There is research being conducted constantly on the science of exercise, and it looks as though that the article in the current issue of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal sheds new light on the guidelines for a quick, intense 7 minute workout, and then you are done. It consists of 12 exercises that are done using only your own body weight with the assistance of a wall and a chair. Do not be fooled by the short time of the workout because they state that the workout equals that of a weight workout combined with a strenuous run, and remember this is all backed by science.

The 12 exercises used for this routine are not new, but they are done in a quick succession that will be intense and give your whole body a workout. The exercise, in order, is jumping jacks, a wall sit, push ups, ab crunches, step ups (on a chair), squats, triceps dips (using the chair), planks, running in place (knees high), lunges, push up rotations, and side planks. There is only a 10 second rest between each exercise, and the order in which the exercises are performed is important in order for it to work.

Molecular changes occur after just a few minutes of high intensity training, which compares to many hours of biking or running, according to scientists at the McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. The sequence of the 7 minute workout allows muscle groups to take a break while working other muscles, which is why a 10 second break is all that is needed between exercises.

To do the routine, perform each exercise for 30 seconds and do them in rapid sequence. You are supposed to feel a level of 8 on the pain scale of 1 to 10. The seven minutes will be tough, but when the seven minutes are up, you are finished.