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Bodyweight If you would have 15 minutes a day and no equipment, what routine would you do for strength & flex

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Mentor

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Hello everyone,

The thread title covers the question mostly. Up until some months ago I had an hour and a half a day to do exercise (and sauna). My current routine is not so forgiving.

Assuming you would have only 15 minutes a day and no equipment, how would you maintain full-body strength and flexibility?

Yes, I realize this is a near-impossible question with no perfect answer. But the challenge aspect might appeal to you.

What is acceptable (outside the 15 minutes) are habits/positions that can be done in a work/study environment. For example certain chair-stretches that can be done in regular clothing during the day.

I can;t be the only one in a situation like this. Finding a solution might benefit a lot more people :)

Thanks for your time and opinion!
 
@Mentor :

To paraphrase a Zen proverb about meditation: "You should practice for at least half an hour every day — unless you’re too busy. Then you should practice for an hour.” My selection would be S&S or PTTP!, plus front split progressions, and Brettzel or bent armbar (Master SFG's Jon Engum's "stretching minimum"). But that is probably not what you have asked.

So - what Steve said.
 
Workout A: 15min EDT of Pullups & Dips (or Pushups/Pushup Progression, depending on your strength level)
Workout B: 10min of Hillsprints, do a 4-5sec sprint every minute on the minute for 10 mins -> 5min of Pistol Squats (or Pistol Progression, depending on your strength level)

Mon - Workout A
Tue - Workout B
Wed - Off
Thu - Workout A
Fri - Workout B
Sat+Sun - Off

Some light stuff on Off days (walking, yoga, mobility work etc.)

Why do you only have 15min per day?
I hope im not breaching any copyrights with my following quote, but i think it's totally true:
"It doesn’t take a lot to do this. You already give 8-10 hours a day to your boss and to your work. To boredom and to people and organizations that couldn’t care less about you. Then your family and friends get the rest of your time.
What about you? Do you really think so little of yourself that you can’t sacrifice an hour or two, 3-4 days a week, for yourself? This “me” time isn’t spent shopping, watching TV or getting on the internet. You’re spending it reinvesting in your body, building strength, and building character. Kicking a#@ and training consistently – and with some balance – will do wonders for both your body and your mind." - Jim Wendler in 5/3/1
 
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Skills:
-Front Lever (holds, rows, etc)
-Wall handstand (holds, push-ups, etc)
-Pistols

Pick 1-2 of those each day, and work on them so that by the end of the week, you train each 3-5 times. I prefer HS work to OAPU work as it has a lot more variety to allow you to do "same but different" for longer. Ditto for FL.

I don't agree with Wendler. Sometimes life doesn't give you 4-8 hours a week for workouts, doesn't mean you can't thrive on an ultra-abbreviated routine until you pass through the busy times.
 
+1 Mike,
didn't really thing about OS stuff

@305pelusa
I don't want to go to offtopic here and i don't want to offend anyone, but Wendler said 1-2 hours 3-4 days a week, meaning if you're busy take the low end -> 1 hour, 3 days/week.
If anyone honestly wants to tell me he/she can't make room for 3x 1hour of time just for him/herself over the course of a week than i don't believe that.
"If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse."- Jim Rohn
 
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Thanks for the responses everyone!

My selection would be S&S or PTTP

Apologies, but what do S&S and PTTP stand for?

Pull ups/HLR/Dips/Pistols/One Arm Push Ups

Likewise, what does HLR stand for?

Why do you only have 15min per day?

Doing a fulltime masters program combined with a job in a different city. I have 1-1.5 hour a day when I get home to wind down and go to sleep. Don't want to exercise right before bed so I do meditation.

I don't agree with Wendler. Sometimes life doesn't give you 4-8 hours a week for workouts, doesn't mean you can't thrive on an ultra-abbreviated routine until you pass through the busy times.

Indeed :). For me this situation lasts only a year luckily.

"If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse."- Jim Rohn

Exactly why I'm asking you guys for help rather than not doing anything at all :)

Is there an article or post referencing Engum's stretching minimum?

I'd be curious about such an article as well.
 
S & S: "Simple and Sinister". Excellent minimalist book written by Pavel Tsatsouline. Just need a kettlebell to perform two powerful movements.

PTTP: "Power to the People!" Another excellent book written by Pavel Tsatsouline. Uses the barbell and only two movements.

HLR: Hanging leg raise. Powerful abdominal movement. Can be found in Pavel's book "Hardstyle Abs".

Hoped I helped a little!
 
