• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workouts
      • Best Whey Protein
    • Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Machines
    • Certifications
      • ISSA Review
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Workouts

Short and Sweet: 4 New 6-Minute Workouts for Busy People

Sneak away from your desk for six minutes for one of these brief but intense workouts.

Lauren Brooks

Written by Lauren Brooks Last updated on September 22, 2017

Did you know workouts lasting under six minutes can benefit you in more ways than one? Many of you may already know how fabulous snagging a short session can be for not only your mind, but also for the physical body. If you are bogged down at work all day with hardly a moment to breathe, then having the opportunity to sneak away for six minutes is much more likely than finding an hour or two.

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

Wake Up Call 6 Minute Workout w/ Lauren Brooks

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

Lunch Break 6 Minute Workout w/ Lauren Brooks

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

The Refresher - 6 Minute Workout w/ Lauren Brooks

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

No Equipment No Problem 6 Minute Workout w/ Lauren Brooks

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
Lauren Brooks

About Lauren Brooks

Lauren is the creator of eight highly regarded kettlebell DVDs that have been successful all over the world and author of Kettlebells For Women, along with the popular Be Strong Like A Mother program (Be SLAM).

Lauren, mother of two children, loves working with all individuals to bring out that inner athlete and transform peoples lives, but she truly is passionate about working with females and mothers. Lauren understands females do have different needs. While she feels Training Like a Man is important and has its place, it needs to be done wisely. Lauren enjoys watching her clients transform right beneath her eyes when it comes to incredible strength gains, fat loss, confidence, stamina, moving better and all over life happiness.

Lauren resides in Encinitas, California where she runs an outdoor gym all year round. Lauren Brooks has a BS Degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Fitness, Nutrition, and Health. She holds a laundry list of certifications including senior position for Strong First, Functional Movement Screen, Battling Ropes, TRX training, Primal Move instructor, and Clinical Nutritionist to name a few.

To learn more about Lauren and her story you can visit her site at On the Edge Fitness.

View All Articles

Recommended Articles

Long-haired person in gym running on treadmill
Try These HIIT Treadmill Workouts for Different Goals
Muscular person in gym doing dumbbell curls
The Ultimate Back and Biceps Workout for Every Lifter From Beginner to Advanced
A person doing a barbell bench press.
The Ultimate Bench Press Workout to Increase Strength and Muscle
black and white image of long-haired person performing chin-up
Try These Biceps Workouts Without Weights for Muscle, Strength, and Fat Loss

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

Powerlifter Inderraj Singh Dhillon (120KG) Deadlifts 385.5 Kilograms (849.8 Pounds) For British Powerlifting Record

2023 Britain’s Strongest Woman Roster Revealed

2023 England’s Strongest Man Roster Revealed

Oleksii Novikov Will Push Through 2023 Europe’s Strongest Man, World’s Strongest Man Despite Injury

Latest Reviews

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Review

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Review

Best Whey Proteins for Packing on Muscle, Shredding Down, Meal Replacement, and More

Best Pre-Workouts for Building Muscle, Running, Taste, and More

Best Home Gym Machines

Best Home Gym Machines

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2023 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About