Not having enough time is one of the most common reasons people give for not exercising, and even though that’s rarely literally true, finding a moment to squeeze in a workout among all the other work and life commitments can be tricky.
The answer could lie not in cancelling your other appointments or getting up obscenely early, but simply making your workout shorter, because you can still do yourself a whole load of good with a brief bout of exercise.
It has to be the right kind of exercise of course. Ten minutes of very slow jogging is a perfectly fine way to spend your time, especially if you’re starting to exercise again after a layoff, but if you’re reasonably fit already it’s probably not going to have much effect. If you fancy a challenge, however, then high-intensity interval training is perfect for short stints of exercise. Power through short intervals working as hard as you can and you’ll rack up the reps, raise your heart rate and burn a decent number of calories.
You’ll find eight great 10-minute HIIT workouts below. We start with more beginner-friendly workouts that require less equipment, continue to more advanced sessions using weights, and finish with a 10-minute treadmill blast that’ll work well for everyone.
10-Minute Fat-Burning Workout
This fat-burning workout, inspired by the US strength and conditioning coach JC Santana, lasts just a couple of minutes but forces your body to burn extra calories long after you’ve finished it. Do the exercises in order without stopping. Complete one round at first and build up to doing three rounds, resting for two minutes between rounds.
1 Lunge
Reps 12 each side
Take a stride forwards and bend both knees until they are at 90°, then push back up.
2 Squat
Reps 24
Lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
3 Jump lunge
Reps 6 each side
Lunge, then jump up. Swap your legs in mid-air and land softly to perform the next rep.
4 Jump squat
Reps 12
Squat, then jump up. Land softly and do the next rep.
10-Minute Six-Pack Workout
Give your abs a quick blast with this 60-second circuit. The first move works your upper abs, the second works your lower abs and the final move works your side abs. Do as many reps as possible with good form in the allotted time, then move on to the next exercise. Do five circuits, resting for a minute between them.
1 Crunch
Time 20sec
Exhale before you crunch to engage your abs.
2 Leg raise
Time 20sec
Lie on your back, then raise your legs as high as you can, keeping them straight. Lower under control.
3 Bicycle crunch
Time 20sec
Lie on your back. Bring your left elbow up to your right knee, then bring your right elbow up to your left knee. Continue, repeating that sequence.
See the full 10-minute abs workout
10-Minute Bodyweight Chest Workout
Sometimes it can be difficult to explain how a 10-minute workout can be hard, but if you say you’re going to spend 10 straight minutes doing press-ups most people will quickly understand they’re in for a rough ride. This bodyweight workout mixes up the types of press-ups you do to work the chest, triceps and shoulders from different angles.
How to do it There are four exercises in each round of this workout, and you’re aiming to complete three rounds in total during the 10 minutes. Do the four moves back to back without any rest, then take a 30-second break before starting from the top.
1 Press-up
Reps 10 Rest 0sec
Begin in a high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders. Bend your elbows, keeping them tucked in throughout the move, and lower until your chest is hovering just above the floor. Push back up to a high plank position.
2 Diamond press-up
Reps 5 Rest 0sec
Place your hands under your chest and form a diamond by touching your index fingers and thumbs together. Lower until your chest is just above your hands, then push back up.
3 Press-up
Reps 10 Rest 0sec
Back to the classic press-up for another round.
4 Eccentric press-up
Reps 5 Rest 90sec
For the final variation, you perform only the lowering part of the press-up. This is a technique called negative reps and allows you to manage more reps than you would otherwise. Start in a high plank position, lower until your chest is just above the floor and hold that position for a beat, then reset to the starting position.
See the full bodyweight chest workout
10-Minute Pecs Workout
This is another Santana-inspired session, this time focusing on the upper body, and the pecs and triceps in particular. Do the moves in order and keep going until you fail on the press-ups. If you can’t complete 10 reps of each move, lower the rep count to something achievable. Build up to doing three rounds in total.
1 Plyometric press-up
Reps 10
Lower into a press-up, then push up explosively so that your hands leave the floor.
2 Diamond press-up
Reps 10
Place your hands together so your index fingers and thumbs are touching.
3 Wide press-up
Reps 10
Place your hands double shoulder-width apart.
4 Press-up
Reps To failure
Perform as many standard press-ups as you can.
10-Minute Ladder Workout
This workout from Olli Foxley is great for improving your lower-body endurance. The ladder style means the amount of reps goes down in each round, and you’ll be able to get the whole session done in under 10 minutes if you move fast.
