Exercise science can sometimes be overwhelming. People think that expensive and complicated routines are necessary in order to see fitness results, especially when it comes to a toned body. An article in the May-June issue of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal makes it relatively simple by laying down the Scientific 7-Minute Body Weight Workout. With these 12 exercises, using only body weight, a chair and a wall, it fulfills the latest mandates for high-intensity effort, which combines a long run and a visit to the weight room into about seven minutes, which can be done at home — all of it based on science.
To maximize the metabolic impact of the exercise, time should be sufficient enough to allow for the proper execution of 15 to 20 repetitions of an exercise. A 30-second exercise bout per exercise is adequate.
When rest intervals are too long, it undermines the purpose of the high-intensity routine, which is to create maximal exercise intensity in minimal time. To maximize benefits of this type of training, 30 seconds of rest or less has been observed to maximize metabolic impact. For maximum time efficiency, we recommend minimizing (≤15 seconds) rest time between body weight exercises.
Exercises are performed for 30 seconds, with 10 seconds of transition time between bouts. Total time for the entire circuit workout is approximately 7 minutes. The circuit can be repeated 2 to 3 times.
Jumping jacks Total body
Wall sit Lower body
Push-up Upper body
Abdominal crunch Core
Step-up onto chair Total body
Squat Lower body
Triceps dip on chair Upper body
Plank Core
High knees/running in place Total body
Lunge Lower body
Push-up and rotation Upper body
Side plank Core