Postings of Ron's Corner will deal with the subject of beer, wine and travel. You can also view Ron's corner at www.papagobrewing.com. Also on facebook and twitter.
'Retired' stockbroker who now daytrades, brews beer and who travels to beer festivals around the world. If you would like me to create a beer tour of Europe or the United States for you e-mail me at beerbuff@aol.com or visit www.beertours.joystar.com
The best 7 minute workout apps on the planet are the ones you’ll actually do. This is what I know for sure after testing out more than 30 of them over the past few months. That and yes, they really do work. Adding in short blasts of high intensity interval (HIIT) training consisting of various strength, cardio, core, and flexibility exercises whenever I have a spare seven minutes in my day, have helped me get stronger, leaner, faster, and to feel better overall.
The “seven-minute workout” is getting a lot of attention these days, and it sure sounds enticing. But experts say the express exercise routine is not as effective– or as short– as it sounds. This workout became extremely popular due to it being featured on Dr. Oz and his personal fitness trainer; Donovan Green who he featured on his popular show.
The 7 minute workout consists of 12 high-intensity exercises that use only body weight as resistance. It is an efficient way to lose weight and improve cardiovascular and muscular fitness, according to a study on the workout published in the May-June issue of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal.
The article was covered by the national media, emailed among friends and discussed in the blogosphere. There are already apps available to help keep track of the time and the order of the exercises.
My workouts tend be longer– and I like that, because I know I’ve logged enough time to seriously work my body. While I tend to think longer workouts are always better, I’ve also heard people touting the benefits of seven-minute workouts.
Here’s the deal: Apparently science has proven that working out for just seven minutes can have serious health benefits, according to an article published in the American College of Sport Medicine’s Health and Fitness Journal. The authors, researchers at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, FL, found that just seven minutes of high-intensity circuit training, using body weight as resistance, can help decrease body fat, and improve insulin sensitivity, VO2 max (how efficiently your body uses oxygen), and muscular fitness.
The 12 exercises in the 7-minute workout target all the body’s major muscle groups:
Jumping jacks (total body).
Wall sit (lower body).
Push-up (upper body).
Abdominal crunch (core).
Step-up onto chair (total body).
Squat (lower body).
Triceps dip on chair (upper body).
Plank (core).
High knees/running in place (total body).
Lunge (lower body).
Push-up and rotation (upper body).
Side plank (core).
My favorites apps are all free, though you can subscribe for more features to most of them as well. But free works just fine. They’re all available in The Apple and Google Stores. They’re all built around the science-based concept of high-intensity circuit training (HIIT) using body weight, so you don’t need any fancy equipment. I’ve done these in hotel rooms, my office, parks, and even in a quiet corner at the airport waiting to get on a plane.
The study that kicked off this whole seven-minute workout fad four years ago notes that the secret-sauce is to strategically work different major muscles groups (upper body, lower body, core) each time you do the workout.
This allows for one major muscle group to rest while you work the next muscle group, resulting in a super-efficient, super-effective routine.
The other important part? It has to be tough– 85% or more exertion for 30-seconds to one minute, followed by a 10-second rest. Or, as Heather Tyler, an NSCA-certified personal trainer and owner of Simply Fit LA wrote to me in an email, “you know that feeling like you’ve run up five flights of stairs, your heart’s pounding in your ears, you’re dripping sweat and you sound like a donkey wheezing?”.
That’s basically the effort level most will need to strive for, and if you’re not fit to begin with, it’s an effort level you have work up to. The good news? Most of the apps have different workouts for beginners, intermediate, and advanced fitness levels.
Seven minutes of exercise per day a few times a week though isn’t a magical elixir that will give you a bikini-ready body in a few weeks. Michelle Golla, of Denver-based Boost 180 Fitness, says, “it’s important not to set unrealistic expectations for a 7-minute workout. It will not completely transform your body, but it is a great way to get your heart pumping and burn calories all day long when you’re pressed for time.”.
Also, my favorite workouts might not be yours. “It’s like asking someone for the best musician, or the best craft beer,” says Daniel Freedman, co-founder of online fitness site, BurnAlong. He recommends trying several of the apps out to see which one works best for you. “Who is going to inspire you?” Freedman says, “find who you’ll stick with week in and week out.”.
The “seven-minute workout” template published by the ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal, in it you perform 12 exercises for 30 seconds each, with 10 seconds of rest in between, totaling seven minutes. And that’s it.
Seven best 7 minute workout apps.
That said, here are my favorite 7 minute workout apps, based on my past life as a personal trainer myself, current life as a ridiculously busy working mom and tech journalist who reviews this kind of thing for a living.
7 Minute Workout App. There are many you can try for free.
Wahoo 7-Minute Workouts.
This app doesn’t give you the fancy video demo’s or illustrations the ways the others do. If you want to see how to do an exercise, you have to watch a video separately, which is a little jarring. Other than that, it delivers just fine in a series of exercises, with a firm voice to get you through them.
Wahoo’s 7 Minute Workout seems to be the most basic tech interpretation of the ACSM’s original workout– and I kind of liked that. It was easy to sign up, the app was super user-friendly, and the bright colors and bold display made the countdown clock and move names easy to read in the middle of the workout.
The original moves from the ACSM are, for the most part, pretty understandable: You’ve got your jumping jacks, pushups, crunches, stepups, squats, wall sits, and so on (check out the time I tried doing wall sits for two weeks!).
That said, this app doesn’t offer easily accessible form cues, images, or move descriptions during the workout; instead, you need to read the move descriptions or watch an embedded video pre-workout, or tap the move name mid-workout to bring that slide back up, which was a little distracting.
