3 Easy 10-Minute Workouts You Can Do at Home (Less Can Be More!)

Despite the excuses that are readily available in today’s on-the-go society, most people can find 10 minutes to get some movement in, and believe it or not, even 10-minute workouts can have a profound effect on your health, contrary to popular belief.

Most people think that if you want to get in a good workout, you need:

• A lot of time (at least one hour)
• A full gym with weight machines and equipment
• Machines for cardio

Well, if you’ve been avoiding exercise because you think too much time or equipment is required, then I have some good news for you: You don’t need either of these things to stay in shape.

Home bodyweight workouts are a great way to stay in shape, and as an added bonus, you can do them from the comfort of your living room! (Read: No expensive equipment required.)

The key to making these at-home 10-minute workouts quick and effective is to keep your rest periods short and to focus on using correct form during the entire workout.

The following three full-body workouts keep those considerations in mind, and they also take just 10 minutes each. Again, make sure you focus on the quality of each move to help tone and strengthen your body from head to toe.

But before we get to the at-home 10-minute workouts, let’s go over the six main exercises that are incorporated into each of the 10-minutes workouts below.

Bodyweight exercises you can do at home

1. Squats

Squats work your butt and leg muscles.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly pointed out.
2. Sit your butt back and down as if you’re sitting in a chair.
3. Keep your heels firmly planted on the floor.
4. Keep your chest up, and reach your arms out in front of you to help with balance.
5. Stand back up, and flex your butt and legs at the top.

2. Push-ups

Push-ups work your chest and arm muscles. They are also great for training core stability.

1. Get into a high plank position with hands and feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
2. Engage your core and leg muscles to keep your torso and legs in one straight line.
3. Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor.
4. Keep your gaze about one foot in front of you, so that your neck stays in neutral and head does not droop.
5. Press back up to the high plank position, and flex your chest and arm muscles.

If push-ups are too hard and you need to modify, you can do so by lowering your knees to the ground.

If you’re looking for even more challenge, go with the burpee exercise that incorporates the push-up.

3. Reverse lunges

Lunges are great for working your legs, glutes and abs.

1. Start by standing with your feet together and hands on your hips.
2. Take a big step back with one foot, and lower your back knee toward the ground, stopping one inch from the floor.
3. Check your form by making sure your front knee is bent at a 90-degree angle. If your knee is jutting out past your toes, then shift your weight back or take an even larger step backward with the back leg.
4. Press into the ground to come back up to standing, and switch sides. For the workouts below, count each side as one rep.

4. March in place

A great way to add cardio to your workouts is to march in place, a low-impact exercise. (Note: If you want to increase intensity, simply jog in place.)

1. Start standing with your feet together and hands on hips.
2. Lift one knee up to hip height.
3. Lower that leg, and switch sides.
4. Find a steady rhythm that gets your heart rate up.

5. Double crunches

Double crunches target both your upper and lower abs to give you a complete abdominal workout.

1. Lie on the ground on your back with your hands behind your head.
2. Lift your legs, and bend your knees to form a tabletop position with your shins.
3. Crunch your chest toward your knees, lifting both your shoulders and hips off the ground simultaneously.
4. Slowly lower to tap the ground with your elbows and heels, and then repeat. Note: Do NOT strain your neck. Your abs should be doing all the work.

6. Mountain climbers

Mountain climbers are an excellent low-impact cardio and core training move.

1. Start in a high plank position with your hands and feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Raise one knee toward your chest, engaging your abs.
3. Switch sides without pausing in between.
4. Keep your arms and shoulders stable throughout the movement.
5. For the 10-minute workouts below, count right and left as one rep.

At-home 10-minute workouts

NOTE: Each of these 10-minute workouts is written for the intermediate level, so be sure to adjust them to better suit your own starting point if you need to. Here’s how:

• Beginners: It’s better that you practice good form and gently introduce a new type of training to your body than to rush it and risk injury or poor performance. If the clock makes you feel rushed, then count your reps instead, replacing the timed intervals with just five to 10 reps per exercise.
• Intermediate: Follow 30-second work periods with 30-second rest periods.
• Advanced: Follow 45-second work periods with 15-second rest periods.

Now, let’s get to the at-home 10-minute workouts!

1. Lean strength workout

Complete all the following exercises as a circuit, and repeat the circuit two times.

• Squats for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds
• Push-ups for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds
• Reverse lunges for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds
• Double crunches for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds
• Mountain climbers for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds

2. Home heart-pumping cardio workout

Complete all the following exercises as a circuit, and repeat the circuit two times.

• March in place for 60 seconds
• Push-ups for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds
• Lunges for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds
• March in place for 60 seconds

3. Crazy 8s

Set a timer for 10 minutes, and complete all four exercises as a circuit. Track how many rounds you can do before 10 minutes are up. This way, you’ll have numbers to beat next time you do this workout.

• Double crunch for eight reps
• Reverse lunge for eight reps
• Squats for eight reps
• Mountain climbers for eight reps

Jessica Gouthro writes for PaleoHacks, a source for Paleo recipes, fitness tips and wellness advice to help you live life to the fullest.