7-Minute Workout

The classic 12-exercise bodyweight circuit: 30 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest each, using only a wall and a chair. The next exercise is named on screen before it starts.

23 intervals · 8 min · free, no signup

The intervals

  1. 1. Jumping jacks00:30
  2. 2. Rest00:10
  3. 3. Wall sit00:30
  4. 4. Rest00:10
  5. 5. Push-ups00:30
  6. 6. Rest00:10
  7. 7. Crunches00:30
  8. 8. Rest00:10
  9. 9. Step-ups onto a chair00:30
  10. 10. Rest00:10
  11. 11. Squats00:30
  12. 12. Rest00:10
  13. 13. Triceps dips on a chair00:30
  14. 14. Rest00:10
  15. 15. Plank00:30
  16. 16. Rest00:10
  17. 17. High knees00:30
  18. 18. Rest00:10
  19. 19. Lunges00:30
  20. 20. Rest00:10
  21. 21. Push-up and rotation00:30
  22. 22. Rest00:10
  23. 23. Side plank00:30

How to use it

  1. Warm up first with a few minutes of easy movement (marching, arm circles), then put a sturdy chair next to a wall and tap Start.
  2. Do each exercise for 30 seconds, then use the 10-second rest to get into the next one.
  3. Turn on voice announcements in Settings to hear each exercise named.
  4. Loop is on by default, so the circuit repeats until you stop. Build up to two or three rounds, and finish with a few minutes of easy walking and stretching to cool down.

Where the 7-minute workout comes from

The circuit was described by exercise physiologists in a 2013 article in the ACSM Health & Fitness Journal as a quick, minimal-equipment form of high-intensity circuit training: twelve exercises alternating between the upper body, lower body and core.

Doing it safely

It is meant to feel hard, but keep your form: slow down rather than rush a push-up or a lunge, and swap in easier versions (knee push-ups, a shorter wall sit) when you need to. High-intensity exercise is not for everyone: if you are new to exercise, pregnant, injured or have a heart or blood-pressure condition, check with a doctor first, and start with the gentler Beginner HIIT routine on Explore.

Questions

How long does it really take?

Twelve 30-second exercises and eleven 10-second rests: about 7 minutes 50 seconds per circuit.

Do I need equipment?

Only a wall and a sturdy chair, for the wall sit, step-ups and triceps dips.

Can I swap exercises?

Yes. Start it once, then rename or replace any exercise in the routine editor.

Or build your own routine →