There are two free workouts available on the app, although you can buy more options for $0.99, including “7 Minute Core”, “7 Minute Cardio”, or “Make Your Own” which allows you to DIY your own 7-minute workout. You can also pay $4.99 to upgrade to “All The Things” which includes a workout log, the ability to change the duration of the moves and the rest time, and more workouts.
The app can take you through one of three regimens, which offer a variety of exercises, including crunches, squats and beyond. If you want, you can upgrade for $1.99 to get more personalization options and the ability to log your workouts.
Johnson & Johnson’s app (designed by the director of exercise physiology at the company’s Human Performance Institute) had the largest library of moves from all the apps I tried: 22 preset workouts and 72 exercises that can be customized for 1,000 variations. On the main page, you can choose the standard workout, your “smart workout”– which is based on your manually entered fitness level– or you can click into the workout library.
The best part, though, was that the exercises came with audio cues during the workout, to help the exerciser maintain correct form throughout. Even as an experienced exerciser, I liked hearing the reminders to keep my knees over my ankles in a wall sit or to breathe out on the pushing part of the pushup.
It’s all free, too, which made this my favorite app. Now it’s fully linked up to my Apple Health account, complete with workout and inactivity reminders to keep me on track.
Frequently Asked Questions.
1. Is it really 7 minutes?
A closer look at the original article reveals that the authors suggest repeating the routine two or three times in a row, to achieve at least 20 minutes of high-intensity exercise, as recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine’s guidelines.
2. Is it scientifically tested?
The workout is based on science, but it hasn’t been tested on a group of people to measure its benefits. The authors reviewed studies comparing high-intensity exercise with less-intense exercise, and used the findings to design a workout routine that needed minimal equipment and time.
3. Who should do the workout?
The authors don’t recommend this program to people who are overweight, previously injured or elderly. Some of the exercises are not recommended for persons with hypertension or heart disease. The workout’s wide appeal seems to be based on how quick it is; according to the authors, it was designed for time-conscious individuals, such as busy professionals.
4. Is it good for beginners?
No. It’s too intense. And because you’re doing this solo, it helps to have some experience with general exercises like crunches and planks, so you use good form and technique.
5. Do You need equipment?
No. This program uses your own body weight for resistance. The only tools you need are a wall and a chair.
6. Is it difficult to use the 7 minute workout app?
The seven-minute body fix is not supposed to be a pleasant experience. The proper execution of this program requires a willing and able participant who can handle a great degree of discomfort. The trick with this or any other exercise program is to make it anhabit and a part of your weekly routine.
Although the workout may seem difficult at first, its short duration may ease some of that pain.
7. What does it cost?
The workout is free, and there are free apps you can download to your smartphone or tablet that will walk you through the program and time the intervals for you.
Chances are, you have 7 minutes in your schedule that you could spare. When you don’t have 30 or 60 minutes for a full workout, the 7-minute workout packs in a full-body exercise routine in a fraction of the time.
The best 7-minute workouts on the planet are the ones you’ll actually do. My workouts tend be longer– and I like that, because I know I’ve logged enough time to seriously work my body. While I tend to think longer workouts are always better, I’ve also heard people touting the benefits of seven-minute workouts. Most of the apps have different workouts for beginners, intermediate, and advanced fitness levels.
Michelle Golla, of Denver-based Boost 180 Fitness, says, “it’s important not to set unrealistic expectations for a 7-minute workout.
The Scientific 7-Minute Workout – The New York Times
Editors’ note: Here’s one of our favorite stories from the archives with a helpful tip for Smarter Living.
Updated, Oct. 24, 2014 | For a greater challenge, see “The Advanced 7-Minute Workout.” And download our new, free 7-Minute Workout App for your phone, tablet or other device.
Think you’re too busy to work out? We have the workout for you.
Exercise science is a fine and intellectually fascinating thing. But sometimes you just want someone to lay out guidelines for how to put the newest fitness research into practice.
An article in the May-June issue of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal does just that. In 12 exercises deploying only body weight, a chair and a wall, it fulfills the latest mandates for high-intensity effort, which essentially combines a long run and a visit to the weight room into about seven minutes of steady discomfort — all of it based on science.
If you’ve ever promised yourself that you would get back in shape just as soon as you could find the time, then the 7-Minute Workout may be for you. It’s a short, rapid-fire series of exercises that use your own body weight.
Start with something you learned in elementary school: jumping jacks. Stand up with your legs spread and your hands touching overhead. Then as you jump, bring your legs back together and put your arms to your sides. You can speed these up or slow them down to suit your fitness level. Do this for 30 seconds, take a 10-second break, and go right to the next move.
If you’re new to exercise, or it’s been a while, it’s a good idea to get a gym instructor or other fitness pro to help you with proper form.
Stand with your back to a wall, feet hip-width apart and slightly in front of you. Lean back into the wall, and slide down like you’re sitting down into a chair. Your knees should finish above your ankles, bent at 90 degrees. Hold this position for 30 seconds.
There are 12 exercises. Each should take 30 seconds, with a 10-second “break”.
The “seven-minute workout” is getting a lot of attention these days, and it sure sounds enticing. But experts say the express exercise routine is not as effective — or as short — as it sounds.
The workout consists of 12 high-intensity exercises that use only body weight as resistance. It is an efficient way to lose weight and improve cardiovascular and muscular fitness, according to a study on the workout published in the May-June issue of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal.
The article was covered by the national media, emailed among friends and discussed in the blogosphere. There are already apps available to help keep track of the time and the order of the exercises.
However, after taking a closer look at the workout, experts have clarified some of the questions surrounding the exercise routine.
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