The 3 Hottest 5-Minute Workouts You Can Do!

Did you know you can get a killer full-body, heart-pounding workout in just 5 minutes? You might, but you might not believe that it "counts" as much as, say, 45 minutes of repping out or stepping out. But the science says it does!

A recent study published in the journal PLOS ONE saw subjects achieve decent amounts of weight loss while increasing their calorie burn, with a workout where they were pushing hard for…1 minute.[1] To be exact, it was all-out work that lasted 20 seconds with 2 minutes of active recovery between sets for 3 rounds. But still, that's just a single minute of working hard!

This was no surprise to me! I've been using similar methods for years. The three sizzling-hot, 5-minute interval workouts I'm sharing with you have helped me and my clients become lean and mean. I'm not saying this is all we do, but when we are in a pinch, this is it—and it's far, far better than nothing. Here's proof that just a little bit of time can get you results!

Three Workouts, 5 Minutes, Plenty of Sweat

These quick sessions can come in handy when you're feeling overwhelmed or tired. It's also easier to talk yourself into doing something for 5 minutes than 25 minutes or an hour. Chances are when the 5 minutes are up, you may feel ready to do more! That's a great feeling.

I've created three workout videos that you can watch and follow along. The first two workouts are designed to use with a kettlebell. The third workout is just you and your body weight. All three can be done anytime, anywhere.

Go through each exercise one after the next. Take as little rest as possible. If you don't have two bells for the double swings and high pulls, do more regular swings with a heavier bell, if possible. Don't know how to do the snatch? Either learn, or do single-kettlebell high pulls.

This follows the now well-known Tabata protocol of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for 5 minutes. During your 10-second rests, you can just stand and breathe, shake it off, or my favorite, do hula-style hip circles.

You may have heard of the 7-minute workout. This one is not only 2 minutes shorter, but also a lot easier to remember since it's only five moves. Not sure how to do a bodyweight get-up? Just follow along with the video!

References

1. Gillen, J. B., Martin, B. J., MacInnis, M. J., Skelly, L. E., Tarnopolsky, M. A., & Gibala, M. J. (2016). Twelve weeks of sprint interval training improves indices of cardiometabolic health similar to traditional endurance training despite a five-fold lower exercise volume and time commitment. PLOS ONE, 11(4), e0154075.