This is a simple exercise program for people who don't have too much time to spare. It is not designed to create 'ultimate fitness' or anything like that, but it IS designed to keep your body in reasonable condition on a minimum time schedule. Ideal for people who work long hours, sit long hours at a desk/ in front of a computer, etc.

Below are a warm-up (to begin with) and seven exercises to be done daily. This entire program should not take more than 15 minutes a day. These are all simple exercises that everyone has some knowledge of, and should be easy to do.




Warming up

Any exercise program should start and end with a short warm-up. Rotate your arms in circles clockwise and anti clockwise about ten times each way, run on the spot for 30 seconds or so, pumping (swinging) your arms vigorously - increase the temperature of your body in this way, and up your heart rate.




The Exercises:

Exercise 1) Pushups:
Also knows as press-ups.
Step 1: Lie chest-down on the floor with your hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart. The hands should be placed on each side of the chest, with the hands facing outwards. The feet can be either together, or about shoulder width apart - your toes and the ball of your foot touch the ground.
Look forward, not down at the floor - if any part of your face touches the floor, it should be the chin, rather than the nose. Now breathe in deeply.
Look at the image below:


Step 2: Now, push up off the floor by straightening your arms. Exhale as you do this. Keep the hands and feet fixed in position on the floor, and keep your back straight as you push up. Stop for a moment in this position. Look at the image below:


Step 3: Now lower your body down to the floor again by bending your arms. Breathe IN deeply as you do this. Keep your back straight as you do this.
Lower your body until your chest touches the floor. Keep your knees off the floor - your legs should make contact with the floor through the toes and the ball of the foot.
You have now returned to your position in Step 1 and have completed one pushup.

Number of times to do this exercise:
For already fit people who just want to maintain their fitness: 25 repetitions continuously.
For people trying to get in condition: 10 repetitions continuously.
For people who are out of training: 1 to 3 repetitions.


Exercise 2) Sidebending: This exercise improves flexibility and works the muscles of the torso. Stand with the feet slightly apart and hold the hands above the head. Now bend the body sideways, from the waist, first to the left, then straighten up again, then bend to the right. Bend as far as you can without straining yourself too much. Look at the pictures below:


Count one bend each way as one repetition. Number of times to do this exercise:
For already fit people who just want to maintain their fitness: 20 repetitions continuously.
For people trying to get in condition: 10 repetitions continuously.
For people who are out of training: 5 repetitions.


Exercise 3) Knee-bends or Half-squats: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your feet flat on the floor. Then half-crouch down as if your were about to sit in a chair. Do not go all the way down, but just to the height shown in the pictures below..



Number of times to do this exercise:
For already fit people who just want to maintain their fitness: 30 repetitions continuously.
For people trying to get in condition: 20 repetitions continuously.
For people who are out of training: 15 repetitions.


Exercise 4) Dorsal Exercise: This exercise strengthens the back, abs and thighs. Lie face down with the hands clasped behind the back. Now raise the trunk and legs off the ground simultaneously. Hold this position for a second or two, then lower your trunk and legs to the floor.


Number of times to do this exercise:
For already fit people who just want to maintain their fitness: 20 repetitions.
For people trying to get in condition: 10 repetitions.
For people who are out of training: 5 repetitions.


Exercise 5) Burpees:
Step 1: From standing, go down to the crouch position with your hands on the floor:


Step 2: Then (with the weight on your hands and arms) shoot your legs backwards to the position below.


Step 3: Now, again placing the weight on your hands and arms, return your legs to the crouch position, and then stand up. This is a 'burpee' - Count this as one repetition.


Number of times to do this exercise:
For already fit people who just want to maintain their fitness: 20 repetitions continuously.
For people trying to get in condition: 10 repetitions continuously.
For people who are out of training: 5 repetitions.


Exercise 6) Sit-ups: Lie on your back, then rise without use of your arms, almost to a sitting position. Return to lying on the back. You might find this exercise easier to do if you get a friend or family member to hold your legs down as you do it. See the images below:


Number of times to do this exercise:
For already fit people who just want to maintain their fitness: 20 repetitions continuously.
For people trying to get in condition: 10 repetitions continuously.
For people who are out of training: Between 2 to 6 repetitions.


Exercise 7) Spot Running: Run in one spot, raising your legs about six inches off the floor, and pumping (swinging) the arms. Count a left step and a right step as one repetition.


