17 Best 15-Minute Workouts for 2022

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Squats with kettle bell

It can be easy to let exercise take a back seat when life gets busy and we feel like we don't have enough time to take a moment for ourselves. Luckily, working out doesn't have to take hours out of our day to be effective. A 2018 study from the Journal of American Heart Association found that short bursts of 10-minute “moderate-to-vigorous” efforts can be just as beneficial for your overall health as longer workouts. The key is to space out your sweat sessions over the course of the week. With these more intense bursts, experts say 75 minutes a week is enough to see improvements in your heart and bone health, as well as overall strength and fitness.

Check 'em out! We've found some great 15-minute workouts for you to try below, whether you love strength circuits, dance cardio, walking workouts, or Pilates!

No Jumping HIIT

Level: Beginner

Equipment needed: None

If you want a workout that is easy on your body, this is the one for you. It consists of 15 rounds of 45 seconds of exercise, followed by 15 seconds of rest. There is no commentary, but the moves are easy to follow. Just hit play and enjoy the ride.

Black Pink Walking Dance Workout

Level: Beginner

Equipment needed: None

This workout is for Black Pink fans. Coach Rick demonstrates the moves without commentary so you can groove to the music without chatter. A pop-up video in the corner forecasts what's coming up. The workout is simple and fun. It will add 1,800 steps to your total at the end of the day.

Mean Girls Broadway Workout

Level: Beginner

Equipment needed: None

This workout video is different than others because Joseph Corella and Jane Jourdan first teach you the whole choreography before you put on your big show. You may not be Tony-nominee ready by the end, but you'll definitely feel like a star.

Kukuwa African Dance Fitness

Level: Beginner to intermediate

Equipment needed: None

I absolutely love Kukuwa, her family, and her dance workouts. She's a professor of African dance and culture and it's amazing how she brought her passion to fitness. This video will put a smile on your face throughout the whole 15 minutes. I label this as intermediate because if you're not comfortable getting into the rhythm of Afrobeat moves, you might feel a bit frustrated. But hey, if you can get the general groove of what these women are doing, you're going to have a good time.

Arm Burnout

Level: Beginner to intermediate

Equipment needed: None

This workout is perfect for if you want to focus on just your arms. It'll help strengthen your biceps, triceps, shoulders and upper back. If you can't do the exercises standing up because you have a leg injury, don't worry, you can do them all from a seated position. Even though it's not one of those cardio workouts that has you out of breath, your arms will be really tired by the time 15 minutes is up.

Cardio and Strength Circuit

Level: Beginner to intermediate

The only equipment you need for this workout is a pair of dumbbells or canned goods. You don't need weights to do this workout.

What you need to know: Trainer Natasha is focused on body positivity and client autonomy. She suggests different exercises to her athletes, but ultimately lets them choose what workout is best for them. This particular workout is designed to target the shoulders and core. During the session, Natasha will lead the group through four different exercises (burpees, rotators, plank marches, and mac raises) and each person will do eight sets total.

Yoga HIIT

Level: Beginner to intermediate

Yoga mat, blanket, and sliding discs or paper plates are needed.

This workout is 10 minutes long and targets your core, hips, legs, shoulders, arms, and more. Yogi Dianne Bondy gives a set of exercises that may be too intense for sensitive joints.




Full Body Circuit

Level: Intermediate to advanced

Equipment needed: None

This is an intense ab and hip workout that moves quickly. There is no long warmup, so if you need extra time to ease your body in, do some light cardio and dynamic stretching for five minutes before starting. The workout consists of two different ab moves for 30 seconds each, followed by one minute intervals of different exercises. You then finish with 30 seconds of mountain climbers before doing another set. I like that the video has a timer on the screen and that the movements are explained with some modifications. However, there is no demonstration of the movements, so before you start, scroll through the video and see if the movements work for you.

