30 minutes of any form of activity that gets your heart rate up and stimulates the dopamine receptors will release endorphins to make you feel good. According to Collective Wellness Group Wellness Director and Anytime Fitness Ambassador, Dan Conn, it can be a brisk walk on the beach, kicking the footy in the park, or boxing – any movement that gets your heart pumping!
Wherever you are, if you have enough space for a yoga mat, you can challenge all your muscles, reduce stress, and do both your body and mind good in that amount of time—you just need the right mix of moves.
Benefits of a 30-minute workout
For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends these exercise guidelines at least 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week – which could easily be broken down into several 30-minute sessions, depending on intensity.
With regular exercise you can:
- Improve cardiovascular fitness
- Build muscular strength and endurance
- Improve bone health
- Manage blood sugar and insulin levels
- Keep your weight in a health range
- Improve your mental health
- Reduce risk of major illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer by up to 50%
- Reduce risk of early death by up to 30%
30-minute workout
Dan designed this workout to challenge your upper body, lower body, and (of course!) your core with a balance of slow-and-controlled bodyweight exercises and quicker-paced cardio moves. It requires no equipment at all, all you need is your own body, and some determination to sweat and smile!
Remember, as with any 30-minute workout, to warm up properly before jumping in—and to keep your core tight throughout everything you do. To reap the most benefits from the exercises here, keep your shoulders drawn back and down, move slowly, and don’t forget to breathe!
- Jumping Jacks (3 minutes)
- Push-ups (3 minutes)
- Burpees (3 minutes)
- Body weight squats (3 minutes)
- Mountain Climbers (3 minutes)
- Russian Twists (3 minutes)
- Jumping Lunges (3 minutes)
- Lateral Slides (3 minutes)
- V Snaps (3 minutes)
- Moving Plank (3 minutes)
The breakdown
Jumping Jacks
Good for: full-body
How to: Stand up straight, with your feet together and your hands down by your side. Jump your feet out to the side while raising your arms to the side and above your head. In one fluid motion, jump back to the starting position by lowering the arms and jumping the feet back together.
Push-ups
Good for: core, chest, arms
How to: Start in high plank position with feet just wider than hips. Wrap shoulders back and down and engage core and glutes. Bend arms, allowing elbows to point out at 45-degree angles from ribs, and lower body in one straight line until chest is a few inches above floor. Then, push through hands to press back up into plank position. That’s one rep. Perform 10 reps, then rest for 15 seconds and continue to the next move.
Pro tip: Inhale as you lower down and exhale as you push up.
Burpees
Good for: full body, cardio
How to: Start in a squat position with your knees bent, back straight, and your feet about shoulder-width apart. Lower your hands to the floor in front of you so they’re just inside your feet. With your weight on your hands, kick your feet back so you’re on your hands and toes, and in a pushup position.
Keeping your body straight from head to heels, do one pushup. Remember not to let your back sag or to stick your butt in the air. Do a frog kick by jumping your feet back to their starting position. Stand and reach your arms over your head. Jump quickly into the air so you land back where you started.
Body weight squats
Muscles worked: glutes, hamstrings, quads, core
How to: Start standing with feet shoulder-width apart and hands at sides. Simultaneously bring hands to clasp in front of chest while pushing hips back and bending knees until thighs are parallel to floor. Hold for 5 seconds, then return to start. That’s one rep.
Mountain Climbers
Lateral Slides
Good for: Outer things, quads, gluten and hamstrings.
How to: Stand with feet just over shoulder-width apart. Lower hips and bend knees into a squat where your hips are just above your knees. Begin exercise by shuffling to the left. This is done by taking a step to the left with your right foot, then move left foot in the same direction. Repeat on the opposite side.
V Snaps
Good for: Core strength
How to: Lie face-up on the floor with your legs and arms straight and lifted off the floor slightly. In one movement, lift your torso and legs as if you’re trying to touch your toes. Lower your body back down. That’s one rep.
Moving Plank
Good for: Core, shoulders
How to: Start in full plank position. Lift one leg and pull your knee toward the opposite elbow. Push your leg back to the starting plank position. Continue alternating sides for 20–30 seconds, or as long as you can maintain proper form.
What is Tabata?
Tabata training was discovered by Japanese scientist Dr. Izumi Tabata and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo. Tabata and his team conducted research on two groups of athletes, coming to the conclusion that high-intensity interval training has more impact on both the aerobic and anaerobic systems.
The structure of the program is as follows:
1. Workout hard for 20 seconds
2. Rest for 10 seconds
3. Complete 6 rounds of each exercise (3 minutes work)
You can do pretty much any exercise you in this format. You can do squats, push-ups, burpees or any other exercise that works your large muscle groups, you can even incorporate weights, your imagination is the limit.
How to make this 30-minute workout easier
If you want to level down, we hear you – nail your form first, and you can up the ante when you feel comfortable. To make this workout more manageable, Adeyemo suggests switching the work and rest phases to 30 seconds. So, perform each move for 30 seconds, and rest for 30 seconds. You can also take a one to two minute rest between circuits.
How to make it more challenging
Easy tiger. Instead of increasing your work time, opt to add in another circuit (or two, if you’re feeling strong AF), instead. This would make the whole workout four or five rounds instead of three. Also, you may want to take a minute between rounds to rest, K?
