If I only had 15 minutes to exercise in my lunch break, these are the five full-body moves I’d do on repeat
Work multiple muscles at once with these compound exercises
You don’t need to spend hours exercising.
Workouts that incorporate compound exercises, which hit multiple muscle groups at once and quickly raise the heart rate, mean you can spend less time on your workout.
You can squeeze in some quick exercise during even the shortest of lunch breaks and still feel like you worked hard.
Moves such as the plank walkout, mountain climbers and bear crawls, which each engage multiple muscles and joints, are an effective way to get the most out of your limited time.
Rather than isolating one muscle group like a biceps curl, these compound moves engage your upper body, lower body and core simultaneously.
Moves like burpees and walkouts, which I've included in my five-move lunch break workout below, combine strength training with cardio so they help to build muscle and improve cardiovascular fitness.
Bear crawls and walkouts mimic natural movement patterns, so they improve functional fitness—increasing balance, stability and coordination—which we can lose as we get older unless we work on them.
You don't need any equipment for the full-body moves in this workout, making it an ideal circuit to run through during a quick 15-minute lunch break.
How to do this 15-minute home workout
Work your way through these five exercises:
- Plank walkout
- Burpee
- Bear crawl
- Mountain climber
- Plank
Aim to do each move for 30 seconds, taking a 20-second rest between exercises. Do them back to back, then take one minute of recovery time when you’ve completed all five exercises. Repeat the sequence two more times, making it three rounds in total, in just 15 minutes.
Here’s how to do each move.
1. Plank walkout
Time: 30sec Rest: 20sec
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
- Raise your hands above your head, then hinge forward from your hips and bend your knees to place your hands on the floor.
- Walk your hands forward until you reach a high plank position, with your hands under your shoulders, arms extended and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
- Briefly hold the plank position, then walk your hands back towards your feet and stand up.
2. Burpee
Time: 30sec Rest: 20sec
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Hinge forward from your hips and bend your knees to place your hands on the floor.
- Jump or step your feet back into a high plank position.
- Optional: bend your elbows to lower your body to the floor, then extend your arms to push back up into a high plank.
- Jump or step your feet back to your hands, then jump straight up, raising your arms overhead.
- Land softly and go straight into the next rep.
3. Bear crawl
Time: 30sec Rest: 20sec
How to do it:
- Get on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
- Engage your core.
- Lift your knees a few inches off the floor, keeping your back flat.
- Move your right hand and left foot forward at the same time.
- Then move your left hand and right foot together.
- Continue moving forward to the end of the mat, keeping your knees off the mat throughout.
- When you get to the end, reverse the movements back to the starting position.
4. Mountain climber
Time: 30sec Rest: 20sec
How to do it:
- Start in a high plank position, with your core engaged, arms extended, hands under your shoulders, feet shoulder-width apart and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
- Keeping your hands directly under your shoulders throughout, bring your right knee towards your left elbow.
- Return to the start, then repeat on the other side.
- Continue, alternating sides with each rep, keeping your hips facing the floor and core braced.
5. Plank
Time: 30sec Rest: 60sec
How to do it:
- Support your body on your forearms and toes, with your core engaged, elbows underneath your shoulders, and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
- Hold the position for 30 seconds and avoid holding your breath. Avoid letting your hips sag or rise.
- Look slightly ahead beyond your hands, or down to keep your neck neutral.
