Simple 10-minute workout for beginners at home – 10 minute full body beginners workout

Christmas has come and gone…but maybe the Santa belly remains, the remnants of all of those parties and sweets. Time to crank up your fitness training level and put a serious burn on that fat and those calories. The best way to do that? High Intensity Interval Training.

High intensity 10-minute workout 

Adding High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to your training program will supercharge your metabolism. HIIT training includes a warm-up interval, followed by several short but maximum-intensity exercises separated by moderately intense recovery intervals, and finally a cool-down interval. HIIT has been proven to burn more fat than long sessions of lower intensity aerobic training. An added bonus of incorporating HIIT training is that your metabolism remains elevated hours after your training. You will continue to burn calories and fat hours after you train.

HIIT training principles can be applied to any type of training – aerobics and cardio, resistance and weight training, or bodyweight and calisthenics. No matter the activity, if used correctly HIIT WILL get your heart pumping, blood flowing and fat burning and requires less time to get the same or better training effect than those long workouts you may be using now.

 10-minute cardio workout

Here’s a sample 10 minute HIIT workout that requires only your own bodyweight, some clear floor space and a timer. You will perform each exercise at maximum speed and intensity for 45 seconds followed by 15 seconds of active recovery – such as jogging in place or walking in circles. After you complete the 15 seconds, you will perform the next exercise at full intensity for 45 seconds followed by the 15 seconds of active recovery and repeat for a total of 10 minutes.

Description of exercises

1.     Jumping Jacks. Also called side-straddle hops or star jumps. Do 45 seconds at full speed plus 15 seconds of active recovery.

2.     Military Push Ups. Or press ups with arms at shoulder width. Do 45 seconds keeping your back straight and touching your chest to the floor. Followed by 15 seconds recovery.

3.     Bodyweight Squats. Feet shoulder width apart and with your arms crossed across your chest, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Squat quickly and deeply but with control and do not bounce or overextend your knees at the bottom. Do 45 seconds plus 15 seconds of your active recovery.

4.     Spiderman Pushups. From your regular pushup position, as you lower your chest to the floor, bring your left knee forward to touch your left elbow. Push back up while straightening your leg and from the start position lower your chest to the floor while bringing your right knee to your right elbow and repeat. Continue for 45 seconds at a rapid pace and follow with 15 seconds of recovery exercise.

5.     Mountain climbers. Time to make sure that heart rate stays within your training zone, do mountain climbers at high intensity. Do 45 seconds at full speed plus 15 seconds of active recovery.

6.     Squat Jumps. Same as your body weight squats, but as you reach the bottom of your deep squat you will jump straight up off the floor and as you land you will lower yourself at a controlled pace down to the bottom squat and jump again…repeat for 45 seconds and follow up with your 15 seconds of jogging in place.

7.     Wide Push Ups. Set your hands much wider than shoulder width and lower your chest to the floor and push back up to the start position. Keep your back straight and perform 45 seconds at a rapid but controlled pace and follow up with 15 seconds recovery.

8.     Knee Tucks. Similar to squat jumps above, but as you jump off the floor you will try to jump as high as possible and pull your knees up to your chest at the highest point. As your feet return to the floor, control your descent and lower yourself to the squat and repeat for 45 seconds, and then your 15 seconds of recovery.

9.     Close Hands Push Ups. This time do your push ups/press ups with your hands sjoulder width apart and fingers facing forward. Ensure your elbows stay close to your ribs. All the way down and all the way up with back straight. Perform 45 seconds at a rapid but controlled pace and follow up with 15 seconds recovery.

10.  Burpees. Saving the best for last, start from the upright position and squat down and place your hands on the floor and kick both feet back until you are in a push up start position. Push off with your feet until they are back under you in the squat position and now spring up while swinging your arms forward and jump off the floor. As your feet return to the floor, control your descent, squat and place your palms on the floor and kick back into your push up position again and continue and repeat x 45 seconds. Too easy? If so, each time you extend back into that push up position, while you’re down there go ahead and do a push up each time.

That’s it, you have completed your first bodyweight HIIT workout in ONLY 10 minutes. Now find a towel and drink some water, and if you have another 10 minutes, do it all over again!

Well done, I knew you could do it. Great workout.

Let me know if you enjoyed this workout.

Burpees are my killer exercise and the one I hate doing the most, but they are great for your cardio.

Which exercise did you find the hardest in this workout. Please let me know by leaving your feedback in the comments section.

I would to hear your thughts.

If you think this 10 minute workout will help someone who is lacking in motivation then please share it with them to help them get fitter and healthier.

Love to all of you guys.

Your personal trainer and biggest fan.

Gerald Smith.