitness level. The key is to do the same number of repetitions each time. Again, you want to keep the rest period constant (10, 15, or 20 seconds is fine). If you’re doing 7 reps per set, the first set may seem easy, especially if you can do 15 push-ups or chin-ups in any given time. But by the time you get to the 4th or 5th set, seven reps may be pretty difficult for you.

FYI… the way you stimulate or change the density of your muscles is by stressing them. If it’s easy… muscles don’t have to CHANGE (get stronger or firmer) if they can already do the task you ask them to do. When subjected to stress, the muscle must adapt and become stronger or firmer to fulfill the task it is forced to undertake.

This is a simple and quick workout that is great for variety, time constraints (mom with kids and jobs… this is a great quick workout) and probably most useful for those who train at home.

You can do this exercise in a gym. You can do a 5-minute workout on a squat rack…then spend another 5 minutes on pull-ups, lat pull-downs, or seated row exercises. Followed by a 5 minute bench press or pushup workout, then finish off by doing some clean, overhead presses.

Grabbing a kettle and doing one or two exercises for 5 minutes is another way to incorporate the 5-minute workout.

A great game to motivate yourself is to always try to do at least one more rep than you did in the previous workout. It gives you something to aim for.

Don’t forget to make sure you train your body equally. If you’re doing push-ups, you also need to do pull-ups; otherwise, you are creating a muscle imbalance and making your body more vulnerable to back and neck pain. So, don’t just do pushups that only target the middle of your upper body.

Pushups target the chest, shoulders, and triceps… half of your upper body!

You don’t want to train only the upper half of your body because you can’t do pull-ups.

My favorite way to exercise at home is to do as many push-ups and pull-ups as possible in those five minutes. If you can’t do pull-ups, you should incorporate modified pull-ups into your workout, but the goal should be to get a complete and balanced workout.

If you haven’t tried this exercise, give it a try. You’ll be amazed at how fit you can be in less than 10 minutes a day! Remember in the military… all they do to get in shape is push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups and a lot of running.

Also, it’s not how long you train, but how intense your training is. The more intense the training, the greater the increase in testosterone. Just walking can release some testosterone and growth hormones, but the more intense the exercise, the more growth hormones and testosterone are released. This is important because it is that testosterone that helps us add lean muscle to our bodies for both men and women. It also helps increase our libido.

Don’t forget, exercise does not guarantee good health. If you’re struggling with various health conditions (hypoglycemia, thyroid issues, hormonal imbalances, adrenal fatigue, etc.), your exercise routine should take those conditions into account. Otherwise, all your time, energy, and effort may not be getting you the results you expect. If that’s the case, you may want a second opinion to make sure you’re getting the most out of all your hard work.