Bodyweight Pre-Shower 3-10 min simple BW workout routine

[Andrej]

Hi guys, from the title of my thread it's more or less clear what I'm looking for. But let me explain to you my goals and reasons. With 4 kids running around me (actually 2 are still toddlers), work, service and other responsibilities it's more and more difficult for me to set apart time for exercise. Very often, even if I have spare time left, due to inconsistency in my training I lack motivation to undertake some demanding workouts. I heard about some simple bodyweight workout routines that people just do daily and quickly before their shower. I think this could work for me in this period of time. I don't have any ambitious goals (lifting 2x bodyweight or pressing 50% of my weight), I just want to remain healthy, mobile, generally fit, rather lean and yes, I don't want to feel embarrassed on the beach either But I'm not searching any kind of bodybuilders nor fitness magazine body. I'm sure you get what I mean. What's also important for me is that even though the routine is simple, short and minimalistic, I can still progress somehow. Even if those are little steps. But I'm motivated and driven by progress (like doing more reps in a time box, etc.).

I want to ask you guys about your experience and especially 3 questions:

1) What kind of routine would you recommend that's minimalistic but still relatively complete (short and done daily) ?
2) Can it be done long term (as a way of life) without causing serious disorders, imbalances, etc. due to its minimalism
3) Have you tried it and seen any results (or have you heard of anyone) ?

Thank you for taking time to answer!

P.S.: Yesterday I noticed the thread that might be tackling that point but I want to hear more variety of opinions. It is based on pushups (3min) and squats (5min) daily. Is this maybe what you'd recommend ? You can find it here: Bodyweight - High rep pushups & squats daily

 

[Gypsyplumber]

I’m right there with you kids, job, commute, homework, after school activities it can be a lot! I don’t know if any 15 min body weight programs but I’ve fallen in love with Geoff Neuperts programs. They take anywhere from 20-30 min 3x a week which is super do-able. And they give great results and make you feel great (not wrecked). Even weeks where I do three 20 min sessions of the Giant instill get solid strength results.

 

[GreenSoup]

Check this out.

Escalating Density Training

One of the most innovative and effective training programs we’ve published. Chances are, you’ve never trained like this.

www.t-nation.com

Charles Staley's book "Muscle Logic" also explains EDT in further depth. It gives more examples, more programs, more ways of dividing it across the week, and suggests 15 minutes instead of 20 minutes.

You may see it done with weights on that page, but instead consider EDT for its principles when doing bodyweight training - principles that are not very different from some of Neupert's density programs. If I were limited to 10 minutes a day I would use EDT in ten minute blocks like this:

Day 1 for 10 minutes: Pushup and overhead reach (I do this to stretch the spine between pushup work. Some "chest opening hangs" on a pullup bar could also be good or even bridges depending on your flexibility)
Day 2 for 10 minutes: Squats and pullups
Or pick whichever opposing exercises you want. You could do it this way:
Day 1: Pushups and pullups
Day 2: Squats and hanging leg raises
Maybe you even want a Day 3 with handstands, L-Sits, ab walkouts, bridge pushups or whatever else you like.
Cycle through these these 4-6 days a week.

Staley says to do EDT for a max of 8 weeks so when you are done test your maxes, maybe pick harder progressions (or add weight, isometric hold time or bands if you don't want it purely to be bodyweight), and try doing Pavel's 3 to 5 plan for 4 weeks. Then go back to EDT with your new progressions. You can do a lot in 10 minutes and as long as you write down what you're doing the progress will be measurable.

 

[watchnerd]

Shower sex?

 

[Bauer]

Hi guys, from the title of my thread it's more or less clear what I'm looking for. But let me explain to you my goals and reasons. With 4 kids running around me (actually 2 are still toddlers), work, service and other responsibilities it's more and more difficult for me to set apart time for exercise. Very often, even if I have spare time left, due to inconsistency in my training I lack motivation to undertake some demanding workouts. I heard about some simple bodyweight workout routines that people just do daily and quickly before their shower. I think this could work for me in this period of time. I don't have any ambitious goals (lifting 2x bodyweight or pressing 50% of my weight), I just want to remain healthy, mobile, generally fit, rather lean and yes, I don't want to feel embarrassed on the beach either But I'm not searching any kind of bodybuilders nor fitness magazine body. I'm sure you get what I mean. What's also important for me is that even though the routine is simple, short and minimalistic, I can still progress somehow. Even if those are little steps. But I'm motivated and driven by progress (like doing more reps in a time box, etc.).

