How to Do the 7-Minute Workout

Adults should do 150 minutes of moderate exercise (or 75 minutes of intense exercise) weekly, and do muscle-strengthening exercises two days a week, according to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People who follow these recommendations get two kinds of exercise: 

• weight bearing (aka strength training), involving muscle contraction to build strength

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• aerobic (aka cardio), meaning exercises meant to boost the heart rate and oxygen use

But a new workout plan from researchers at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Fla., recommends a seven-minute exercise regimen. 

The high-intensity workout combines both kinds of exercise, using body weight to provide resistance. Each exercise is done for 30 seconds, with a 10-second rest before going on to the next exercise (with breaks included, the routine totals eight minutes). 

The entire sequence of 12 exercises can be repeated two or three times if desired.

The order of the exercises is:

• Jumping jacks

• Wall sits

• Push-ups

• Abdominal crunches

• Step-ups onto a chair

• Squats

• Triceps dips on a chair

• Planks

• High knees/running in place

• Lunges

• Push-ups and rotations

• Side planks