7 Minute Workout by Quick Fit
7minuteworkout.us
7minuteworkout.us
I'm fine with using it, what I'm not fine with is if someone finds out that I'm using something with such obviously bullshit marketing tactics, and thinks I fell for it. How am I supposed to explain "No, no, honestly! I just think it's a decent guide and a good pacing tool. I'm not under the delusion that I'll look like that, I swear!" ^eyes roll^
Why do all these tools have to market themselves as that "one wierd trick that's scientifically proven, gyms hate him!"?
This is just an app that shows a workout. The negativity in the comments around here astounds me.
Or at least, that's the best way I can express my feelings regarding it.
It's a mix. I don't like that it looks like I'm a sucker, but I can't shake the feeling that the BS is working.
Am I valuing it because it's "scientifically proven" and "the guy doing it is muscular therefore it works"? Certainly not consciously, but subconsciously it could color my decisions. That's an uncomfortable thought.
Further, if I buy into it, will I contribute to another statistic that gets flashed around business meetings that demonstrate that slimeball tactics like this work? I hate these techniques, am I making them more popular?
Maybe there's a tool out there that doesn't do stuff like this, and I'm not aware of it. I could be contributing to that tools growth rather than this ones. edit: there is. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7152886
Do I become a hypocrite for using it?
To be blunt, this is sort of a post hoc rationalization of why I don't like it.
>The negativity in the comments around here astounds me.
Body training receives so much criticism because this is a category of self improvement that truly deserves it. So much snake oil. So much "science". The bar must be set very high after such a sordid history.
That makes sense to me, and sounds more reasonable than saying you are worried about what other people think. Is that a fair way to rephrase where you are coming from?
but Yes, Voting with my statistics was sort of a post hoc rationalization of what I didn't like the app.
Like I said, it was a mix.
To be truthful, I didn't like it because it had red flags. That's really the end of my rational. I feel that's valid enough, because there's another site that does the same thing sans the red flags.
All that being said, doing this every day for 30 days will eventually result in your body acclimating to the external stress and you will begin to see fewer and fewer benefits. Same thing happens if you run 30 minutes every day or do the exact same lifts for a month. For optimal results (where results might equal strength gains, weight loss, cardiovascular endurance or anything else), you have to regularly vary the training by time, exercise and intensity. I think this is awesome for a whole bunch of people I know who don't do ANY exercise. I'm just not sure it's going to have long term effects because there just isn't enough variability.
That said, as usual, there is no free lunch, and the belief you only need to do this 7 minute workout is the equivalent to "this one weird trick".
In the case of this 7 Minute Workout, just keep going harder - add a weight belt, incline the pushups and work towards full handstand pushups, etc.
I think we must be in violent agreement since this is the very definition of variability. Incline pushups are a different exercise. So are handstand pushups. Also there is some limit that you will reach if you go balls to the wall for 7 minutes as it relates to intensity. Increasing time at the same level of intensity necessarily means you do more work and get more benefit. You can't increase intensity doing the same exercises all the time as there is a finite limit of how much stuff you can do in 7 minutes.
I have some disagreement. Admittedly semantic, but I think important.
If you are consistently exercise the same way - you will stop observing improvements in your fitness (as you reach an equilibrium) but you will still have access to the same benefits, i.e. improved overall fitness and physical and mental health.
An appropriate mixture of strength training and cardiovascular exercise is ideal, even without changing it. What's important is that you actually do it.
Exercise is always a positive thing to do: for many people, it will be better to keep doing it in a way which they enjoy rather than change for the perception that they are challenging themselves more.
There's still all sorts of positive effects it could have. For example, someone who does it, and feels better because of it, might be motivated to delve deeper into fitness. Or, it might provide very accessible "conditioning-lite" to make the experience of starting a more intensive routine more pleasant.
Taken exactly as-is, repeated forever- you will absolutely plateau. But it could still have indirect positive long-term effects.
This will increase happiness and a general sense of well being for about 3 and a half weeks 'til your body adjusts to this level of 'stress' (because it's the same routine every time)
The design is awesome. I could see a interface like this being very useful for elementary yoga poses but this is a far call from an AMAZING work out.
But you need time for warmup, skill building, etc before that of course.
The minimum amount of time you need for good heart health is listed here: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/PhysicalActivit...
AHA Recommendation
At least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least 5 days per week for a total of 150
OR
At least 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity at least 3 days per week for a total of 75; or a combination of the two
AND
Moderate to high intensity muscle-strengthening activity at least 2 or more days per week for additional health benefits.
Doing this same set week after week will make you REALLY GOOD at those exercises, and you'll suddenly find yourself blasting through them, which is good. But then you're still weak in a number of other ways.
Agree with Weatherlight, 7 minutes is much to short to do anything of value. Even if you did a round of Tabata training, I'd still say you need 5 minutes to warm up.
The most important thing I've found in getting more fit is to consistently do something every day. Getting started is the hardest part. Having something that only takes 7 minutes, and requires no more equipment than a chair, takes away a lot of excuses and makes that bare minimum easier. Once that's a habit, throwing in longer workouts isn't so hard.
In fact, the NY Times article[1] from May 9, 2013 that introduced many to the workout says:
"Work by scientists at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and other institutions shows, for instance, that even a few minutes of training at an intensity approaching your maximum capacity produces molecular changes within muscles comparable to those of several hours of running or bike riding."
[1] http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-mi...
The results have been great. I'm not bounding with muscle or anything, but it's now a lot easier for me to throw my kids around, etc.
[1] http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/the-scientific-7-mi...
Source: http://www.sealswcc.com/pdf/naval-special-warfare-physical-t...
Working out isn't hard. Figure out what your goals are, pick a selection of exercises that fit that goal, and do them. Forget gimmicks, train yourself to want to work out and it's much easier. And don't forget to pay attention to what you eat, that can make or break your workout.
If you do stuff that's fun then you won't care anymore how long it takes.
I'd still argue that fun is better. I can do mundane things that make me a stronger climber, but there is an end-goal, and the bulk of my time is spent having a good time. When I was lifting for the sake of lifting I could never make it more than 6 weeks or so.
If you're not doing it at sufficient intensity it is probably fairly pointless.
The problem with these one-size-fits-all "exercise for N minutes" memes is that every person has different goals for what they want to get out of exercise.
The best part is you can do it at your desk :)
It seems perfect, doesn't it? Just seven minutes every day and you too can be amazingly fit. I wonder how many people actually stuck to it every day, and how good the results were. I doubt we'll ever know. But you know, it's only seven minutes.
Full intensity.
Every day.
My gym time is typically ~2 hours, almost half of which is logistics : transportation to-from, showering, packing gym bag, etc. Of course there are theoretical means to optimize this time, but for the moment let's assume that's not an option.
That's basically 12.5% of my waking day. My schedule is tight, but not as tight as some others - and yet my gym days always feel like they're getting in the way of some other potential task (work / school). I can't even imagine what a 2 hour commitment will feel like once I have children.
Some might think health should be everyone's top-most concerns, and many others don't think that way and live perfectly satisfying lives too.
...or playing with your kids. Or helping them with their homework. Or taking your SO on a date.
Let's be honest, especially for people with families, an hour is a decent-sized chunk of discretionary free time.
If I went down right now to pump out push ups my joints would scream at me.
Will put that in my company culture. Spontaneous workouts during the day hehe. xD
Forget about all this crap out there about how to get results with the least amount of work. Instead, just go do something active that you ENJOY and can repeat. Health is about a LIFESTYLE change that you can persist.