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Science has finally given us what we need: a workout that works wonders for the time-challenged.
Johnson & Johnson and an exercise physiologist have created a science-based fitness routine to build muscle and get your heart pumping in only seven minutes, and it really works!
Medical device and pharmaceutical multinational Johnson & Johnson built a fitness app in conjunction with the expertise of exercise physiologist Chris Jordan, using the principle of interval training.
The app is called “Johnson & Johnson Official 7 Minute Workout.”
The app has actually been around for a few years, but is now soaring in popularity because so many people have realized – it works!
This fitness program works on the concept of interval training, one of the most efficient fitness routines for weight loss.
In interval training, you alternate measured periods of effort or intensity and/or rest. Obviously, with only seven minutes, no time is wasted. The goal during the high intensity portions of the work out are to be at or close to anaerobic exercise.
Typically, interval training uses short bursts of intense activity (approximately 30 seconds) with longer intervals of less intense activity and short intervals of rest. The app uses 10 seconds of rest during this seven-minute routine.
Interval training, also referred to as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), has been the subject of numerous studies that compared this type of fitness routine to traditional routines that involve moderate intensity workouts done over longer durations.
Studies have suggested that HIIT workouts can provide similar or benefits in less time.
Further, the studies found that HIIT workouts may be even more beneficial than traditional routines or other forms of exercise when it comes to building muscle and protecting the heart.
A typical 7-minute exercise includes 12 exercises. The app provides a total of 72 exercises, many of which require nothing other than your body, such as sit ups, push-ups, jumping jacks, bicycle crunches, planks, wall sits, etc.
For other exercises, you’ll only need something such as a chair or a stool to support your weight. Here you find exercise such as squats, step-ups on to a chair, tricep dips, etc.
As the workout progresses, you’ll find yourself doing running in place, lunges, side planks, and other more challenging moves.
The app allows you to repeat workouts or you can make subsequent workouts more difficult by tweaking the intensity level. This allows you to challenge yourself and improve your performance over time.
