A full workout - in only 20 minutes

Forget the gym, a new study shows that doing just five exercises with no equipment works.

A new study suggests five exercises that don’t require a gym or equipment provide the full body workout to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

If the gym is already losing its appeal or you are just too busy to get there, then why bother? Exercise scientists have come up with a fitness solution that requires no equipment and a journey no further than to your own front room, so you can save yourself expense and stress by doing it yourself.

In the first study to examine whether bodyweight exercises such as squat jumps and lunges are demanding enough to be considered a high-intensity exercise (the type that will get you stronger and fitter in minimal duration workouts), researchers at the University of New Mexico confirm that just five simple at-home exercises are more effective for all-round fitness than an interval treadmill-running workout at the gym.

For the first of their trials Fabiano Amorim, associate professor in exercise and sports sciences, and Gabriella Bellissimo recruited 12 active adults in their twenties and thirties and put them through different high-intensity sessions.

In the more traditional HIIT-style session the participants sprinted hard on a treadmill for 60 seconds then walked for 60 seconds to recover, repeating this five times. They then rested for two minutes and repeated the entire routine once more for a total 22-minute gym workout.

After several days to recover fully they then tried the body weight - or calisthenics - routine of high- knee running, squat jumps, scissor jacks, jumping lunges and burpees, each performed for 60 seconds flat out with a minute of vigorous marching as “active rest” between the movements. As with the running workout they waited for two minutes before doing it all again so that the duration matched the 22-minute treadmill session.

During the trials Amorim and Bellissimo monitored heart rate and oxygen consumption (measures of relative effort) and tracked perceived exertion levels as well as muscle soreness in the days that followed.

Among the exercises used in the study are jumping lunges, burpees and high knees - activities achievable for all ages and builds.

The results, published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology, showed that both were effective aerobic workouts, with the running marginally more taxing on the aerobic system and the calisthenics more challenging for the large muscles of the lower body, such as the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. Where the bodyweight exercises gain subtle advantages over well-studied HIIT approaches on treadmill or indoor bikes is that you get strength and aerobic gains in one workout. “For people who haven’t done much exercise before, the resistance that comes with body weight exercise might be enough to induce muscle strength and gains,” Bellissimo says. “But our study showed these exercises can also be characterised as vigorous aerobic exercise when they’re performed at an ‘all-out’ effort.” It is, she says, a “two for one deal” of exercise training.

That first study was small and performed with people who were fairly fit to start with, so for a follow-up (awaiting publication) the pair devised a progressive workout starting with 30-second bursts of modified versions of the same exercises, building up to the full calisthenics HIIT session over six weeks. “It is a good idea to start with shorter work intervals with bodyweight exercise since this style of training can be very taxing on the lower body and involves some co-ordination,” Bellissimo says. “With these exercises it’s very important to learn the basic techniques first, otherwise you could cause a lot of unnecessary stress on your joints and ligaments, which could make you want to quit before you get going.” After six weeks, similar cardio-respiratory and muscular strength improvements were seen, although the participants lost no weight. “We know that weight loss from exercise needs to be paired with some diet restrictions,” Bellissimo says.

She says that “the beauty of bodyweight exercise is that you can do it anywhere”. Do what you can throughout the day. “I stick some music on and do these exercises a lot, especially the scissor jack,” Bellissimo says. Ideally you should aim to do the full routine three to four times a week, starting with modified versions of each of the five moves and writing down how many repetitions you manage for each exercise in 30 seconds after your first attempt. “In 20 minutes or so you can have your endurance and resistance exercises done for the day,” Bellissimo says.

A five-minute warm up prior to completing each day of the workout plan is important for preparing your body.

WARM UP

Five minutes of a combination of jogging on the spot, glute kicks, dynamic stretches such as leg swings and ski jumps (double-footed jumping to land on bent knees performed on the spot). Do these at a pace that feels comfortable.

THE SIX-WEEK CALISTHENICS HIIT PLAN

It is important to follow the routine in sequence, as exercises were carefully selected to alternate between aerobic (high knees, scissor jacks and burpees) and strength moves (squat jumps and jumping lunges). After each exercise has been completed, proceed immediately into the recovery march.