I want to ask you guys about your experience and especially 3 questions:

1) What kind of routine would you recommend that's minimalistic but still relatively complete (short and done daily) ?
2) Can it be done long term (as a way of life) without causing serious disorders, imbalances, etc. due to its minimalism
3) Have you tried it and seen any results (or have you heard of anyone) ?

Thank you for taking time to answer!

P.S.: Yesterday I noticed the thread that might be tackling that point but I want to hear more variety of opinions. It is based on pushups (3min) and squats (5min) daily. Is this maybe what you'd recommend ? You can find it here: Bodyweight - High rep pushups & squats daily

Have you read Naked Warrior?

Grease the Groove with 1A Pushups and Pistols might be something for you.

 

[ShawnM]

I did this one for a while and it worked well. Don't be a dumba$$ like myself and start with all 8 minutes at once, it really hurts.

8 Minutes to Awesome

What would happen if you did push-ups and bodyweight squats every day?

www.t-nation.com

 

[Bauer]

Another suggestion:
Crawling to "failure" (or "refusal"). This will be plenty. When you get to 10 minutes you will be in good shape.

 

[tomstranger]

I often do a quick little “morning recharge” that can take many forms.
Mobility- I usually focus on hips, hamstrings, neck, and T-spine. I don’t know the names of all the drills I do, but basically something for hips, something for spine/neck, repeat for five minutes with different drills.
Crawling + abs- crawl 30 seconds, ab drill 30 seconds, repeat, adding as much or as little variety as you feel like in the type of crawling as well as the ab drills.
Push-ups + something else- I’ve done swings, sit-ups (as PT test prep), and jumping jacks. Usually I do something like 25 push-ups, 15 jumping jacks, 20 push-ups, 15 jumping jacks, and so on. Counting down from 25-5 and keeping the other exercise steady at 15 gives me 75 reps of each.
Pull-ups + push-ups- I start with pull-ups to a comfortable stop, let’s say I get 15. Then immediately drop and do 3x that many push-ups, and continue until I’ve done 25 pull-ups and 75 push-ups.
All of these can be done in less than five minutes.

 

[watchnerd]

Another suggestion:
Crawling to "failure" (or "refusal"). This will be plenty. When you get to 10 minutes you will be in good shape.

Do you wear kneepads for that?

I don't think I could crawl for 10 minutes straight without chewing up my knees (at least not on my tile floor /carpet).

 

[Andrej]

I often do a quick little “morning recharge” that can take many forms.
Mobility- I usually focus on hips, hamstrings, neck, and T-spine. I don’t know the names of all the drills I do, but basically something for hips, something for spine/neck, repeat for five minutes with different drills.
Crawling + abs- crawl 30 seconds, ab drill 30 seconds, repeat, adding as much or as little variety as you feel like in the type of crawling as well as the ab drills.
Push-ups + something else- I’ve done swings, sit-ups (as PT test prep), and jumping jacks. Usually I do something like 25 push-ups, 15 jumping jacks, 20 push-ups, 15 jumping jacks, and so on. Counting down from 25-5 and keeping the other exercise steady at 15 gives me 75 reps of each.
Pull-ups + push-ups- I start with pull-ups to a comfortable stop, let’s say I get 15. Then immediately drop and do 3x that many push-ups, and continue until I’ve done 25 pull-ups and 75 push-ups.
All of these can be done in less than five minutes.

Thank you for sharing!

 

[Andrej]

Another suggestion:
Crawling to "failure" (or "refusal"). This will be plenty. When you get to 10 minutes you will be in good shape.

That's also a good idea. Crawling becomes quite a prominent exercise as I noticed

 

[Andrej]

I did this one for a while and it worked well. Don't be a dumba$$ like myself and start with all 8 minutes at once, it really hurts.

