10 Min Home Workout That Beats Going To The Gym

You want to get fit, but you’re not willing to sacrifice a lot of time to do so?

Good News:

It doesn’t take all day, or even hours per day to get fit.

What it does take is:

• Dedication
• Consistency
• and Effort towards your goal.

By working out at home you can achieve all of these things far easier than by paying for a gym membership, fighting traffic to get there, waiting for machines when it’s rush hour, and getting stuck in a rut like lots of gym-rats do.

You may be wondering, Why does this workout beat the gym?

Besides being able to do this any time of day, and fit it into your schedule even on the busiest of work days, this workout you’re about to experience is one of the most efficient full body workouts you can do.

Every exercise in this workout is a “compound exercise” meaning they each work more than one muscle group at a time. By multitasking in this way you’ll get a much more complete workout in a fraction of the time it would take you to drive to the gym, use all the machines, barbells and dumbbells and then drive back home.

Another benefit of using “compound exercises” is that your heart rate will be getting high enough that this can even be considered “cardio training” if you move fast enough & use short rest periods.

If you want to increase the cardio benefit of this workout to combine your strength training and cardio all in one then decrease or eliminate the rest periods and you’ll be sweating and feel your heart pumping in no time.

You may be skeptical thinking “Can I really get as good of a workout at home as I can at the gym?” Do this workout, stay super focused, and you’ll see why it’s so effective at getting you in shape. I find that the best way to stay focused when training at home is to use timed intervals instead of counting reps.

It can be easy to get distracted and walk away from your workout when training at home, but if you are “on the clock” and you keep your rest periods short you can keep an incredible focus and get your workout done in a very short amount of time.

This workout is done with your bodyweight only, so there is no equipment needed. Not even shoes! Use an interval timer or a simple wall clock to maintain dedicated work and rest periods. If you choose to do reps instead of time, that’s fine too. You’re welcome to do as many or as few reps of each move as you like.

To hit exactly ten minutes we will break it down to two rounds of five exercises, with the interval lengths of your choice, depending on your current fitness level and the level of intensity you wish to achieve.

Option 1 – 30:30, 30 seconds of work, followed by 30 seconds of rest between exercises. I recommend this for beginners or those looking for a light-intensity workout.

Option 2 – 40:20, 40 seconds of work, followed by 20 seconds of rest between exercises. I recommend this for intermediate level or those looking for a medium intensity workout.

Option 3 – 50:10, 50 seconds of work, with a short break of just 10 seconds between exercises. I recommend this for advanced or those looking for the highest intensity cardio workout.

Whichever of these work to rest ratios you choose the work + rest time will take 60 seconds per exercise, per round, so all of these options will equate to an exactly ten minute workout.

If you are not sure what fitness level you are or what level you want to work at, use 30:30 for the first round, then adjust based on how you feel after the first round is complete. You’ll do as many reps as you can, with good form, in your chosen time intervals.

To keep track of your progress over time, write down how many reps you did and compare it when you do this workout again and again.

Here are the 5 exercises:

1) Squat Thrust

Squat thrusts are similar to burpees but without the pushup or the jump.

By using this toned-down version of a burpee you can focus more on correct form an alignment rather than speed or explosiveness, helping you avoid injuries often caused by doing sloppy or rushed burpees.

Start in a standing position with your feet about shoulder width apart and hands down by your sides.

Squat down until your knees form 90 degree angles, making sure to keep your heels pressing into the ground. Shift your weight slightly forward onto the balls of your feet and place your hands down on the ground about 6 inches in front of your toes, with about the same width.

Put pressure onto your hands and lightly jump your legs all the way back to form a plank position. Ensure that your hands are in alignment under your chest and you’re on your toes with your legs fully extended straight.

Tighten up your core, leg and butt muscles as you exhale. Then on your inhale hop back into the same position your feet were before, plant your weight on your heels, lift your chest and stand back upright.

In this standing position ensure that you are all the way upright and flex your butt and legs. Roll your shoulders to the back and lift your chin. Then begin the next rep.

Form is important here, so I encourage you to pay attention to the details and even though you’ll be moving quickly to create cardio benefit, you do not need to sacrifice good form to do so.

2) Pushup + Lunge stand ups

Push ups and Lunges are both excellent full body exercises that recruit your major muscle groups like chest and legs.
When we combine these two we can sky rocket the heart rate in no time, and at the same moment be toning and shaping butt, legs, arms and core.

Start in your push up position. Ensure that your hands are right below your chest, wider than shoulder width apart and toes are about hip width apart. Do a full push up by bending your elbows and lowering your chest towards the ground. Make sure your core stays tight and does not sag.

Press back up to the plank position and step one of your feet all the way up just outside your hand. Push your foot down into the ground to stand all the way up to standing, allowing your back leg to just float behind you.

You can place your hands on your hips or out to your sides to help with balance.

Once you reach the top, lunge back down and replace your hands and feet to the same positions to start again. Alternate sides and do a pushup in between each lunge stand up.

3) Side to Side Samurai Lunges

Side lunges are the absolute best for training inner thighs which is an often overlooked & hard to train area.
I like this side to side version because you can move continuously from one side, back up through the middle and to the other side without taking any breaks.

You’ll be gaining the benefits of a great stretch at the same time as toning your thighs.

Start with your feet super wide, as wide as you can stand comfortably. Reach your arms out in front of your chest, parallel to the ground to help with balance. Bend your right knee to a 90 degree angle while keeping your left leg absolutely straight. Flex your left toes towards the ceiling to intensify the stretch.

Press your right foot hard into the ground and bring yourself back to the starting position, then quickly transition to the other side. Aim to move smoothly from one side, back to the middle, then to the other side with no pausing in the middle.

Drop as low as you can on each side without allowing your heels to lift off the ground.

You should feel as if your upper body is leaning slightly forward and your butt is sticking out behind you. Keep your head and chest upright so that you don’t excessively bend forward putting strain on your spine. Exhale each time you press back to the middle and inhale as you lower.

4) Plank Jack + Tuck

No workout would be complete without some ab work!

Planks are one of the very best ab exercises because they work all of your core muscles, including your lower abs and lower back.

To combine ab work plus cardio try this Plank Jack + Tuck. Start in a plank position with your feet together. Check to make sure your hips are in alignment with your shoulders, not raised and not sagging.

Your hands should be directly under your chest. Jump your legs apart, as wide as you can while still maintaining your tight plank position. Exhale and jump your feet back together.

Next jump your feet up towards your hands as high as you can get, tucking your knees up towards your chin. Contract your abs and aim to exhale all the air out of your belly to tighten up your abs as much as possible. Jump back to the beginning plank position and repeat.

5) Single Leg Pike Presses

Work your shoulders, arms and glutes with this total body training move. Start in a down dog position with your hands about shoulder width apart.

Lift up onto your tip toes and raise one leg up into the air as high as you can. Keep both legs as straight as possible. Next, slowly bend your elbows until your forehead reaches the ground. Your arms should be bent at 90 degree angles.

Press back up to straighten your arms fully then repeat. Do all reps on one side first or alternate sides as you go. Exhale as you press up and inhale as you lower towards the floor.

Remember, if you are not sure what fitness level you are or what level you want to work at, use 30:30 for the first round, then adjust based on how you feel after the first round.

Your second round can and should be even more intense than the first round as your body will be fully warmed up and primed to give it your all. Do this workout up to five times per week to enjoy the benefits of becoming leaner, stronger, and healthier…