Exactly how to do the viral 7-minute workout it works, but theres a catch

With work, family, and life piling up, hitting the gym often feels impossible.Enter the 7-minute workout, a high-intensity exercise routine that promises results in no time. The viral regimen includes 12 basic moves you can do at home with just your bodyweight, a wall, and a chair.

Sounds like the perfect solution for the time-strapped, right?Not so fast.To reap the full benefits, the workout’s creator says you’ll need to repeat the circuit two or three times, turning your “7-minute” workout into 14 or 21 minutes.

It’s not as effortless as it sounds, but still a lot quicker than your average gym session.Developed in 2013 by exercise physiologist Chris Jordan, the 7-minute workout popularized high-intensity interval training.Known for being quick, effective, and accessible for a variety of fitness levels, the routine has remained a viral favorite for more than a decade.The workout consists of 12 bodyweight exercises:Each move should challenge you, but not leave you gasping for air.

Aim for “about an eight on a scale of effort from one to 10,” Jordan told The Washington Post. But keep in mind, that’s based on “your perception of an eight,” he said, stressing that everyone’s 7-minute workout should be customized to fit their own fitness level.You can also modify each move to suit your ability.The order of exercises matters.

Do them in the circuit shown above to avoid overworking any muscle group.For example, while someone is performing a push-up, the lower body gets a break and recovers, ensuring it has enough energy for squats later in the workout.The structure also alternates between exercises that pump up your heart rate and those that let it calm down.A study featuring the 7-minute workout was first published in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health and Fitness Journal in 2013. Jordan and his colleagues reviewed existing research and found that just a few minutes of high-intensity circuit training can help decrease body fa...