How to do it You alternate between two exercises in this session – kettlebell swings and the sled push. Start with 50 kettlebell swings and a 20m sled push. Then do 40 swings and a 20m sled push, and so on, finishing with 10 swings and a 20m push. Take minimal rests between rounds and see how quickly you can get it done.
1 Kettlebell swing
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the kettlebell in both hands in front of you. Hinge at your hips and bend your knees slightly to take the weight back between your legs, then drive your hips forwards to swing the kettlebell up to shoulder height. Control the swing back down.
2 Sled push
Load the sled with weight and get into a low position to push it 20m with either straight or bent arms.
See the full ladder workout
10-Minute Kettlebell Workout
If you want to make big progress in a short time, take on this ten-minute kettlebell blast. Using two kettlebells increases the load and therefore the training stimulus of the exercises. The squat to overhead press is a thoroughly demanding exercise because you move the weights through a big range of motion, which also makes it good for fat loss. The press-up renegade row will work your entire upper body while also helping to sculpt your abs.
How to do it Do 40 seconds of exercise 1, then 40 seconds of exercise 2, then rest for 40 seconds. Do this mini-circuit a total of five times.
1 Squat to overhead press
Hold a kettlebell in each hand at shoulder height, then squat down by simultaneously bending at the hips and the knees. Keep your torso upright and don’t let your knees come inwards as you lower. Power back up to the start, then press both kettlebells directly overhead. Return the weights under control to the start, then go straight into the next squat.
2 Press-up renegade row
Start in a press-up position with your hands on the kettlebells’ handles. Perform a press-up, taking advantage of the increased range of motion, then row one kettlebell up to your side, leading with your elbow and minimising torso rotation. Lower the weight back to the floor and repeat on the other side. That’s one rep. Perform as many reps as you can in the allotted time.
When you’re doing a renegade row, taking a wider stance will make the move more stable and therefore easier to perform. To make the move more difficult, simply bring your feet together.
10-Minute AMRAP Workout
AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) workouts are great for those with just 10 minutes to spare, and this short session from trainer Olli Foxley hits muscles all over the body so you’ll finish knowing you’ve done some serious work.
How to do it You’ll be holding two kettlebells throughout this workout, in which you alternate between lunges and another exercise. Here’s one round:
- Racked kettlebell lunge – 5 reps each side
- Overhead press – 2 reps
- Racked kettlebell lunge – 5 reps each side
- Renegade row – 2 reps
- Racked kettlebell lunge – 5 reps each side
- Kettlebell swing – 10 reps
Aim to complete as many rounds of the above as you can in 10 minutes. First and foremost make sure you’re working with good form, and warm up before you begin, because these are explosive moves with heavy weights and starting cold risks injury.
Racked kettlebell lunge
Rack the kettlebells by resting them on your forearms and holding them by your shoulders with your elbows tucked in to your sides beneath them. Take a big step forwards on one leg and lower until both your knees are bent at a 90° angle. Then push back up to standing and lunge forwards on the other leg.
Overhead press
Stand with the kettlebells racked. Press both weights directly overhead, finishing with your arms extended and palms facing forwards. Lower them under control to the rack position.
Renegade row
Get into a high plank position with your hands on the kettlebells and your feet wider apart than normal to create more stability. Row one kettlebell up to your chest, then lower it back to the floor and row the other weight up.
Double kettlebell swing
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding both kettlebells in front of you. Bend at the hips and knees and take the weights back between your legs, then drive your hips forwards to swing both kettlebells up to shoulder height. Control the swing back down.
10-Minute Treadmill Workout
If you think 10 minutes on the treadmill is barely worth it, give this session from strength and conditioning coach Jamie Lloyd a shot. Each minute you’ll change the incline and speed, with the former ramping up and the latter slowing down.
How to do it You can change the exact numbers below to suit your current fitness level, but the aim is to start at a fast speed with 1% incline, then reduce the speed each minute while adding another percentage point to the incline.
- 1min - 10km/h, 1% incline
- 2min - 9.5km/h, 2% incline
- 3min - 9km/h, 3% incline
- 4min - 8.5km/h, 4% incline
- 5min - 8km/h, 5% incline
- 6min - 7.5km/h, 6% incline
- 7min - 7km/h, 7% incline
- 8min - 6.5km/h, 8% incline
- 9min - 5.5km/h, 9% incline
- 10min - 5km/h, 10% incline
Browse more treadmill workouts
