Life doesn’t always give us as much time to work out as we’d like (or know we should). Sometimes all you’ve got is a few moments before the kids wake up, or a little free time after a meeting ends early. When your schedule is so packed that you don’t even have a spare half hour to exercise, it’s natural to wonder whether it’s worth getting your body moving at all. Will a five-minute workout still build muscle? 

Sometimes called “movement snacks” or “exercise microdosing,” researchers have found a surprising number of benefits to super-short workouts—with a few caveats. “Studies have shown that small bursts of movement throughout the day are going to be beneficial,” says Peloton instructor and vice president of fitness programming Robin Arzón. “They’re going to definitely break up the sedentary moments where we have long bouts of meetings, Zoom calls, or really just any kind of long stretches of seated work.” 

If you’ve just got five minutes to get moving, here’s what to know about what it can actually do for your fitness—and how to make the most of every second.

Will a 5-Minute Workout Still Build Muscle?

Yes, it is possible to build some muscle even if you only work out for five minutes, but it really depends on your baseline fitness level. 

“The benefit is going to be greater for individuals who tend to be more sedentary,” says Jennifer Hurrell, a physical therapist and clinical associate professor and chair in the department of biological and biomedical sciences at Bryant University. “If you’re someone who’s lacking strength, then you can absolutely build strength in a workout that’s less than five minutes.”

On the other hand, a dedicated weightlifter is unlikely to see any real muscle gains from doing a few squats and lunges while waiting for the coffee maker. “You’re not really going to see benefits there for strength and hypertrophy (muscle size),” Robin says. “That is really going to [require] longer stretches of movement—and consistent longer stretches of movement.” 

It’s pretty easy to see why your starting line matters here: If you’re already pretty strong and your body is used to longer workouts, you’re going to need a bigger stimulus to challenge your muscles than someone who hasn’t picked up a dumbbell in months. 

“Exercise is not a one-size-fits-all prescription,” Hurrell says. You’ve got to take your starting point into consideration when designing a workout program that will deliver the positive changes you’re after.

Benefits of 5-Minute Workouts

Of course, stronger muscles aren’t the only reason to work out. Research shows that there are a number of ways that even a tiny bit of activity can help various aspects of our health and fitness. 

1. Better Blood Sugar Regulation

When we’ve got lots of glucose in our system from a carb-heavy meal or snack, moving around can help bring it back to healthier levels. 

One small 2014 study found that, among individuals with insulin resistance, doing a few one-minute bursts of heart-pumping uphill walking before meals is an effective way to reduce blood glucose concentrations—and the effect can last for up to 24 hours. Another small 2021 study found that breaking up long periods of sitting with one minute of exercise every half hour reduced insulin levels after lunch. 

This is important because “spikes in blood sugar can be very damaging in the way of inflammation, potentially leading to diabetes at some point down the road,” Hurrell says. Managing our blood sugar effectively can help reduce our risk for these kinds of metabolic diseases. 

2. A Healthier Heart 

If you’re looking after your ticker, it’s smart to get it pumping harder, even for five minutes. “There are going to be benefits for our heart health, reducing risk of cardiovascular disease,” Robin says. 

Indeed, recent research from the University of Sydney found that just four minutes of vigorous physical activity a day significantly reduced risk of heart attack and heart failure among middle-aged women. In this case, “physical activity” doesn’t even have to be formal exercise, according to the study’s lead author—walking up stairs, playing tag with your kid, or carrying shopping bags for a few minutes are all fair places to start.

Five-minute workouts can also improve our VO2 max, or how much oxygen our body can use during exercise. This measurement is a key indicator of aerobic fitness, and it’s linked to better heart health. But you don’t need to train for a marathon to improve it—even when you’re microdosing with these short bursts of cardio, your body will start to metabolize more oxygen, Hurrell says. 

3. More Physical Power

You can also get in some legit power training in just five minutes. One 2019 study had 12 young sedentary adults quickly climb three flights of stairs three times a day, three days a week for six weeks—and found that they had a 12 percent increase in cycling peak power output by the end. Hurrell says that’s thanks to building more muscle as well as increasing the oxygen uptake in that muscle.

4. Decreased Triglyceride Levels

Robin says there are also metabolic health benefits you can get out of five-minute workouts. In particular, research has shown that short bursts of exercise can decrease our concentrations of triglycerides, “which is the more concerning type of fat that we see in our bodies that can lead to increased cardiovascular risk,” Hurrell says. 

You don’t even need to move for five full minutes: One small 2020 study found that just four seconds of cycling sprints five times an hour over an eight-hour period significantly lowered triglyceride levels.

5. Approachable Challenges

Instead of telling yourself you need to sweat for a full hour, committing to just five minutes at a time can feel like a much more doable goal. Hurrell points out that, while both the American Heart Association and American College of Sports Medicine recommend adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio plus two strength sessions per week, that can feel like a lot for folks who aren’t used to doing structured exercise. 

And for most, unfortunately, it just doesn’t happen. Breaking things down into five-minute chunks can be a much less intimidating way to work towards those expert benchmarks, and start to build consistent habits that you can actually fit into your day—even when life gets hectic.   

6. A Great Mood Boost

Need to de-stress? Why not dance (or jump or run) it out for a few minutes? Robin points out that short workouts can break up a long day and improve our mood. Psychologists say it only takes a few minutes of moderate exercise to get an immediate boost—something that anyone who’s ever gotten a good sweat in can attest to. 

Limitations of 5-Minute Workouts

At some point, the benefits of five-minute workouts will begin to taper off. Hurrell says you’ll be able to maintain any positive changes you’ve gotten out of going from zero to five minutes, but you’ll eventually need to train for longer than that in order to progress any further. 

“There’s going to be a cap to how far you can go,” she says. “You’re not going to be able to become an elite athlete who’s going to be able to run a marathon just because you’re participating in these microdosing bouts of activity.” 

Also, when you’re only ever doing five-minute spurts of exercise, it can be hard to add all that up to the recommended 150 minutes per week—you’d need at least four or five of those exercise bursts every single day. And while that’s by no means impossible, it can make you feel like you’re always trying to exercise, rather than dedicating one half-hour window to a workout and calling it a day.  

How to Maximize a 5-Minute Workout

When you’ve only got five minutes to get moving, you want to make the most of every second. Keep these tips in mind:  

The Takeaway

There are legitimate health and fitness perks you can get out of five-minute workouts. “When we look at the difference between just remaining sedentary or doing this very modest amount of activity, it’s quite remarkable what benefits you can see,” Hurrell says. 

But the more active you are overall, the less you’ll gain from five-minute workouts because they won’t be as much of a challenge for your body. For regular gym-goers looking to make real strength gains, Robin recommends instead putting your energy into traditional 20-, 30-, and 45-minute workouts—and doing those consistently. 

On the flip side, you can think of it this way: If you’ve got five minutes free and feel like moving, there are really no drawbacks. Some exercise is always better than none, so start where you’re at. You’ll probably feel a little better, both physically and mentally, when you’re done.