Can a 7-Minute Workout Replace Your Long Workout? We Investigate.

Monday

Workout: Full Body (Free)

Quickly patting myself on the back for actually managing to wake up when I heard my extra-early alarm after a busy long weekend, I put on my workout gear and rolled out my yoga mat. The free version of the app gets you one workout routine, so naturally it was my first choice. Let me tell you: Just because a workout is a measly seven minutes long does not mean you won’t be sweating your lady bits off. You’ve been warned.

A quick tip: Although the app claims you won’t need any workout equipment to complete the routine, you will need household items like a chair, a stair step and a wall. Make sure you know where all of these things are before you start — I learned this the hard way — because you only have a few seconds between exercises.

Tuesday

Workout: Belly Burn (Subscription)

I enjoyed yesterday’s free workout well enough, but I thought that I should check out the subscription service if I really wanted to see what this app had to offer. So I shelled out the $4.99 it costs per month on the app store (the subscription automatically renews itself, so be aware if you only want to test it out), and in return I had around forty different workouts to choose from. As my core muscles are basically non-existent, I decided that the belly burn workout would be a great place to start. Not only was my heart rate elevated the entire time, but my abs also definitely felt immediately tighter afterward. (Can that happen right away, or was I just imagining it?)

Wednesday

Workout: Silent and Stretch (Subscription)

Happy hump day, fitness folks! This morning I opted for the silent routine. Designed for people who live in top-floor apartments who can’t really afford to jump around too much at 6am, I was immediately drawn to the workout — and for good reason. The routine put me in such an energetic mood that I decided I had time to squeeze in another seven-minute workout — this one was just different stretches — before I headed off to work.

P.S. I earned my second badge today! I’m totally one of those people who fall for the gamification of just about anything, so color me impressed.

Thursday

Workout: Insane Abs (Subscription)

This routine was kind of a miss for me. Maybe I got too cocky from my previous successes this week, but this workout was a little out of my league. Because I had to pause it on almost every move to figure out how to do it, I ended up spending way more than the seven minutes on the routine. Plus, I started experimenting with different announcer voices — you can change your instructor’s voices to things like cheerleader, Kung Fu master and hippie — but I just found them extremely gimmicky and not motivating at all. Good days and bad days, I guess.

Friday

Workout: Arms (Subscription)

I woke up a bit early today to give myself a little more time to relax and really enjoy my coffee before diving into my last workout of the week. Choosing a light arm workout to cap off the experience, I definitely found myself more energized after the seven minutes were up. To be fair though, that could have also been the 16 ounces of java running through my veins.

My Takeaway

I am obsessed with this app. Just like how tons of people get stuck scrolling on Netflix for something to watch, I often find myself browsing YouTube for a workout video, only to shut it off more confused than when I started. I loved that everything I needed for a quick wake-me-up routine was right inside the app. Of course, some workout routines that I tried were better for me than others, but now that I have found a few that I know will push me just the right amount, I’m actually excited to finish off my monthly subscription. Plus, I now have a handy excuse to go buy new workout gear — win-win!

What’s your go-to fitness app? Tweet us your choices by mentioning @BritandCo.

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