7 Minute Workout Review and Alternatives
The 7 Minute Workout App has taken the at-home fitness world by storm, but does it work? What are the alternatives and what does a CrossFitter suggest?
What is the 7 Min Workout?
The 7 Minute workout is a scientifically proven workout to burn fat and build muscle to help you lose weight. There are a few different variations but the variation that has garnered popularity for years has been the 7 Minute Workout App which consists of 12 movements.
The 12 exercises in the 7-minute workout target all the body's major muscle groups:
Jumping jacks (total body)
Wall sit (lower body)
Push-up (upper body)
Abdominal crunch (core)
Step-up onto chair (total body)
Squat (lower body)
Triceps dip on chair (upper body)
Plank (core)
High knees/running in place (total body)
Lunge (lower body)
Push-up and rotation (upper body)
Side plank (core)
Depending on how much time you have, you can do the 7-minute workout once, or repeat the whole series two or three times.
What muscles does the 7 minute workout target?
As you can see above some of the exercises are total body, lower body, upper body and core. Within these groups we have the following muscles:
Lower body - These are your quads, glutes, hamstring and sometimes your calves too
Upper Body - These are your arms (biceps, triceps), chest (pectorals), and shoulders
Core - So these will be your abdominals, obliques and your lower back too.
Total body - All of the above!
The biggest gap in the 7 minute workout is the upper back or any pulling motion. With the 7 minute workout you won't work your lats or traps at all which is something to bear in mind.
In addition to this the 7 minute workout only really focusses on increasing your bodyweight capability and a bit of your cardiovascular capability too, missing out your strength building completely. To increase your strength with any of the major muscle groups you need to add more resistance, like weights, resistance bands etc.
Does the 7 Minute workout work?
If you are a beginner and just starting to workout, the 7 minute workout is a great way to get started. It introduces the major movements well and can work on base strength and some cardiovascular capability.
However if you are trying to replace your exercise you usually do in the gym, I don't think the 7 min workout will do much for you other than maintain your proficiency in those specific exercises. For example if you want to build mass and strength in your chest, the 7 min workout app is not for you.
7 Min Workout Alternatives
As a CrossFitter I can think of many workouts that will burn more calories, build strength and do more benefit that the 7 Min Workout.
Firstly, I will create these workouts with exactly the same resources that the 7 Min Workout app has too so no equipment apart from a wall and somewhere to do tricep dips.
7 Min Workout Alternative 1
7 Minute AMRAP
10 Burpees
15 BW Squats
20 Reverse Lunges
7 Min Workout Alternative 2
For time (Aim for 7 minutes)
100 BW squats
100 Jumping Jacks
7 Min Workout Alternative 3
7 Minute AMRAP
10 Sit Ups
5 Push Ups
10 BW Squats
5 Push Ups
10 Leg Raises
5 Push Ups
Let me know how you got on with your 7 Min Workout Alternatives in the comments below.
