Fitness: 7 exercises in just 10 minutes

Just 10 minutes a day
7 exercises, 4 weeks: It’s that easy to get fit!

© daniromphoto / Shutterstock

Stephanie Pingel

Go to the gym twice a week? This is not always possible in everyday life. But with these 7 exercises you can get fit in just four weeks!

Are you short on time but would like to have a toned body and more defined muscles? No problem! We have 7 simple exercises for you that only take ten minutes of your time every day and help you get fitter in just four weeks. All you need is your own body weight and a medicine ball.

The workout for the whole body

First of all, we will introduce the 7 exercises and explain how to do them correctly:

1. Plank

Admittedly, the plank is really strenuous, but it uses different muscle groups in the body (especially arms and stomach) and you can achieve a lot with it in a very short time. This is how it works:

  1. Lie flat on your stomach.
  2. Then push yourself up off the floor using your forearms and toes. Make sure that your body forms a straight line and that you don’t slip into a hollow back.
  3. Hold the position as long as you can and then lower back down.

PS: Is the normal plank too boring for you? Then try this one 3 plank variations that will tone your stomach!

2. Push-ups

The push-ups are also a classic,when it comes to fast and effective Workout for the arms and torso goes. Here’s how to do them correctly:

  1. Start in the same position as for the plank – support yourself with your forearms and the tips of your feet off the floor. Here too, make sure that your back always remains straight.
  2. Now stretch your arms straight; your hands should be a little more than shoulder-width apart.
  3. Take a deep breath and bend your arms so that your upper body comes straight down. The elbows remain drawn and do not move away from the body.
  4. Breathe out and use the strength of your arms to push yourself back up.
  5. Repeat this as often as you can.

Beginners can also do the slightly easier version of push-ups, by pressing your knees against the floor instead of your toes. The lower legs and feet point into the air.

3. Squats

Squats are as easy as they are effective for doing something for your butt and thighs. Here’s how they’re done:

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your toes pointing straight forward.
  2. Stretch your arms forward and slowly bend your knees.
  3. Make sure your back remains straight and your knees are parallel to your toes.
  4. Go down as low as possible, ideally your thighs should be parallel to the floor as if you were trying to sit on a chair.
  5. Hold the position for a moment and then come back up by forcefully pushing off the floor with your feet.
  6. Repeat the exercise.

4. Donkey kick

This exercise with the somewhat strange name is also great for buttocks and legs. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Get on all fours. Your hands should be straight under your shoulders.
  2. Now lift one leg backwards and move your foot towards the ceiling as if you wanted to step upwards. Make sure that your hips and back form a straight line.
  3. Lower your leg again, but without letting it fully touch the floor.
  4. Then step up again with your leg bent.
  5. Repeat the exercise several times on both sides.

5. Dead beetle

Time for another abdominal exercise! This is how the Dead Beetle works:

  1. Lie on your back and keep both legs bent at a 90 degree angle in the air. The tips of your feet point towards the ceiling.
  2. Now stretch your right arm over your head and your right leg forward so that both form a straight line. Your arm and leg should not touch the floor.
  3. Come back to the starting position and repeat the exercise with your left arm and left leg.
  4. You should do this exercise several times per side.

6. Downward Facing Dog with Raise

Downward facing dog is one Classic yoga exercise that is slightly modified but is particularly good for the muscles in your arms and legs. How to do the exercise correctly:

  1. First, go into the actual downward dog position: your arms are in front of your body and stretched, while you support yourself with your hands on the floor.
  2. The legs are also straight, which means that the entire weight of your body rests on your feet and hands and your body forms an upside down V.
  3. Now extend one leg back and up so that it forms a straight line with your back and your hands.
  4. Then push yourself forward into plank position and slowly pull your extended leg forward at a 90-degree angle toward your chest. If possible, bend your back so that you can touch your knee with the tip of your chin.
  5. Release the position by moving your leg back and lowering it, so you’re back in Downward Facing Dog.
  6. Repeat the exercise on the other side.

7. Ball rotation

Lastly follows a great exercise for the thighs and arms! For the ball rotation you need a small medicine ball. Thats how it works:

  1. Stand in front of a wall with your feet hip-width apart.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and press your back against the wall for better support. Hold the medicine ball in front of you with your arms outstretched.
  3. Tense your stomach and swing your outstretched arms with the ball from left to right as far as you can – ideally you can almost touch the wall on the left and right with your hands. Keep your back leaning straight against the wall.
  4. Swing left and right several times.

Your fitness plan for 4 weeks

Now that you know the exercises, you can really challenge your body in just four weeks with an appropriate plan. However, this might be a bit too hard for beginners – you should try to do each exercise in the workout for half as long at the beginning and then gradually increase it. Advanced users and experts, on the other hand, stick to this ten-minute power plan if possible:

1 week

Do all of the first week’s exercises for the following length:

You take a ten second break between each exercise.

2 weeks

In the second week, you perform the exercises in two different sets, alternating between them daily:

Set 1

You perform each exercise for three minutes, with a 15 second break in between:

Set 2

With this set you also perform each exercise for three minutes and take a 15 second break in between:

In week three you repeat the plan from week one and in week four you repeat the two sets from week two.

With this workout plan you will train your entire body in no time. It’s not that easy, but you’ll see the first results in just a few weeks. Caution: Remember that your muscles can get used to strain quickly and you will probably need to vary the different sets over time and do them for longer. For healthy and long-term muscle building, it is best to get support from a trainer.

Bridget

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