3 15-Minute At-Home Workouts That Get Real Results

Between work and family life, you may find little time for yourself. It’s understandable that with what time you do discover, you likely want to do something relaxing, such as read a good book, paint your toenails or simply space out while sipping on a much-deserved glass of wine. While there is nothing wrong with using your me-time to decompress, you should seriously consider setting aside time for a whole-body workout.

You probably don’t need to be told twice that working out has several health benefits, ranging from improved heart health to more energy to a longer lifespan. Yet, there’s that whole time thing, or lack of it. Fortunately, you don’t actually need a ton of time to realize the benefits of exercise. You simply need 15 minutes. Below are three of the best 15-minute at-home workouts that yield real results.

Juan Hidalgo’s Cardio and Strength-Training Regime

If you are lacking in both the time and equipment department, Juan Hidalgo has come to your rescue. Hidalgo’s circuit requires you to push, pull, squat and support not pieces of equipment but rather, your own body weight. It consists of seven exercises, two rounds and several periods of rest. Here’s what you will be doing:

• Jumping jacks

• High knees

• Plyo lunge

• Push-up to double shoulder tap

• Squat to curtsy lunge

• Sit-up to glute bridge

• Finisher: Broad jump to burpee

Do exercises one through six for one minute each, with one minute of rest between them. After you complete the first six, do them again. Then, after a period of rest, do the last exercise for 60 seconds. It may seem simple enough, but you will feel it the next day, and notice results within a week.

Martha Kaplan’s Cardio and Strength Workout

Kaplan’s cardio and strength training regime is similar to Hidalgo’s except that it incorporates more exercises and necessitates some equipment. For the first 10 minutes, you will repeat the following circuit three times:

• One minute of jumping jacks or jumping squats

• One minute of alternative lunges

• 30 seconds of hold squats, with weights

• 30 seconds of squats with bicep curls

• 30 seconds tricep dips

Once you complete this circuit three times, lower yourself to the mat for up to five minutes of ab workouts.

15 Minutes of HIIT

If you’ve never heard of HIIT before, it stands for High-Intensity Interval Training. As its name implies, HIIT workouts alternate between periods of high and low-intensity training exercises. An example HIIT workout you can do anywhere and at any time you have a spare 15 minutes is as follows:

• Run in place for 60 seconds (while, preferably, trying to channel positive thoughts)

• 10 squat jumps (Don’t forget to throw those hands in the air!)

• 10 sets of five shuffles to the right followed by 10 seconds of the NFL shuffle

• 10 sets of high knees

Repeat these exercises five times each, for a total of 15 minutes.

Despite what societal norms have taught you, you don’t have to set aside hours of your day to hit the gym or participate in fitness classes. All you need is a spare 15 minutes, maybe some dumbbells and a place in which you feel comfortable jumping around. To test this theory, just try one of the above workouts today. You’ll see what the hype is all about in the morning.