7-minute workout – Is that really enough for the dream body?
You want to be fit, well-trained and healthy without having to spend a lot of time doing sports every day? With the 7-Minuten-Workout there is a sports program with which you can keep your body fit in only 7 minutes, optimize your body shapes and power you up.
We’ll show you if and how the 7-minute workout works and for whom this effective workout is suitable.
What is the 7-minute workout?
The 7-minute workout is a fitness trend from the USA. It was developed by US sports scientists Brett Klika and Chris Jordan of the Human Performance Institute and consists of only 12 exercises to be done daily and within seven minutes.
The 7-minute workout studied in the study became well known through the article The Scientific 7-Minute Workout in The New York Times, which introduced the concept.
Extensive equipment is not required. You can easily devote yourself to the 7-minute workout in your own four walls. All you need is a chair and a wall.
What sounds so fantastically practical is not so easy. The demands of training are high, as it is a variant of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).
What can you expect from the 7-minute workout?
The 7-minute workout starts with a warm-up phase to reduce the risk of injury.
This is followed in seven minutes by an intensive interval workout with 12 exercises, which is an efficient combination of fitness training and weight training.
- The sequence of exercises
- wall seat
- push-ups
- crunches
- Step-up on chair
- squats
- Triceps Dips
- forearm support
- Run on the spot with your knees tightened
- lunges
- Push-ups with rotation
- Lateral forearm support
- Each exercise lasts 30 seconds.
The order of the exercises is arranged in such a way that the muscles used alternate and thus always come to rest for a moment. For this reason, the breaks within the 7-minute workouts can also be extremely short.
What distinguishes the 7-minute workout?
The 7-minute workout is extremely efficient and very strenuous. Your muscles burn within a short time and you quickly reach your individual pain threshold. But the effort is also rewarded.
With this training you should be able to burn fat excellently, so that an effective reduction of your body weight and your body fat portion should be possible. Furthermore you activate your muscles and support a healthy muscle build-up.
Studies also point to an increase in maximum oxygen intake and thus endurance. In addition, insulin resistance should decrease, which minimizes the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
For whom is the 7-minute workout suitable?
The 7-minute workout requires training to the limit. This is the only way to get the most out of the short workout and achieve success.
Therefore, if you want to test the 7-minute workout, you should already be well trained, have experience with the exercises to be performed and do regular strength and endurance sports.
Unfortunately, the 7-minute workout is not a panacea or a substitute for other sporting activities. Rather, you should see the program as a supplement to your traditional training, rather than as a way to get fit with a small amount of time. However, the 7-minute workout can pull you out of a training monotony and give your body new stimuli.
Who should do without the 7-minute workout?
Due to the high intensity and increased demands of training, beginners are not advised to do the 7-minute workout. If you do the exercises slowly and carefully according to your fitness level, you will probably not achieve the desired effect.
However, if you go as far as you can with the training, as assumed by the founders, due to your lack of fitness and experience, you run an unnecessary risk of injury.
Before you start the 7-minute workout, you should learn how to strengthen your endurance and strength for some time and how to perform the required exercises cleanly. As soon as your fitness has increased, you can try these power exercises.
In addition, you should not have any physical limitations such as knee or back problems that restrict your freedom of movement. This training is therefore not suitable for people with physical limitations.
What are the risks of a 7-minute workout?
The biggest risk with the 7-minute workout is the risk of overestimating your performance and running an unnecessary risk of injury.
We also tend to neglect a clean workout if we are training against time and want as many repetitions as possible.
What is behind the 7-minute workout?
The 7-minute workout made headlines for the first time in 2013 when an article in the Health & Fitness Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine claimed that short, very intensive interval training (HIIT) with 12 different movements can be just as effective as longer, less intensive training. The New York Times Magazine adopted the concept and called it “The Scientific 7-Minute-Workout”. And the short workout movement was born. The proof: the countless HIIT fitness DVDs and courses we know today.
At the time, the most emotional thing for me was a ballet class, to which I made it every other week. But to be honest, I didn’t waste too many thoughts on that either. After a trip with friends where they bribed me with ice cream so I could do a 5-minute workout with them, I was finally ready. Even I should be able to move for less than 10 minutes a day.
Small work-outs can motivate more
“When we think of work-out, we often think of courses or programs that last an hour. But a whole hour can be very intimidating,” says Brett Klika, personal trainer and author of the bestseller 7 Minutes To Fit. His book and the method that works with the ideas of today’s famous ACSM article are primarily intended to make sport more accessible. Of course, seven minutes isn’t really enough exercise, even if you do it every day.
The American Heart Association recommends that you do at least 150 minutes of moderate or intensive exercise a week so that it can affect your cardiovascular health. So 49 minutes a week is not enough, even at high intensity. But if you’re a lazybones before the Lord, someone like me, small steps make it easier, says Klika. They can also motivate you to do larger and more intensive work-outs.
Our conclusion on the 7-minute workout
Although your sporting ambition is commendable, you should not underestimate the intensity and risk of injury associated with a 7-minute workut.
Therefore, honestly assess your performance level in advance and adjust your training accordingly. If you think you are fit enough to complete a high-intensity workout, the 7-minute workout is a great way to complement your sports program.
We hope you enjoy it and would be happy if you share your experiences with us in the comments.
