You’re studying for midterms, have an essay to write, your shift starts at six, and you’re still expected to find time to go to the gym? With everything you have going on, sometimes 15 minutes is all you have. It’s no surprise with classes, clubs, work, assignments, etc. that college students fall out of their exercise routines.
So I’m happy to report that working out for under 20 minutes can actually be just as effective as getting in a full workout! Hear me out.
Consistency is extremely important with exercise. Working out every single day for one week, then taking an entire week off really confuses your body. While you work out, you are tearing your muscle fibers. Your muscles don’t actually build up until the recovery phase. When you work out inconsistently, your body becomes more prone to injury because it is not accustomed to the tearing and rebuilding processes of muscle fiber. You’re more likely to avoid injury by steadily gaining strength each day. But, alas! There’s the 15-minute workout! According to Women’s Health Magazine, studies show that people are more likely to stick to a routine if the workouts are only 15 minutes rather than hour-long workouts.
Most condensed workouts involve a series of resistance moves. These moves focus on building muscle rather than burning calories. Over time, you raise your resting metabolic rate—the calories you burn when you aren’t exercising—which allows you to burn more calories throughout the day. Basically, resistance training builds muscles, and muscles naturally burn off calories.
Burning calories isn’t the only benefit of daily 15-minute workouts. High-intensity resistance workouts also help you sleep better. These workouts can help you fall asleep faster and make you sleep more soundly. When you become sleep deprived, your body releases ghrelin, the hunger hormone, and cortisol, the fat-storage hormone. Getting a good night’s sleep is essential to your overall health.
Resistance training also helps strengthen your bones. This is particularly a concern for women since we are more likely to develop osteoporosis as we age. Studies have shown that low-intensity workouts that don’t focus on building muscle don’t strengthen bones either. Short, intense workouts are definitely the way to go.
These quick workouts can be made up of moves to strengthen a specific part of your body—like your arms, abs, or legs—but there are also total-body workouts available. An example of a total-body workout is shown below.
Do 12-15 reps of each move. Don’t rest in between moves and repeat the entire circuit for a total of three times.
The Squat
Keep your core muscles tight and focus on bending your knees and not your back. Your feet should be parallel. As you lower in to a squat, keep your knees from moving past your toes. Slowly return to your starting position.
The Chest Press
Lie on your back in bridge position with your shoulders on the floor. Keep your abs and butt tight with your feet six inches apart. Start with your arms over your chest and extend to an arm’s length away. Slowly return to starting position.
The Bent-Over Row
Bend your knees into a semi-squat position. Lean forward so that your stomach is almost parallel to the floor. Start with your arms dangling at your sides and squeeze your shoulder blades together to bring your arms up close to your armpits.
The Bicycle
Lie on your back with your hands behind your head. Lift your right shoulder off the floor as you bring your left leg in toward your right elbow. Keep your right leg about six inches off the floor. Alternate each side until you have done 12-15 reps for each side.
Depending on your specific fitness goals, 15-minute workouts may not be the best option for you—especially if you want to train for a marathon or another long-distance race. But they are still efficient, effective, and an easy way to start getting into shape, as well as maintaining your progress. These workouts help your body burn calories by steadily building lean muscle, and they do it all in a timely manner.