8 Minutes to Awesome

What would happen if you did push-ups and bodyweight squats every day?

www.t-nation.com

Yes, this is what I was talking about. So far this seems to be the closed to what I'm looking for. I only wonder if Squats and Pushups are sufficient for a minimalist since hip hinge and upper pull is absent... but I like it

 

[Andrej]

Have you read Naked Warrior?

Grease the Groove with 1A Pushups and Pistols might be something for you.

Yes, though daily GTG doesnt work that well for me... but maybe the exercises could be done in another format once a day in the evening (before the shower). What about one set to failure (progressive Squat work)followed by the same for the Push Up work ?

 

[Andrej]

I’m right there with you kids, job, commute, homework, after school activities it can be a lot! I don’t know if any 15 min body weight programs but I’ve fallen in love with Geoff Neuperts programs. They take anywhere from 20-30 min 3x a week which is super do-able. And they give great results and make you feel great (not wrecked). Even weeks where I do three 20 min sessions of the Giant instill get solid strength results.

Thank you. Many people like the Giant. Unfortunatelly I seriously hurt my wrist doing many KB C&Presses from it... my bad technique, but since then I'm carreful and prefer BW exercises

 

[Andrej]

Check this out.

Escalating Density Training

One of the most innovative and effective training programs we’ve published. Chances are, you’ve never trained like this.

www.t-nation.com

Charles Staley's book "Muscle Logic" also explains EDT in further depth. It gives more examples, more programs, more ways of dividing it across the week, and suggests 15 minutes instead of 20 minutes.

You may see it done with weights on that page, but instead consider EDT for its principles when doing bodyweight training - principles that are not very different from some of Neupert's density programs. If I were limited to 10 minutes a day I would use EDT in ten minute blocks like this:

Day 1 for 10 minutes: Pushup and overhead reach (I do this to stretch the spine between pushup work. Some "chest opening hangs" on a pullup bar could also be good or even bridges depending on your flexibility)
Day 2 for 10 minutes: Squats and pullups
Or pick whichever opposing exercises you want. You could do it this way:
Day 1: Pushups and pullups
Day 2: Squats and hanging leg raises
Maybe you even want a Day 3 with handstands, L-Sits, ab walkouts, bridge pushups or whatever else you like.
Cycle through these these 4-6 days a week.

Staley says to do EDT for a max of 8 weeks so when you are done test your maxes, maybe pick harder progressions (or add weight, isometric hold time or bands if you don't want it purely to be bodyweight), and try doing Pavel's 3 to 5 plan for 4 weeks. Then go back to EDT with your new progressions. You can do a lot in 10 minutes and as long as you write down what you're doing the progress will be measurable.

Thank you bro! Interesting

 

[ShawnM]

Yes, this is what I was talking about. So far this seems to be the closed to what I'm looking for. I only wonder if Squats and Pushups are sufficient for a minimalist since hip hinge and upper pull is absent... but I like it

You can use a resistance band around your ankles and do your squats with some what of a wide stance and box squat style, you'll get more of a hinge effect. As well, banded face pulls as a rest between push ups will help with the back work. Just maintain the eight minutes.

 

[LukeV]

Do as many push ups as you can, followed by as many chin ups as you can, followed by as many sit ups as you can. Every now and then go for a run and include some sprints. That produces a great physique with minimal time allocated (at least until you get really good at it)

 

[Bauer]

Do you wear kneepads for that?

I don't think I could crawl for 10 minutes straight without chewing up my knees (at least not on my tile floor /carpet).

I was thinking of knees-off-the-floor. 10 minutes is a bit like the Simple goal.

But hands-and-knees crawling would be a great start, too. Porbably even better.

I haven't found the right kneepads for that, though. My daughter used to have a thick and soft playmat, that was just perfect for this purpose.

 

[Bauer]

That's also a good idea. Crawling becomes quite a prominent exercise as I noticed

Thinking about, escalating density for 10 minutes would probably be a better approach. Starting with something like 20 seconds of crawling per minute.

 

[Lotto]

You could give The No BS Kettlebell and Bodyweight Kickstart Program by Aleks Salkin a shot.

There is a thread on here called;

SFG's kettlebell and bodyweight program #1 on Amazon.

It explains in detail the content. All bases covered in 20 minutes a day seems to be the summary.