Aerobic Step Tabata

Level: Intermediate to advanced

Equipment needed: A step

Tabata is a rigorous form of HIIT that alternates 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest. “It is not for the faint of heart,” says Crystal. She does a great job of getting us ready for the task at hand by leading us through a warmup and pausing to explain the movements before we do them. However, she does not give modifications, so if you're newer to working out, you may want to watch the video ahead of time to get familiar with the exercises.

HIIT Workout

Level: Intermediate to advanced

Equipment needed: None

This tabata-style workout video includes a warm up and cool down, and is 12 exercises with 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. The trainer gives explanations of the movements, even though he's quite out of breath throughout.

Squat

  • Stand with feet hip-width apart.
  • Keep your chest up, engage abs and glutes, and hinge your hips back into a squat. Shift your weight into your heels as you sit in that invisible chair.
  • When your thighs are about parallel to the floor, squeeze those thighs and glutes.
  • Push back up to the starting position and repeat.

If you want a more difficult challenge, try a squat jump.

Push-up

  • Start in a high plank position with hands under shoulders and feet about hip-width apart.
  • Keep your core engaged as you bend your elbows back at a 45-degree angle to your body and lower your chest toward the floor.
  • Push back up to a high plank position.
  • Repeat.

To be honest, regular push-ups can be tough. A good way to start off more slowly is by pushing up from your knees. Knee push-ups are still a great workout for anyone, so don't listen to anyone who says otherwise!

It's time to get plyometric, bb. Try doing some clapping between push-ups to really build up some muscle.

Forearm side plank

  • Lie on your right side with legs and feet straight and stacked. Position right elbow under right shoulder, with forearm perpendicular to your body. Make a fist with right hand, pinky on the floor.
  • Brace your core, keep neck neutral, and lift hips off the floor. Support your weight on your elbow and the side of your right foot. Your bod should make a straight line from ankles to head.
  • Hold for 15 seconds.
  • Repeat on the other side for 15 seconds.

If you find it difficult to do a side plank, you can try doing it from your knees instead of your feet.

If you're looking for a challenge, try doing the extended plank move using your hand rather than your forearm.

Lunge

  • Stand with feet hip-width apart.
  • Take a giant step forward with right leg (bigger than your regular walking stride). Your feet should be pointing straight ahead.
  • Bend knees to about 90 degrees. Engage those glutes and abs as you move.
  • Push off from your front leg to return to the starting position.
  • Repeat on the other side.

An important tip to remember is to be mindful of your knees. They shouldn't extend past your toes. Check to make sure that your feet are still visible from the top of your lunge.

This move will really make your glutes feel the burn. You'll jump between each lunge and land in the opposite lunge position, pumping your arms to help propel you into the air.

Shoulder-tap blast-off

  • Start in plank position with feet hip-width apart and arms fully extended. Engage that core and keep your spine straight.
  • Lift right hand off the floor to touch left shoulder. Repeat on the opposite side.
  • Now, time to blast off: Bend your knees and move your hips down and back. Your knees should be just a few inches above the floor, your arms should be extended forward, and your eyes should be looking at the floor (almost in between Child’s Pose and Downward Dog).
  • Now push back to plank. Shoulder-tap, shoulder-tap, and repeat.

One way to make the move easier is to start on your knees.

 Glute bridge

  • Lie faceup with knees bent and feet parallel and hip-width apart. Keep arms at your sides, with palms flat on the floor.
  • Press against the floor with your feet and palms as you lift those hips to the sky.
  • Really squeeze those abs, thighs, and glutes until your body makes a straight line from chest to knees.
  • Hold for 5 seconds.
  • Lower and repeat.

The following text explains how to do a single-legged bridge, a more difficult variation of the regular bridge. To do this exercise, extend one leg out straight in front of you and hold each side for 15 seconds. This exercise should be done as part of a 15-minute routine.

High knees

  • Stand with legs together and arms at your sides.
  • Lift one knee to your chest. Lower your leg while lifting the other knee.
  • Continue alternating knees, pumping your arms up and down, for 30 seconds.

 

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