What the Research Says

Research has found that just a few short sessions throughout the day can improve overall stress, blood pressure, and weight control. Shorter intense training sessions can be even more effective in boosting your metabolism than a long drawn-out session. And this research doesn’t just stop at adults. One study in PLos One showed that exercise sessions of as little as five minutes improved adolescents and children’s overall health. Pretty amazing, don’t you think?

“Shorter intense training sessions can be even more effective in boosting your metabolism than a long drawn-out session. And this research doesn’t just stop at adults.”

Now that we know there are so many reasons why you can still commit to training for almost no time at all, I’ve included some quick go-to workouts you can carry with you. If you’re unable to make a longer time commitment to training for whatever reason, you now have four six-minute sessions you can squeeze in. For a quick mood change or a pick-me-up, I often use these high-intensity sessions to restore my own sanity.

Workout 1: The Wake Up Call

Equipment needed:

• Kettlebell

How to Do It:

• Set time for 15 seconds on 15 seconds rest.
• Go through all the exercises and repeat for a total of 3 sets.

The Exercises:

• Goblet Squat
• Snatch
• Snatch
• Plank

Workout 2: The Lunch Break

Equipment needed:

• Kettlebell
• Optional: Suspension-Type Trainer

How to Do It:

• Set time for 15 seconds on 15 seconds rest.
• Go through all the exercises and repeat for a total of 3 sets.

The Exercises:

• Push-ups
• Star Jumps
• Ring Rows (can also use a kettlebell for pull-overs)
• Swings

Workout 3: The Refresher

Equipment:

• Kettlebell

How to Do It:

• Set time for 20 seconds on 10 seconds off (Tabata style).
• Go through these exercises for 4 sets.

The Exercises:

• Clean, Squat, Press
• Clean, Squat, Press
• Pull over to crunch

Workout 4: No Equipment, No Problem

Equipment:

• Just your body

How to Do It:

• Set time for 15 seconds on 15 seconds rest.
• Go through all the exercises and repeat for a total of 3 sets.

The Exercises:

• Jumping Jacks
• Burpees
• Skip
• Squat Jumps

References:

1. Holman RM et al; “Does the fractionalization of daily physical activity (sporadic vs. bouts) impact cardiometabolic risk factors in children and youth?” PLoS One. 2011;6(10):e25733.

You’ll Also Enjoy:

• All You Need to Know About Getting Started With Kettlebells
• Kettlebells as a Cardio Tool: Yay or Nay?
• How to Do the Perfect Kettlebell Swing

The post Short and Sweet: 4 New 6-Minute Workouts for Busy People appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

To test yourself at the end of these three weeks we are going to keep it simple. Just like we did throughout this challenge.

Pull Ups:

Push Ups:

Swings:

Day 15 – Benchmark Day

To test yourself at the end of these three weeks we are going to keep it simple. Just like we did throughout this challenge.

Pull Ups:

Push Ups:

Swings:

It’s all about maintaining form and doing your reps unbroken, keeping an even tempo, and not stopping in mid-set.

Feel free to substitute your own variations if you have been doing something else, like ring pull ups, or diamond push ups, or any other modification that worked for you.

Complete list of all 15 days of the Push Pull Swing Challenge.

The post The Push-Pull-Swing Challenge – Day 15 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Day 14

We really mix things up today with some modified one arm push ups, Australian rows, and a heavy kettlebell. When we get to the end of this challenge, we’ll have a benchmark so you can test yourself against it.

Complete list of all 15 days of the Push Pull Swing Challenge.

The post The Push-Pull-Swing Challenge – Day 14 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Day 13

Ring pull ups are advanced. You don’t have a stable hold so, your grip and your arms are further challenged. Maintaining balance and controlling your movement so you can do the pull up properly creates tension through the body which adds another level of intensity to your core muscles. You’d find it very hard to match your ordinary pull ups with your ring pull ups. They tax you in so many ways.

Complete list of all 15 days of the Push Pull Swing Challenge.

The post The Push-Pull-Swing Challenge – Day 13 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Day 12

A clapping push up gets your heart pumping and is probably one of the more explosive movements that you can try. You have to really push yourself away from the floor. You can also try it against the wall if you are doing wall push ups. So, it does scale in some ways.

Complete list of all 15 days of the Push Pull Swing Challenge.

The post The Push-Pull-Swing Challenge – Day 12 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Day 11

I put a little bit of a twist into today’s challenge. Hope you enjoy it, and can try it out for yourselves.

Complete list of all 15 days of the Push Pull Swing Challenge.

The post The Push-Pull-Swing Challenge – Day 11 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Day 10

Not everybody can do a pull up. That doesn’t stop you from getting the benefits of the movement through modified versions of the exercise. Here’s one that can be quite challenging – keep your trunk firm and your body straight throughout the movement.

Complete list of all 15 days of the Push Pull Swing Challenge.

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Day 9

Kettlebell push ups require more strength and stability, definitely, so make sure you are ready for them before you take them up. I have also changed the rep ladders in my workout in this video so you can consider some alternative options yourself, depending on how you feel.

Complete list of all 15 days of the Push Pull Swing Challenge.

The post The Push-Pull-Swing Challenge – Day 9 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

You want push up variations? We’ve got push up variations.

Day 8

You want push up variations? We’ve got push up variations.

Complete list of all 15 days of the Push Pull Swing Challenge.

The post The Push-Pull-Swing Challenge – Day 8 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Day 7

Pull ups are hard for a lot of people so substitute bodyweight rows. As for the push ups I try something pretty unusual with a skateboard. Just goes to show that you can get really creative with these base moves.

Complete list of all 15 days of the Push Pull Swing Challenge.

The post The Push-Pull-Swing Challenge – Day 7 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Day 6

Just keeping my options open with some variations. If you have a stable pull up bar set up then adding rings is very simple but it can give you a complexity of movements to attempt.

Complete list of all 15 days of the Push Pull Swing Challenge.

The post The Push-Pull-Swing Challenge – Day 6 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Day 5

For the weekend, you get to rest. You can practice some of the variations or skill build on existing ones, like the diamond grip push up in the video below, but you can also take the time to meditate or just relax.

Complete list of all 15 days of the Push Pull Swing Challenge.

The post The Push-Pull-Swing Challenge – Day 5 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.