10-Minute Workout Secrets

What's the secret to creating intense and effective 10-minute workouts that deliver results?  Here's the rationale behind the workout program design.

By: Ed Scow, NSCA-CPT: Certified Fitness & Nutrition Expert to the True Superheroes - Busy Moms & Dads and author of Fat Loss To Go

Designing quick workout programs for parents is probably the coolest thing I get to do in my job.

I love interacting with people, but constantly coming up with effective fat burning workouts that only take 10 minutes is very fun.

Why?

For one thing, it’s cool to blow somebody away who is skeptical about whether a 10-minute workout will really help them lose fat. I love the expression on their face the first time they finish one of the workouts, and I really love hearing them complain the following day due to the soreness from that "easy" workout :)

Another reason is the challenge. It’s a fun challenge to know I’ve only got 10 minutes to work with to come up with effective fat burning workouts. Sure it’s easy to say they’re effective, but I feel very strongly about what I do and I have to stand behind these 10 minute workouts and know that they work.

But what’s the secret? Where’s the challenge in coming up with a 10-minute workout?

The challenge, and secret, is in combining full body fat burning exercises and creating full body workouts that give busy moms and dads like you RESULTS.

The key word is the last one in that sentence - results. If there are no results, there's no point in even attempting to continue on with this adventure.

You can’t throw in some worthless isolation exercises and expect you to see results. Those exercises are fine, but when you’ve only got 10-minutes to work with, they’re largely useless (unless they're included as some type of integrated rest period).

They just don’t do enough to burn fat. They don’t move enough muscle to cause any sort of metabolic disturbance, which is what you’re looking for.

Take the push-up for example. A lot of moms and dads want to have better looking arms. Dads want theirs bigger and moms want theirs more toned and sexy.

I could give you a couple isolation movements like triceps kickbacks or pressdowns and let you feel the burn and lead you to believe that you’re going to be achieving your goal of fat loss and a nice set of arms, but you won’t.

Rather, to achieve the fat loss goal and nicer arms goal, I’m going to give you different push-up variations that work not only your arms, but the push-ups also work your shoulders, chest and core.

They work A LOT of muscle, which means they will burn a lot more calories, cause a bigger hormonal response and create more metabolic disturbance.

The same can be said with lower body movements like squats and lunes versus leg extensions or even the leg press machine (I'm not a fan of many machines). The squat not only works every single muscle in your lower body, but also works your core and your upper body gets involved too from either holding the dumbbells, kettlebells or barbell (it's not much, but more than a machine).

The same goes for the lunge.

However, if you were to spend too much time hopping from machine-to-machine, you largely cut out the other muscles because the machine supports you while trying to isolate individual muscles.

Remember what we're trying to do - get a quality workout in...one that delivers results...in the least amount of time possible.

10-Minute Workouts do that and they can do it very well.

That is the true secret to creating an effective 10-minute workout.

Want an example of a couple 10-minute workouts? Click the links below to see some workout videos:

10-Minute Bodyweight Workout

Quick 10-Minute Workout For Busy Moms and Dads

Ready to learn more about the 10-minute workout program I designed for myself and my sexy wife? Click the links below to read our success stories and find out why10-minute workouts will deliver you the fat burning results you’re looking for! 

Other 10 Minute Workout Articles:

10 Minute Fat Loss Workouts  | 10 Minute Workout In Your Underwear  | 10 Minute Workout Using Your Bodyweight  | 10 Minute Workout To Save Free Time  | 10 Minute Workouts  | 10 Minute Workouts For Moms  | 10 Minute Workouts For Stress Relief  | 10 Minute Workouts For Six Pack Abs  | 10 Minute Workout Keys | 10 Minute Workouts For Back Pain  | Reasons To Do 10 Minute Home Workouts Instead Of Joining A Gym  | Top Fat Loss Exercises For Women  |  Bodyweight Exercises From Home  |