We've all been there before: you woke up late and missed your £20 class, and now you only have 50 minutes to work out, shower, and get to work. If this happens to you once in a blue moon or every week, Kayla Itsines [1], creator of BBG [2] and the Sweat app, has a solution: this 14-minute workout.
Kayla's workout programs are already short at just 28 minutes, but if you're really in a time crunch, this circuit will leave you feeling sweaty and strong, and it doesn't take long to do. "It's empowering. Women jumping around and doing cool stuff is very empowering," Kayla told POPSUGAR.
The 14-Minute Workout
Before getting started, be sure to warm up your muscles. Here's a dynamic warmup [4] we like. Be sure to grab a box (or a bench) in order to do the box jumps. Complete as many rounds as you can of the following exercises for seven minutes, take a short rest, and then repeat the seven-minute circuit one more time. Don't forget to cool down [5] once you're finished with the workout.
- Box jump: 10 reps
- Reverse crunch: 20 reps
- Walking lunge: 12 reps each side
- Push-up: 15 reps
Box Jump
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than hips-width distance apart in front of a sturdy box that's six to 50 (or more!) centimetres tall.
- Bend your knees and swing your arms back.
- Jump onto the top of the box with both feet, swinging your arms forward to give you a little momentum.
- Step one foot at a time back to the floor, or jump down softly with both feet.
- This counts as one rep.
- Complete 10 reps.
Reverse Crunch
- Lying on your back, lift your legs in the air with your knees bent. Place your hands on the floor beside you.
- Without momentum, use your lower abs to slowly curl the hips off the floor and into your chest. Slowly lower them back to the starting position.
- This counts as one rep.
- Complete 20 reps.
Dumbbell Walking Lunge
- Stand upright, feet together, with 5-kilogram dumbbells at your side. Take a controlled step forward with your left leg, lowering your hips toward the floor by bending both knees to 90-degree angles. Your back knee should point toward but not touch the ground, and your front knee should be directly over your ankle.
- Press your left heel into the ground, and push off with your right foot to bring your right leg forward, stepping with control into a lunge on the other side. This completes one repetition.
- Complete 12 reps on each leg.
Basic Push-Up
- Start in a plank position with your arms and legs straight, shoulders above your wrists.
- Take a breath in, and as you exhale, bend your elbows out to the sides and lower your chest toward the ground. Stop as soon as your shoulders are in line with your elbows. Inhale to straighten the arms. This counts as one rep.
- If this is too difficult, do this exercise with your knees on the floor.
- Complete 15 reps.