Between work, family, and social commitments, our schedules often leave little room for lengthy gym sessions. But you don't need hours of free time or a fully equipped gym to stay active and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Many quick workouts can be done on the go, almost anywhere, with minimal equipment. And there are quick workouts you can do at the gym, too!
So, if you have a busy lifestyle (who doesn't?!), you can still prioritize your health and fitness.
Whether you have 6 minutes or 30 minutes to spare, or want to work out at home or at the gym, there's a quick workout routine that can fit into your day.
No more excuses — get moving and enjoy the many benefits of the 5 quick workouts we lay out in this article:
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- HIIT Workouts
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- Resistance Band Workouts
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- Lower Body Workouts
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- Tabata Workouts
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- Machine Workouts
But before we get into all that, check out this Metabolic Resistance Training (MRT) workout that combines the best strength training exercises into a quick circuit.
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Sound good? Good. Let's dive in!
5 Quick Workouts To Fit Into Any Busy Day
1. HIIT Workouts
You can do many different HIIT workouts like these ones, but this one has just three exercises — pull-ups, jumping jacks, and burpees — and can be done in minutes!
- Do as many pull-ups as you can in 30 seconds.
- Then do 60 jumping jacks.
- Finish with 20 burpees.
- Take a one-minute rest.
- Repeat the cycle; ideally, you should aim to do all the exercises four times.
This 15-10-FIRE workout will boost your metabolism and is a great bodyweight HIIT workout to do at home.
2. Resistance Band Workouts
Resistance band workouts are a great way to improve your strength and fitness — wherever you are!
Even if you normally use free weights, resistance bands are a nice way to add variety to your workouts and target your muscles from all angles.
Give this one a try — it can be done in about 10 minutes and will work your entire body.
Pull-Apart
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold one end of the resistance band in each hand.
- Raise your straight arms to chest height, palms down, with your hands about six inches apart. The band should have a small amount of tension but not be taut.
- Pull the band apart, extending your arms to each side to keep them at the same height.
- Return your arms to the center.
Deadlift
- Place a resistance band straight on the floor and step on it with both feet to secure it firmly. Keep enough slack on either side for you to pull up.
- Hinge forward at your hips to lower your body, keeping your back flat.
- With both hands, grab both ends of the resistance band and lift it to about shin height. The band should have enough slack so you don’t feel tension yet.
- Push through your heels to pull the band up so you stand up straight.
- Pause at the top and squeeze your butt.
Overhead Press
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, your feet holding down a resistance band.
- Hold an end of the band in each hand at your shoulders, palms facing out.
- Extend your arms straight above your head. Make sure to keep your back straight and avoid arching.
- Bring the band back down to rest on your collarbone.
Sumo Squat
- Place a looped resistance band straight on the floor and step on it with both feet to secure it firmly.
- Keep your feet wider than shoulder-width apart with your toes turned out.
- Grab both ends of the resistance band with your hands and place your hands in front of your hips. The band should feel very taut.
- Engage your core and keep your chest lifted and back flat.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees as you lower into a squat.
- Press your feet into the floor as you stand, and squeeze your glutes at the top.
Do each exercise for 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds before moving on to the next exercise. Repeat the entire circuit 2-3 times without taking any extra rest in between rounds.
This full-body, at-home resistance band workout will help you stay toned and lose weight.
3. Lower Body Workouts
Many people believe you need to do a lot of different exercises to build your lower body. However, this is not the case.
You can achieve results with a simple lower-body workout like this one.
- Sprint as fast as you can for 30 seconds. If this doesn’t leave you breathless, sprint faster or go uphill!
- Do as many squat jumps as you can in 45 seconds.
- Do 20 lunges per leg. Concentrate on form, not speed.
- Do 25 calf raises per leg.
- Pause for 1 minute, allowing your breathing to slow.
- Repeat the circuit three more times.
This simple lower-body workout can be done at home in just 30 minutes.
4. Tabata Workouts
Tabata is a slightly different form of HIIT workouts. It focuses on really short bursts of energy but with repetition of the exercises.
Research has shown this to be an effective way of boosting cardiovascular health as well as muscle.
- Do as many pushups as you can in 20 seconds.
- Rest for 10 seconds.
- Repeat the pushups for 20 seconds and rest for 10 seconds. You’re aiming to do 8 sets of pushups.
- Now, do as many squats as you can in 20 seconds.
- Again, rest for 10 seconds and repeat another 7 times.
- Next, complete 8 sets of jumping jacks; 20 seconds exercise/10 seconds rest.
- Then, do 8 sets of lunges.
- To finish, do 8 sets of burpees and collapse on the floor.
This routine takes 25 minutes and, if done properly, will leave you exhausted!
This Tabata workout can be done in 6 minutes without ANY equipment!
5. Machine Workouts
Unless you have a bunch of equipment at home, you'll need to visit the gym for this one!
The key is putting everything you have into each exercise and only pausing for the set rest periods, no longer.
- 2 minutes sprinting on the treadmill.
- 30 seconds rest.
- 2 minutes on the Stairmaster.
- 30 seconds rest.
- 2 minutes on the exercise bike.
- 30 seconds rest.
- 2 minutes on the cross trainer.
- 30 seconds rest.
This process will take 10 minutes; see if you can repeat it twice or even three times!
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Scheduling Your Quick Workouts Throughout The Week
Quick workouts are an excellent way to boost metabolism and improve balance, muscle growth, and general fitness.
But, they should be part of a variable exercise routine. This will help to keep it interesting, keep you motivated, and, perhaps most importantly, keep challenging your body.
Here is an example of how to include quick workouts into your regular exercise for the week:
- Monday: Full-body weight training, like this 24-minute workout, or the MRT workout video at the top of this article.
- Tuesday: One of the 5 quick workouts in this article.
- Wednesday: Full-body weight training, like this 24-minute workout, or the MRT workout video at the top of this article.
- Thursday: One of the 5 quick workouts in this article.
- Friday: Full-body weight training, like this 24-minute workout, or the MRT workout video at the top of this article.
- Saturday and Sunday: Rest
It is important to note that a proper warm-up and cool-down are essential to prevent straining your muscles and causing an injury or soreness after exercise.
Here's how to warm up before a workout.
Here are some great post-workout stretches that will work each muscle of your body.
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*Please know that weight loss results and health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on quick workouts.
