The best 7-minute workout you can do at home

A seven-minute workout can make a huge difference to your fitness. Yes, you read that right. Because when you’re too busy to work out or you want to keep it simple, a 7-minute full-body workout is the perfect bite-sized heart starter.

But if you’ve only got 7 minutes to exercise, should it be a 7-minute ab workout or a 7-minute arm workout? The good news is you don’t have to choose, because Centr expert Dan Churchill will get your whole body moving with his equipment-free routine.

Does a 7-minute workout actually do anything?

We’re not here to tell you that 7 is some kind of magic fitness number. But if you’ve only got 7 minutes to fit a workout in, that’s a whole lot better than no minutes of exercise. In fact, scientific research has shown that just a few minutes of exercise at a high intensity each week can have significant benefits for your health and fitness.

The truth is, you don’t need an ‘all or nothing’ mentality to get started with exercise. Simply do what you can, and build up to working out more.

Dan has designed this 7-minute HIIT workout as an AMRAP session, which stands for ‘as many reps as possible’. It may sound intimidating, but AMRAP allows you to take it at your own pace, making this a 7-minute workout for beginners all the way through to advanced. Whatever your current level of fitness, your intensity will lift as Dan works big muscle groups and challenges your cardio capacity.

Do this workout daily or a few times a week to track your progress, counting how many reps you complete each time. As you gain confidence and grow in fitness, the reps and your intensity will rise.

Who is this 7-minute workout for?

Whether you’re looking for a quick cardio blast or a 7-minute belly fat workout to start shifting excess weight, this session has got you covered. It’s a full-body workout for all levels of fitness and is perfect if you’re:

• Time poor

• Want to keep it simple

• Want something easy to follow

• Want something you can do anywhere

• Have limited space

• Have no equipment

Let’s start your 7-Minute workout

Over the next 7 minutes you’ll be doing each exercise for 1 minute, with no rest breaks in between. Aim to perform as many reps as possible for each exercise. Remember, you don’t have to keep pace with Dan. Get the form right, then pick up speed when you’re ready.

Listen out for Dan’s tips in the 7-minute workout video. We’ll also talk you through each exercise below, to help you nail the form.

Sit thrus

Dan is kicking off with fellow Centr expert Da Rulk’s trademark full-body functional move, which builds flexibility through the spine, hip mobility, and core and shoulder strength.

How to do it: Lower yourself into a tight crawl position, hips in line with knees. Keeping your hands on the floor and your shoulders square, drive your left knee towards your right wrist, then your right knee towards your left wrist, your little toe sliding across the floor. Once you get the hang of the motion, you can increase the difficulty as Dan has by lifting the opposing hand off the ground to clear the way for your leg as it slides across your body.

Squat + elbow to knee

While the squats shape your legs and glutes and build strength, bringing your elbow and knee together adds an extra cardio element and ab crunch.

How to do it: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, chest up and core engaged. With your weight in your heels, sit back and down into a squat, aiming to get your quads parallel to the ground. As you push back up to standing, raise your right knee up toward the opposite elbow, tap, then return to standing. Drop into another squat, then as you push back up, raise your left knee toward the opposite elbow and tap. Continue, alternating sides with each elbow tap.

Bridge hip thrusters

Lock in good form to sculpt and strengthen your glutes.

How to do it: Lie on your back, knees bent and feet on the floor about hip distance apart. Engage your abs, squeeze your glutes and push through your heels to lift your hips into the air – aiming to form a straight line from your hips to your knees. Hold the bridge for a moment before lowering back down.

Clock lunge

This move combines forward, reverse and side lunges to work your glutes, hamstrings and quads from every angle.

How to do it: With your core engaged, step your left foot forward and drop your back knee toward the floor. Drive back up to standing, then step your left foot out to the side, bending your left knee as you land. Return to standing, then step your left foot back and lower your knee toward the floor. Drive back up, then repeat the forward-side-reverse pattern on your right side.

Side plank rotations + hip thruster

This combo exercise is a great way to strengthen the oblique muscles and build rotational power.

How to do it: Lie on your right side with your right elbow on the floor directly under your shoulder and your body in a straight line angling down from head to toe. With your core activated, bring your top arm down to reach under your torso, rotating through the core, then bring the arm all the way back up to reach for the sky. From this position, dip your hips down until your lower hip and thigh are almost touching the floor, then back up. After 30 seconds, switch to lie on your left side.

Push-up variations

Dan will lead you through 3 variations, doing each for 20 seconds. Wide hands will make your pectoral muscles work harder, while close hands will get more from your chest and triceps.

How to do it: Place your hands on the floor shoulder distance apart and come up onto your toes – or onto your knees if that better suits your level of fitness. Keep your core tight and your neck in a neutral position while you bend through the elbows to lower your chest to the floor, then push back up. After 20 seconds, switch to a wide push-up, with your hands placed further out than your shoulders. After another 20 seconds, bring your hands closer together under your chest to perform close-grip push-ups.

Sit-forwards

This progression of functional sit thrus will help you finish with a full-body cardio bang.

How to do it: Set up as you would for sit thrus, in a tight crawl position, hips in line with knees. Step your left foot out to the side of your left hand, planting your foot on the floor. Then lift your left hand off the floor to allow room to drive your right leg through the opening, extending it as far as you can. Return to the crawl position, then step your right foot out and drive your left leg through. Once you have the motions down, try to pick up the pace.