Short on time?  You can still accomplish a beneficial workout routine.

Don’t have money to join a gym or buy exercise equipment?  No worries, you can do this workout anywhere, any time.

There are many articles written about the best way to exercise.  It is not uncommon to see a published article recommend at least 30, 45 or 60 minutes of aerobic exercise three or more times per week.

I don’t disagree with those recommendations.  Many research programs have found that there are significant benefits for people that do follow those guidelines.  But the reality is that the majority of people reading this article aren’t likely to.

The reasons for not working out an hour a day three or more times a week are numerous and varied. 

For many people finding the time to do an hour workout is a real challenge.  This is especially true for parents.  Work, household duties and caring for children require a lot of time.  There is little time left over to squeeze in a workout.

For some people, having access to workout facility is a challenge.  Although gyms are readily available, for many people the membership fees are a barrier to working out. 

For others, embarrassment about their bodies or their condition prevents them from joining a gym or meeting with others to exercise.

For these and many other reasons, two bright exercise scientists created what I call the 7 minute workout plan.

Before I tell you about the plan, let me first tell you about the creators.

Brett Klika and Chris Jordan both are employed by the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, Florida.  In addition to their academic degrees, they both have qualified as Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

Several years ago I also obtained certification by NSCA as a CSCS.  This recognition requires extensive educational background in exercise science and physiology.  During my college years I also worked at a university human performance laboratory.  I can tell you that these guys are serious about learning how the body responds to exercise.

The article that Klika and Jordan penned about the seven minute workout appeared in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health and Fitness Journal.  This accomplishment adds more substantiation to the merit of this workout.

Keep in mind that these exercises are not “the perfect workout”.  There is no such thing.  However, following through with the exercises recommended are a great place to start for many people that are not currently doing the ideal workout.

A couple of advisories are appropriate before explaining the workout.  First, if you have not been working out or have any questions about whether exercising is appropriate for you right now, see your physician before beginning any exercise.  Second, if you have blood pressure issues it is recommended that you not do the wall sit, or plank exercises.

The workout is referred to as a high impact circuit training (HICT) exercise.  The idea is to do each exercise in order and without pausing too long to rest.  If a person cannot do the exercises to the duration recommended, they should start from where they are.  Simply do what you can do and begin to make gradual progress.

The seven minute workout can help with weight loss, blood pressure control, improve blood lipids such as cholesterol and result in many other benefits.  For many people this example of the HICT style workout is a good starting point to lead to other more intense workouts.

If you have any health issues at all you should not do this exercise routine without a physician evaluation.

The exercises that are recommended in the ACSM article include (in this particular order):

1. Jumping jacks

2. Wall sit

3. Push-ups

4. Abdominal crunches

5. Step-ups onto chair

6. Squats

7. Triceps dips on chair

8. Planks

9. High knees/running in place

10. Lunges

11. Push-ups and rotation

12. Side planks

Do each exercise for thirty seconds then move to the next exercise.  Notice that this should require about 7 minutes.  If desired, the circuit can be repeated 2-3 times for a longer duration workout.

To learn more about how to perform each step, do an internet search for ACSM 7 minute workout.