50 days of "The Scientific 7-Minute Workout" | Hacker News Reader

50 days of "The Scientific 7-Minute Workout"

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16 pointsmparramon25 comments

I don't have before and after shots, but I've been on a similar journey for the last 4 months (since my wife and I found out that she was pregnant). Over the previous 3 years I'd been packing on more and more weight and decided that I wanted to be fitter and healthier by the time the baby comes.

I do the 7 minute work out every week day morning. I've also started running up and down the 7 flights of stairs at work once a day. I try not to eat before 2pm. I eat smaller portions than previously.

I feel excellent. I haven't lost much weight if any (I don't regularly weigh myself). My gut is smaller (down 2 holes in my belt). My muscles larger.

In the beginning I struggled to do 5 pushups. I can bang out 30 with out much effort now. Similar for all the other exercises in the 7 min set.

I've started extending each exercise from 30 seconds to 45 seconds. Which is an option on the android app I've switched to using: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.manatlan.a...

Did you make any dietary changes at the same time you started this? Or is the workout the only thing you changed in the last 50 days. Just trying to attribute the weight loss to the right factors. I compared the first side photo to the 50 day side photo and only saw a slight gain in the peck area. You don't really look more toned in your arms or torso.

Now, you were already a slim guy. For the US audience he went from 152 lbs down to 149 lbs. Which really is within a daily fluctuation depending on time of day, full/empty bladder, full/empty pooper, hydration level... etc.

As I have 2 kids, a full time job, and other odds and ends that I do, I'm temped to give this a try just for the sheer time element. Have you every tried to do 2 sets of the intervals at a time? How exhausted do your muscles feel after this 7 minutes? Would a 2 minute recovery allow you to do it again?

No dietary changes. I weight myself every day at the same hour after the workout, so fluctuations should be minimized.

My muscles have got used to the workout by now, but the first week was hard.

I am going to try 2 sets every day from tomorrow on, back to back. Due to the way the exercises are ordered, by the time I'm done with the first set, whatever is needed to start the second is ready to go.

I'll check my blog updated with the results, wish me luck :)

me and my wife are going to start this in the morning. Once I get about 2 weeks in I'll probably bump from 1 set to a second. I would like to eventually get up to 3 sets... I have a feeling that is where the sweet spot might be... a 21 minute intense workout.

I'd be much more interested in an overweight person's results. They'd likely lose weight and look better. A skinny guy working out for 7 minutes a day isn't going to develop any muscle mass. Hell, a skinny guy weight-training everyday won't look that different 50 days later.

Looks like it failed miserably. He didn't gain any muscle mass in almost two months of exercise and actually lost weight. Also, given the short time-frame the weight loss can be chalked up to typical fluctuations and/or time of the day.

The benefits of modest amounts of exercise are in how you FEEL (energized) more than how you LOOK.

Another benefit is that, because it takes little time, you're much more likely to do it.

I don't think the 7-minute Workout was supposed to give you large muscle mass. It's supposed to simulate the effects of high intensity training, which may make you more toned but not make you the Hulk.

According to the article the program "essentially combines a long run and a visit to the weight room into about seven minutes of steady discomfort". I remember reading this article when it was published (i think it was posted here on HN) and thinking it was just hyperbole, scientific claims notwithstanding. I'm happy someone has actually tried it and reported the results back, but I think it clearly demonstrates the hyperbolic nature of the claims.

The paper makes more modest claims -

* Although HICT can be an efficient means by which to improve health and decrease body fat, it may be inferior to creating absolute strength and power, specific endurance, and other specific performance variables (3). If these are the goals of a program, as with competitive athletes, traditional programs may elicit greater absolute gains.

[...]

HICT seems to be an efficient means of exercise to help decrease body fat, improve insulin sensitivity, and improve V˙O2max and muscular fitness.*

http://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/Fulltext/2013/050...

Personally, I think the guy gets much more attractive as time goes on. Much less fat and better defined muscles.

Granted he's not completely stacked or anything, but I don't think that's what the program was designed to do - and some guys look silly with huge muscles anyway.

It really feels in my body like running + weightlifting for about an hour and a half. That is what I was doing about a year ago to get the same results I am getting today.

I don't know, maybe I was expecting more given the article, but I'm sure even 7 minutes a day go a long way when it comes to feeling better and energized. I'm still skeptic about the claim that you can swap an hour-and-a-half long routine for 7 minutes worth of intense training.

Try it out yourself and let us know ;)

I just started a similar thing, and I'd say he did gain a "lot", the fat loss is not enough to show the small muscle gain but he probably feels having a lot more strength and overall energy.

I'll see if I can find some pictures of last winter, when I weighted 73kg, and felt like a sloth.

That won't be necessary, I think the lesson here is that we should invest at least an hour a day working out to see substantial results. Maybe, as it's been said up here this kind of program is more useful for overweight people where a longer training session could actually be dangerous.

what do you think of the 7min workout so far?

It is amazing. I am getting better results with 7 minutes a day than when I was training for 3 hours a week. It's like a caffeine boost in the morning, and lasts for at least 12 hours.

No offense, but I question whether you were working out properly previously.

I have been doing martial arts for about 6 years with different teachers. I think they have taught me how to work out properly. What I've seen is that exercising gets you diminished benefits as training tome increases. For now, 7 minutes a day is just fine.

I wish you a lot of luck, but important exercise. because luck alone doesn't make anything. I know you are a constant guy and you will continue exercising until you achive what you want. When I meet you last week in Spain, immediately I realize that you were more thin and muscular. Congratulations Miguel.

Lol, he looks the same.

Myself, i'm on the Insanity journey. At least 30 minutes (mostly 40 and a max of 60), 6 days in a week.

Week 3 since Monday, ps. 7 minutes is way to little in my opinion.

25 minutes is the minimum of cardio your body is going to need for "any change".

Bear in mind the first pic is of day 5.

Now I'm doing 2 sets a day, so 14 minutes. I'll update you on the status soon.

Yeah, okay.

But in my understanding, a minimum of 25 minutes is required for any (decent) change.

If you go from nothing to something, the first miles will always change you somehow... Although it might be only a little bit.

25 minutes is the minimum duration for your body to finish it's reserves :)

Update: It's been 3 days since I started doing 2 sets, so 14 minutes total. I think I'm seeing some improvements. I'll put up some pictures about a week from now.

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