Is The Seven Minute Workout Good For Grownups?

Most people, when asked, will admit that they know they should exercise more than they do.

Their number one excuse?

Not enough time.

Enter the “Seven Minute Scientific Workout”.

The workout appeared in an article in the NY Times and caused quite a stir. The NY Times summary suggested that all it takes is seven minutes to get the benefits of hours of other types exercise and all you needed was a chair.

True?

Not quite.

But worse, some of the exercises should be avoided because they carry way too much risk.

But before I explain, let’s go over the routine.

The Seven Minute Workout

The routine has 12 exercises. You perform each one for 30 seconds. The exercises should be hard enough to qualify for High Intensity Interval Training. The authors state that the degree of exertion should be an 8 on a scale of 1-10 where 10 is an all out maximum.

Here’s the routine:

The Pros and Cons of the Seven Minute Workout

There are some exercises in the Seven Minute Workout, regardless of how fit you are, you shouldn’t do. They carry too much risk of injury and there are a number of better options so why elevate your risk of injury when you can accomplish the same goal with a less risky movement?

Proceed with Caution

Jumping Jacks (#1). You might think, “What’s the big deal with Jumping Jacks?” If you’re relatively new to exercising or haven’t done this type of exercise before (and your 40+ years of age), your joint tissues (cartilage, tendons, bone) have been relatively dormant. They are unprepared for the forces created by the movement. In this case, make the movement small and slow to reduce the impact loads. Or better yet, cycle for 30 seconds.

Wall Sit (#2). This drill is used frequently in ski-prep workouts and it”s a good “thigh killer” but it can also be a knee killer if you’re not careful. The picture shows the exercise with the hip and knee at a 90 degree angle. A 90 degree knee angle creates a lot of pressure under your kneecap. If you have weak cartilage, you can easily overload the joint. If you’re new to this exercise, then avoid the 90 degree knee angle.

The Step Up Onto Chair (#5) is not an exercise that is easily done by grownups and the reason is similar to the Wall Sit.  When you place your foot on the chair, your knee will be at a 90 degree angle. Now, as you initiate the movement, the patellofemoral joint (the kneecap) will experience a very high level of force. If you have thinning of your joint cartilage and have some degree of joint weakness, you can easily over load the joint. If you modify the drill by using a smaller step, 12 inches for example instead of the chair, the risk of overload goes down considerably but so does the degree of difficult and intensity. I would do this instead (the password is fusiontribe):

High Knees Running in Place (#9) is in the same class as Jumping Jacks. Instead of using a high knee motion, which increases the joint reaction force and tendon force), use a lower knee motion.

Omit These Drills

The Abdominal Crunch (#4) is a waste of time and, as performed by most people, carries very high compression loads in lower back. The exercise uses a limited amount of muscle and is one of the least functional movements in the routine.

Triceps Dips on Chair (#7) creates excessive loads in the front of the shoulder – the biceps tendon in particular. And most people over the age of 40 have some degree of weakness in this area. Skip it.

The NY Times article leaves you with the impression that all you have to do is one round of these exercises and that’s the equivalent of a much longer exercise session. But the authors of the study state that to get the full benefit of the routine, you should perform at least THREE rounds. So, this isn’t really a 7 minute routine. It’s closer to a 30 minute routine with some land mines in it.

Bottom Line

The Seven Minute Workout carries extra risk for beginners and anyone over 40 years of age who is unaccustomed to strength training and has not been consistently training for a number of years.