I'd stretch a bit first, too, then probably just do one set of each exercise, maybe two if time allowed, and be done. I get a lot done with the Cossack sequence from SuperJoints, followed by split switches, also from SJ.

-S-
 
Jon Engum, Master SFG, has posted it in a short post on Facebook some time ago (something like: "Stretching Program Minimum: Front split and bent armbar). No article or detailed post as far as I know.
 
Doing a fulltime masters program combined with a job in a different city. I have 1-1.5 hour a day when I get home to wind down and go to sleep. Don't want to exercise right before bed so I do meditation.
That's what i meant. So you'd have that 1 hour 3x/week. If you choose to spend your "me"-time meditating than that's fine, but the point i wanted to make was that if you'd choose otherwise you'd have more time to work out.

I guess you're working on top of your studies to finance your education right? So other expenses like gym membership, kettlebells etc. are out of the question.
You should buy Original Strength by Tim Anderson & Geoff Neupert. The Kindle edition is only 8$ on amazon.
10 minutes Spider man crawling + 5 minutes Pull ups/HLR/Dips/Pistols/One Arm Push Ups alternating those daily.
Mike's suggestion is inspired by Original Strength and Naked Warrior (at least i think it is :)) and probably the best bang for your buck you can get in 15min.
 
Cossack sequence from SuperJoints, followed by split switches, also from SJ.

Thank you! Can't seem to find a clear definition/guide. Where can I read about these best?

Jon Engum, Master SFG, has posted it in a short post on Facebook some time ago

Can't seem to find it on https://www.facebook.com/extremetraining. Do you have a link to the post perhaps?

That's what i meant. So you'd have that 1 hour 3x/week. If you choose to spend your "me"-time meditating than that's fine, but the point i wanted to make was that if you'd choose otherwise you'd have more time to work out.

Haha, no. That time is for making and eating dinner (I'm an intermittent faster), doing some last minute readings and calming my mind for 15 minutes so I can actually sleep :)

You should buy Original Strength by Tim Anderson & Geoff Neupert

I'll have a look at it thanks!
 
Mike Prevost has a good template

workout a)
1h clean and press
1h snatch
1h reverse lunge
- 3-5 sets, reps start at 5 and progressively increase as you improve.

workout b)
band pushup
pullup
swings
- 3-5 sets, reps start at 5 and progressively increase as you improve.

alternate workouts. anywhere from 2-4 workouts per week.

I've had good luck with this. Do joint mobility immediately upon waking for 5-10 min and then take 15 min before bed and hit one of the above workouts. If you don't dilly dally, you should be fine.

Density work also is something worth looking into. 1 movement a day. Timed rest periods. Think along the lines of 50/20 per Bryce Lane. Easy to get lots of work in, in a short period of time.
 
I would also suggest getting a Captains of Crush gripper or two from Iron Mind. Training the grip will keep/make you stronger overall. Carry it with you throughout the day, take it out every so often, and squeeze it 3-5 times. I keep one in my car and carry one with me at work. Works great.
 
I havent read through this, so if this is repeating someone else, disregard it...

If you TRULY only have 15min per day:

- OS crawls and resets THROUGHOUT the day, informally (it counts)
- 15 min of 1-h clean & presses. 5x5 each arm will take less than 15min. Use the bell you can, and increase the load when you can. Hardstyle cleans... focus. Yes: Every. Day.
- do something different every 6th week or so
 
Al, that reminds me of a program I've sometimes done, just a single session, really, that you can repeat as needed.

Non-stop C&P, alternating sides for singles, not putting the bell down. If the weight isn't heavy, you can keep this up for quite a while.

-S-
 
I really like Kettlebelephants idea of pull ups and dips one day and hill sprints the other. Any playground or football field should have a bar to pull up on.

If you want (or are limited to) to keep it indoors then an OS/NW mix would be my choice.

Why no equipment? Is there any way you can buy just one or two things? Just one kettlebell significantly expands your options. It might even be all you ever really need. A set of rings can be had pretty inexpensively and also give you a lot more options.

If you could get just one thing, I would get a kettlebell. Then do S&S. It may take a little more than 15 minutes, but it is worth it. I wouldn't get too hung up on the time of day you do it either. I did S&S almost every day for two months and loved it. Most of those days were work days, 0400 wake-up, 12 hour shift, get home, clean gear, eat, S&S, shower, sleep, repeat. No problems falling asleep.

I have not delved too deeply into meditation, but I find if I do some "box breathing" as I lay in bed, I will relax and fall asleep in 10-15 minutes easy.

Seriously, get a kettlebell and a copy of S&S, and have a good year.
 
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