Learn 3 simple exercises to complete this scientific workout that fits into anyone's holiday schedule
All you need to get started is a large space, comfortable clothes and shoes, and a one-minute timer. Warm up by doing jumping jacks for 1 minute before beginning the sequence. Repeat each exercise as many times as possible within one minute.
From a standing position, get low to the floor, feet under your chest and hands on the ground. Stretch and straighten your legs. Bring them back. stand. Repeat for 60 seconds. Once finished, recover by walking in place for 60 seconds to temporarily relax your breathing, heart rate, and muscles.
While standing, clasp your hands in front of you. Raise your left knee until it touches your hand. Return your feet to the ground. repeat. After 30 seconds, switch legs. When finished, walk in place for 60 seconds to recover.
From a position on all fours, kick one leg back, then the other leg back, as if you were climbing up a horizontal slope. Repeat for 60 seconds. When finished, walk in place for 60 seconds to recover.
Repeat 60 seconds of knee tucks, followed by 60 seconds of walking in place.
Repeat squat thrusts for 60 seconds. It's over!
Why bodyweight training is good for you
The exercises in this training were specifically chosen by researchers to “strengthen both upper and lower body muscles without placing too much impact on” the joints, said McMaster University, who helped develop and study the new workouts. kinesiology professor Martin Jbara said. .
Overall, he said, the routine is fairly “knee-friendly.” This is because, although there is some bending motion, jumping and hitting motions are kept to a minimum.
The goal is to push yourself physically out of your comfort zone in those 60 seconds and reach around a 7 or 8 on a scale of 10 for effort, Jibala said. This exercise is described as “intense” in exercise science terminology. This means it's more strenuous than something like a brisk walk, which is considered moderate exercise.
This training evolved from past research by Jibara and other scientists on how to effectively perform bodyweight routines.
“Ideally, this type of workout should increase your heart rate to or near the intense range for at least 10 minutes,” Gibara says. You also need to train muscles throughout your body, including your legs, core, and upper body, he said.
In this way, he said, this exercise provides enough stress to the cardiovascular system and muscles so that they adapt and become stronger.
Other training improvements
An earlier, more rigorous 11-minute bodyweight workout developed by Gibala and his colleagues in 2021 greatly improved Aerobic fitness by a group of healthy college students. He did three exercise sessions a week for six weeks.
But that workout includes things like burpees, fast running on the spot, and split-squat jumps, which can easily overstrain some people's strength and maturing knee joints. Researchers speculate.
So the researchers retested the new workout, substituting some more gentle exercises. the study Published in Scientific Reports in November. Here, 27 healthy young men and women were fitted with heart rate and blood sugar monitors, allowing researchers to assess heart rate, 24-hour blood sugar control, and other physiological measurements during their normal lives. I made it.
A few days later, they wore the same monitors and performed an 11-minute workout that involved squatting, hunching, and climbing mountains.
After just one workout, my heart rate rose into the active zone for most of the 11 minutes. “As long as you maintain the intensity during each exercise, it can definitely be an effective workout,” Jibara says.
Gibala said the routine had little effect on 24-hour blood sugar control, likely because the young people tested started out with very good blood sugar levels.
So when the holidays get busy, find a free space at home or in your hotel room and try to get in 5 minutes of exercise and an extra 5 minutes of walking. If the exercise feels too easy, increase your pace. Or, if joints and stamina allow, switch one or two of them to more demanding gymnastics, such as jumping jacks or running high knees.
Most of all, enjoy your workout, Jibara said. “It's easy to do in groups,” he pointed out. So, entice visiting relatives to participate. Involve restless children too. Each exercise he does within a minute, “see who can do the most reps” and encourage each other to complete the final squat thrust. The goal is to keep your holidays healthy and fun.
Video by Alexa Juliana Ard. Copy editing by Matt Schnabel. Exercise demonstrations by Allison Tye, a certified personal trainer in Las Vegas.
Have fitness questions? Email [email protected] I may answer your question in a future column.