Number of times to do this exercise:
For already fit people who just want to maintain their fitness: 60 repetitions.
For people trying to get in condition: 50 repetitions.
For people who are out of training: 40 repetitions.




That's it. This is not intended to be the 'ultimate fitness program' or anything of the sort. It is just a simple, useful set of exercises for people who don't have much time to exercise.

Fit people can use it to maintain their level of fitness; not so fit people and people out of training can use it to better their fitness levels. For example, if you're doing the number of repetitions for each exercise that place you in the 'out of training' category, try to increase the repetitions over time so that you move into the 'getting in condition' category, and finally, of course, into the 'fit' category.

Some useful advice: Vary the exercises you do - on some days, do the above routine, on other days, go for a run in the park - run 10 minutes, sprint two minutes, walk five minutes, repeat. Do this running/sprinting/walking routine at least twice, aim for four times. On other days go to the gym and do the heaviest weight exercises - the bench press, the shoulder press and the squats, with the heaviest weights that you can safely manage. At least three sets of ten for each exercise. Increase the weight over time.

On weekends, you could spend half a day or so hiking in nearby mountains (if any) or kayaking or playing some reasonably strenuous sport. Fitness can be fun. Treat your body well and the benefits will be considerable, in terms of health, mental alertness and the ability to smile in the face of fortune and misfortune, to take amicably the ups and downs of life.

I hope this will be of some help to someone out there. Take care, all.

My thanks to ellentemplar for some additions to this post. Also, below, some nice additional suggestions by Saint Micheal:


Saint Micheal's descriptions are pretty clear, if anyone needs additional help/images, etc. just ask.

This post has been edited by Yratorm, LightMage: Feb 18 2007, 08:30 AM

Very nice, Yratorm. I'm a corporate executive, and while I visit the gym twice a week or so, I am not much in 'condition' - this is a nice, simple, equipment free workout. I'm going to try it - I will let you know how things turn out. And thanks You have put in a lot of work here. I assume that's you in the pics?

This post has been edited by Hagar9999: Dec 28 2006, 10:20 AM

Aww, thanks Just trying to help - the exercises are ones everyone knows, really - I just thought I'd pick some of the best and put them together into a reasonably good workout. Yes, that's me in the pics, just had a friend take a few quick pictures on the spur of the moment. Glad you like it, and I sincerely hope it helps you Take care.

Oh, thanks for the appreciation, it was nice of you - it makes putting this together worth doing.


I might be putting up another thread on building bulk in muscles (weight training), and also weight exercises to fine-tune the muscles - if you have any interest in this, it should be up in a week or so (depends on when I can spare the time to write the thread).

This post has been edited by Yratorm, LightMage: Dec 28 2006, 10:28 AM

well, this would help a lot, especially for me since i'm starting to lose some weight. but my only question is, how come the quantity of each exercise routine decreases for the "types" of people who would use the routine? (e.g., fit people having the greatest amount, and the out-of-training people have the least amount)

It works this way - if you're not so fit, you do the lower number of repetitions for a week or so to get your body in condition, then try to increase the reps to move into the higher category. When you're in the higher category, you keep that up for a week or two, trying to increase the reps until you can move into the next, the highest category.

It's designed to enable you to increase your level without strain. All you have to do is be regular, and your fitness level will improve no matter how out of condition you are at the moment, and as it improves, you can up the reps and move into the higher fitness category.

The exercise program encourages you to do what you are capable of at the moment, but to do it regularly and over time increase the reps to move to a higher level of fitness. This way you improve your fitness levels without strain, and as the time required for the exercises isn't too much either, you can usually afford to make the time for it sometime in the day.

This post has been edited by Yratorm, LightMage: Dec 28 2006, 05:28 PM

oh, yeah. i get it now. thanks! i'd probably try one of those one of these days. are you by any chance a fitness instructor or something?

is there a way to increase metabolism aside from exercise? i've always envied people with high metabolism, those that even taking massive amounts of food, they still don't get fat. and they're not even exerting that much effort in exercise.

This post has been edited by mbacarra: Dec 28 2006, 06:40 PM

Thanks for that, really helpful. I've been trying to motivate myself to start going to the gym, but because I'm in school, and have work afterwards most days, it's impossible, as I really wanna see my friends too. I've been looking for something like this forever.
After all that Christmas food this sure will come in handy