Kaitlin Reilly thinks short workouts are great. Let’s have a chat about it.
Ah, short workouts. The delightful espresso shot of fitness that has captured the hearts of people who just can’t be bothered to commit to a full hour of sweating. You’ve seen the headlines: “Transform Your Body in Just 10 Minutes a Day!” or “The 5-Minute Abs Workout That Will Change Your Life!” But will it really? Or are we just collectively pretending that 10 minutes of squats between Zoom calls is the secret to eternal health?
Let’s dive into the why, the how, and the oh, really? of short workouts.
Short Workouts Break Up Your Sedentary Time
Yes, sitting is the new smoking, except smoking at least makes you look cool in black-and-white movies. Sitting just makes you feel like a blob, slowly merging with your chair until your posture resembles a shrimp. Enter: the short workout.
The pitch here is simple: Instead of spending all day in one position — huddled over your keyboard like Gollum with his precious — you sprinkle in a few “exercise snacks.” A push-up here, a squat there, maybe a brisk walk to the fridge for your fifth LaCroix of the day. Boom. Health risks mitigated!
But let’s be honest: How many of us actually do this? We all have that colleague who promises to “take a quick stretch break” and instead doom-scroll Instagram for 15 minutes. Sure, breaking up your sedentary time with movement is ideal, but you can’t just stand up, flap your arms like a bird for five seconds, and call it a day.
Fitness enthusiasts love to promote these tiny bursts of activity, like doing lunges on your way to the bathroom or jumping jacks during commercial breaks. But let’s get real: The only exercise most of us do during TV time is furiously skipping ads on Netflix. Short workouts are great in theory — as long as you actually do them.
Consistency Is Key (But Are You Really Being Consistent?)
Ah, consistency. The fitness industry’s favorite buzzword, second only to “core strength.” Short workouts supposedly make it easier to stay consistent because they’re quick and manageable. Why spend an hour sweating when you can get it done in 10 minutes?
And yes, it’s true that even a 10-minute workout is better than nothing. But let’s not kid ourselves: Doing one 7-minute HIIT session every three weeks does not count as a “routine.” Consistency means showing up regularly — not just when you feel like it or when Peloton sends you a guilt-ridden email about your waning membership.
For some people, short workouts are a lifesaver. Busy parents, overworked professionals, and anyone who finds the gym as appealing as a root canal can benefit from shorter sessions. But for others, short workouts are just another excuse to avoid real effort. (“I did a TikTok dance for 90 seconds. That counts, right?”)
Spoiler alert: It doesn’t.
Short Workouts May Mean More Intense Exercise
Here’s where things get spicy. If you’re doing a shorter workout, the idea is that you’ll naturally put in more effort. Enter HIIT — the darling of fitness influencers and the sworn enemy of your quads. High-Intensity Interval Training is marketed as the ultimate efficiency hack: maximum results in minimal time. Who doesn’t want that?
But here’s the thing about HIIT: It’s like a Tabasco shot for your body. It burns, it’s intense, and you’ll probably regret it the next day. Sure, it’s effective — if you’re doing it right. But there’s a fine line between “pushing yourself” and “collapsing on the floor, contemplating your life choices.”
HIIT enthusiasts love to tout its benefits, like improved cardiovascular health and calorie burn, but they conveniently forget to mention the part where your knees hate you afterward. And let’s not even talk about the burpees. Who invented those torture devices, and why haven’t they been banished from the fitness world?
The Drawbacks of Short Workouts: Let’s Be Real
Not everything about short workouts is sunshine and six-packs. For one, they can be a logistical nightmare. You only have 10 minutes, so what do you focus on? Cardio? Strength training? Stretching? Do you split it up by body part — legs one day, arms the next? By the time you figure out a plan, your workout window has already closed.
And then there’s the injury risk. The shorter the workout, the more tempting it is to skip the warm-up. (Let’s be honest: No one’s doing a full dynamic stretch routine for a 12-minute workout.) But skipping the prep is like starting a road trip without checking your gas tank. Sure, you might get where you’re going, but don’t be surprised if you crash and burn.
Overdoing it is another classic pitfall. In their quest to make every minute count, people often push themselves too hard during short workouts. Newsflash: Doing 50 burpees in three minutes isn’t heroic; it’s a recipe for hating life. Remember, your body needs time to recover — no matter how short your workouts are.
And let’s not forget the math problem: You still need to hit those weekly exercise goals. That means your collection of 10-minute sessions has to add up to 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise. Spoiler: That’s a lot of burpees.
How to Actually Make Short Workouts Work
All snark aside, short workouts can be beneficial — if you approach them strategically. Here’s the tea:
- Plan Ahead: Treat your short workout like a tiny mission. Know what you’re going to do before you start, so you’re not wasting precious minutes Googling “easy arm exercises.”
- Prioritize Form: Quality over quantity, folks. Rushing through 20 squats with bad form is worse than doing 10 properly. (Also, your knees will thank you.)
- Mix It Up: Don’t just do bicep curls every day because they’re easy. Rotate between cardio, strength, and flexibility to cover all your bases.
- Track Your Time: A 10-minute workout isn’t effective if you spend half of it setting up your yoga mat. Stay focused, and make every second count.
- Warm Up and Cool Down: Yes, even for short workouts. It’s boring but necessary unless you want your hamstrings to revolt.
Final Thoughts: The Short and Snarky of It
Short workouts are like the fast food of fitness. Convenient? Absolutely. Healthy? Potentially. A substitute for a well-balanced routine? Not really.
The truth is, there’s no magic bullet when it comes to exercise. Whether you’re committing to a full hour at the gym or squeezing in a quick 10-minute session between meetings, the key is consistency, effort, and — above all — not being a total sloth the rest of the time.
So, by all means, embrace the short workout trend. Just don’t expect it to turn you into an Olympian overnight. And for the love of all things sweaty, please, please stop skipping your warm-ups.
Now, go forth and lunge your way to a slightly healthier life. Or don’t. It’s your body — and your knees.
