Many people doubt the effectiveness of the high-intensity 7 minute workout because it’s so quick, but what they don’t know is that there is some good science behind it. Exercise is important for your health, even if it’s only for a few minutes it’s better than nothing. It has been shown that a 4-minute high-intensity workout produces the same results as a 60-minute moderate-intensity workout. The 7-minute workout is also a great way of improving your baseline fitness before you move onto lengthier high-intensity workouts. If you aren’t a believer take a look at these peer-reviewed articles here and here.
The 7-Minute Workout is a combination of circuit training and high-intensity interval training. Circuit training is essentially the use of sequential resistance exercises with little rest and has been proved to improve muscle fitness. High-intensity interval training is characterised by burst exercises with short recoveries and is a great way of improving aerobic fitness. To get results from the 7 Minute Workout it is important to understand the components that make it work.
1. Aerobic and resistance exercises
To lead a healthy and balanced lifestyle you need a healthy and balanced workout and this is exactly what the 7 Minute Workout provides. Aerobic exercises such as high knees running or jumping jacks elevate your heart rate whilst resistance exercises such as push-ups or lunges are great for targeting specific muscles.
2. High-intensity
High-intensity means exercising as fast and as hard as is safely possible. There is a negative relationship between exercise intensity and exercise time. That is, the harder your workout the less time needs to be spent achieving the same result.
3. Exercise Order
The 7 Minute Workout exercises are structured in a particular order to ensure that you can exercise hard and fast in the safest way possible. First a full body aerobic exercise (jumping jacks) to elevate your heart rate and prepare your muscles, then a lower body resistance exercise(wall sitting) followed by an upper body resistance exercise (push-ups), and finally a core exercise such as crunches. This is simply a sequence of whole body, lower body, upper body, and finally core.
4. Minimal rest
Short exercise duration and high-intensity are promoted by the minimal amount of rest allowed by the exercise order. The way the 7 Minute Workout is structured rests the right muscles at the right time therefore maximising time and intensity.
5. No Equipment
All you need for this workout is a chair and a wall. If you are new to high-intensity workouts the 7 min app is perfect way to start off. The app keeps time for you and walks you through you the entire workout giving you twelve great exercises.
The 7 Minute Workout is scientifically proven to be an efficient high-intensity workout. It’s great for exercising with limited time and it’s certainly a lot cheaper than going to the gym or getting a personal trainer.
Now that you know the science behind it checkout The 7 Minute Workout or the 7 Minute Alternate Workout.