Weeks 1-2: Thirty seconds “all-out” exercise followed by ninety seconds marching recovery

Weeks 3-4: Forty seconds “all-out” exercise followed by eighty seconds marching recovery

Weeks 5-6: Sixty seconds “all-out” exercise followed by sixty seconds marching recovery

HIGH KNEES

Modified move: March on the spot as fast as you can in a controlled way, raising one knee and the opposite arm simultaneously and landing on the mid-foot.

Advanced move: Vigorously perform a raised-knee running action on the spot. Raise one knee and the opposite arm simultaneously and land on the mid-foot. Engage your core to aid balance and be careful not to lean backwards. Repeat in this way. Participants in the study managed a maximum 185 high knees per minute.

Recovery: Marching on the spot for a set time (at 100-steps-a-minute pace)

Burpees see a person lie prone, using their arms to push up then jumping into the air before landing in a squat.

SQUAT JUMPS

Modified move: Stand with the feet hip width apart, hands by your sides, feet slightly turned outwards. Bend your knees as though preparing to sit. Lower yourself as low as is comfortable, ultimately aiming for a knee bend of close to 90 degrees.

Advanced move: Stand with the feet hip width apart, hands by your sides, feet slightly turned outwards. Bend your knees as though sitting, with knees to almost 90 degrees, and raise your arms in front of you. Swing the arms back vigorously as you press into the ground and jump upwards vigorously. Land softly on the mid- foot with both feet touching the ground simultaneously.

Recovery: Marching on the spot for a set time (at 100 steps-a-minute pace)

SCISSOR JACKS

Modified move: Stand with the feet shoulder width part. Bend your elbows and raise your arms to the sides so that the upper arms are parallel to the floor and hands parallel to your ears. Step back about 50cm with your right foot and at the same time punch your arms straight upwards. Bring the right foot back level with the left foot, then step back with the left and punch the arms upwards. Continue with this alternate stepping and punching.

Advanced move: Stand with your right foot approximately 50cm ahead of the left in a split stance. Bend the elbows and raise your arms to the sides so that your upper arms are parallel to the floor and hands parallel to your ears. Powerfully jump to switch legs so that the left foot jumps to the front and, at the same time, punch your arms straight upwards. Keep jumping to switch legs while bending and punching the arms.

Recovery: Marching on the spot for a set time (at 100 steps-a-minute pace)

JUMPING LUNGES: Create a 90-degree angle with front leg. Knee no further forward than toe. Do a normal lunge (as above) and then jump with hands on hips at end. Push off both legs.

JUMPING LUNGES

Modified move: From a standing position take a large step backwards with your left foot. As you do this, bend your right knee to about 90 degrees and lower your left knee until it is also at about a 90-degree angle. Push back up from the feet and return to the starting position. Repeat with the right leg stepping back, and continue alternating in this way.

Advanced move: Start by stepping forward with your left leg into a forward lunge position, with the knees bent at approximately 90 degrees. Keep your torso upright and head straight throughout. Push explosively off the ground, switching the positions of your legs so that you land by dropping into another lunge position with the right leg forwards. Land as softly as you can. Repeat this jumping switch.

Recovery: Marching on the spot for a set time (at 100 steps-a-minute pace)

BURPEES

Modified move: Stand in front of a stable dining chair (seat facing you) with your feet hip width apart and arms by your sides. Jump upwards with your arms stretching towards the ceiling, bending the knees as you land. Place your hands firmly on the edge of the seat and step your right foot back first, then the left foot back to meet it. Step your feet forwards and repeat from the start position, alternating which foot goes back first with each chair burpee.

Advanced move: From a standing position with the feet parallel, push your hips back, bend your knees and lower into a squat. Place your hands on the floor near your feet and let the hands take the weight of your body as you powerfully thrust both legs backwards into a push-up position supported by straight arms. Don’t allow your bottom to sag or raise at this point. Add a push-up at this point to test yourself, or proceed to jumping your feet back to the hands and leaping upwards to reach your arms overhead. As you land softly, prepare to re-enter the squat start position and repeat the burpee.

After two minutes rest, repeat the entire sequence.

As you get fitter, you can add a third circuit.

THE TIMES