Over the past 3 years or so I have had several personal training clients online and offline in St.Albert and the St.Albert area that have been doing short but frequent 12-minute workouts with good results. In fact I started doing them myself when on vacation as a goal of maintaining some sort of strength and fitness and noticed how well it worked both mentally and physically.
So if you are:
– Short on time
– Just starting a fitness routine
– Wanting to add in an extra workout or two
Then give this protocol a try. I call it the 3 in 12 program. And it’s really simple. You choose 3 exercises do complete in 12 minutes. Sounds like not enough right? Trust me, give it a try for 14 days in a row and you will likely already notice a difference in your performance and how you feel. Why does this happen?
Well short workouts can do a few things for you.
- They are short so it’s easy to actually show up and do it (no excuses)
- They get your circulation going which makes you more alert and productive
- Because it’s short most people naturally push themselves more compared to a longer workout so your intensity is there for the entire workout.
- Getting in a good workout usually leads to making better food choices as well.
- Short workouts like this don’t usually make you hungry so if fat loss is your goal eating less and working out for less time (as long as it’s effective) might be the perfect fit for you.
- Exercise even 12 minutes of it can help to reduce stress and put you in a good mood.
- Exercise can help you get a better nights rest.
If you want to do it as a complete routine aim for 6-7 days a week otherwise use this protocol when you are time crunched and can’t get to your normal workout routine.
Step 1: Set the timer for 12 minutes
Step 2: Choose 2 strength exercises and either 1 mobility or 1 cardio exercise
Step 3: Aim for 10-12 repetitions
Step 4: Do as many rounds with good form as you can in 12 minutes. (Note: Use the first 2 minutes to go light and get the body warmed up)
You will want to choose exercises that don’t really compete with one another (they don’t use the same muscle groups). This way you can push the pace from a cardio stand point while the muscle get a rest.
For a basic plan choose at least 2 different workouts in the following fashion:
Workout A Choose Variations of
Lower Body: Squats, Lunges, RDL’s, Hip Thrusts
Core: Planks, Side Planks, Rotation, Reverse Crunches
Cardio: Jumping Jacks, Mountain Climbers, Shadow Boxing, Sprinting
Workout B Choose Variations of
Pushing: Pushups, Chest Press, Shoulder Press
Pulling: Rows, Cobra’s, Chin Ups
Cardio:Jumping Jacks, Mountain Climbers, Shadow Boxing, Sprinting
Here is an exact workout program you could use at home with just a set of Dumbbells and Bodyweight
Day 1
- Alternating Reverse Lunges x 12-16 total
- Plank Saw x 8-12
- Towel Shoulder Mobility Drill x 5sec hold per side OR Shadow Punches x 40
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF WORKOUT
Day 2
- DB Rows x 10-12
- Pushups x 10-12
- Spider Lunges x 4/side OR Jumping Jacks x 20
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF WORKOUT
Day 3
- DB Squat to Press x 10-12
- W-Cobra x 10-12
- T-Spine Rotation x 8/side OR Mountain Climbers x 30
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF WORKOUT
There you have it three quick 12 minute workouts you can do everyday or just something to do when you’re short on time.