5 Minute Workouts

Short on time? We’ve got 5 minute workouts that hold up to even your best excuses not to exercise.

Finding an hour to workout might be impossible but five minutes, we doubt it. Improve your energy, burn calories, build muscle and feel accomplished, all in 5 minute workouts.

Check out our favorite 5 minute workouts and try one today!

Full Body Circuit Training: Select 5 moves for each major area of focus – upper body, lower body and core. Spend 20 seconds doing each move rotating from area to area. This not only helps you tone your entire body in five minutes, it also constantly keeps blood pumping from top to bottom for better circulation, more energy and more intense cardio effects.

Cardio Explosion: Blast your heart rate in just five minutes with this heart-pounding workout. Select 10 cardio-tastic moves and do each for 30 seconds. Go for at least half compound moves like burpees, running planks, jump squats, jump lunges and weighted pushups. Fill in the rest with jumping jacks, punches, kicks, high knees and other cardio favorites.

Focus on Lower Body: Rotate between focused 5 minute workouts throughout your week. Start with lower body exercises that will burn the most calories, such as squats, lunges, wide squats, standing and lying leg lifts, and calf raises.

Focus on Upper Body: Next up is upper body. You can use body resistance or free weights to tone every area of your upper body in five minutes. Between push ups, pull ups, curls, arm raises and flys, be sure you cover your biceps, triceps, shoulder pecs and forearms at least once in your focused workout.

Focus on Core: Last but not least, core. Planks, sit-ups, variations of crunches, standing side crunches and supermans are excellent core-strengtheners. Also consider using a medicine ball or large yoga ball for core work.

Dance it Off: Five minutes of dancing goes a long way. Put on your favorite dance music and go absolutely wild with jumps, hops, break dancing, hip hop, Latin, zumba, whatever. Just getting your creative and cardio juices flowing is a wonderful way to workout without the structure of traditional moves.

Other 5 minutes workouts you will love:

• Climb up and down the stairs in your home or apartment building for 5 minutes
• Run around your block
• Rake leaves in your yard or shovel snow off your driveway
• Jump rope for 5 minutes
• Vigorously vacuum one room of your home
• Rough house with your children

Sources: Fitness Magazine, Health Magazine and PopSugar

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