The Benefits of Doing Multiple Short Workouts Each Day

From the time your alarm goes off (way too early) to the moment your head hits the pillow (way too late), you’re running from task to task. You navigate household chores, family obligations, and professional life like a circus performer juggling plates, and sometimes, it comes at the cost of a workout. You simply don’t have a spare 45 minutes or an hour, and eventually, you fall into the logical fallacy of “Well, if I don’t have time to do a ‘full’ workout, why bother at all?”

The truth is, your workouts don’t have to last for a certain amount of time—and a workout of any duration “counts” toward your movement goals. “Releasing ourselves from this idea that [a workout]  needs to be 45 minutes or more in order to count is one of the biggest things that we could do for our fitness journey, especially if we're looking to be more consistent and we have a trend falling off of our routine,” explains Robin Arzón, Peloton Head Instructor and VP of Fitness Programming.

Instead of agonizing over missing workouts and trying (and failing) to cram an hour-long workout into your already-packed day, we’re here to suggest a different kind of workout plan. It’s time to embrace “exercise snacks.” 

We asked Robin about the benefits of short workouts and how to make them as effective as possible. Here’s what to know.

What Is Considered a “Short” Workout?

What you consider a “short” workout depends on your typical workout style and goals (after all, if you’re training for a marathon, 45 minutes may be a short workout compared with your two-hour long run). In general, however, a short workout is anywhere under 20 minutes, whether that’s a five-minute core class or a 20-minute ride. “I would consider a shorter workout 15-20 minutes or less,” Robin says.

How do exercise snacks fit in with short workouts? Just as you may munch on high protein snacks throughout the day, you tackle exercise snacks whenever you have a few spare minutes. “The idea of an exercise snack is doing almost any form of physical activity for a very short period of time,” explains Robin. “You know, if you have just a few minutes in between meetings, you could do jumping jacks, you could go and climb the stairs of your building, you could do some bodyweight exercises like push-ups, lunges, squats, burpees.” Remember, the key is the super-short duration, she emphasizes. “We're talking 30 to 60 seconds, or two minutes of an exercise to kind of punctuate your day, especially if you've been really sedentary throughout the day.” 

For example, Peloton Member Rebeca B. says, “I generally do a bit of yoga and meditation in the morning, then at lunchtime I do a 20- or 30-minute ride or strength training, and then whichever I didn’t do at lunch, I do in the evening.” All those efforts definitely add up!

Benefits of Short Workouts vs. Long Workouts

Yes, stacking a few 10-minute workouts during the day could be more effective than a single 30-minute sweat session. Here’s what to know about the daily benefits of short workouts.

Approachable and Efficient

If you tend to lose steam toward the end of a longer workout, you may notice improvement if you break it up and spread exercise throughout your day. “[Shorter workouts] can cut down on the intimidation factor,” Robin says. “If you see a 60-minute workout and think ‘Oh my gosh, I could never do that,’ break it down. Break it down into something that's more bite-sized, 5-10 or 15-20 minutes.”

Beginner-Friendly

If you’re looking for general fitness or just want to increase your movement and energy throughout the day, the “exercise snack” approach could be right for you. Peloton Member Stephanie S. says the all-day-buffet style suits her lifestyle perfectly: “That is just what I have to naturally do because of work/school/motherhood,” she says. “I usually do a 10- to 20-minute workout in the mornings, then in the afternoon or evening,I do a 20- to 30-minute yoga practice. The Peloton App has been super helpful, because I can save all of my routines and practices for the week and pull them up whenever I have a chance.”

Build Athleticism and Power

Not a lot of time to work out? You can still max out your effort in 15 minutes or less—and in fact, that may be where your gains are truly made. “These quick routines can be just as effective for cardiovascular health and our ability to increase strength and endurance, while still maintaining focus,” Robin says. So if you’re looking to crush a 90-minute Power Zone ride or bulk up your biceps, exercise snacks may not be the best strategy for you—but if you want to improve your explosiveness on the pickleball court, a short, dynamic workout may be your new go-to.

Multitask During Your Day

Peloton Member Stephanie S. has an amazing hack that works for her and may just work for you, too: “I’ve incorporated 10-minute standing yoga or standing core Peloton workouts from Rebecca Kennedy during my many conference calls,” she says. “I am able to follow along with the sound off (or low) while still being able to listen to my conference calls.”

Enjoy a Mental Break

“On top of a 20-minute ride with an instructor in my daily schedule … I like to add in scenic-route rides to break up the workday. Not only does it get me up and moving in between conference calls, but I love exploring other parts of the country and world,” says Peloton Member Liz T. “My favorites are the West Coast rides. They give me a mental break from work and our home environment, and stimulate my creativity and thinking.”

“If you want to avoid burnout, sometimes these shorter punchier workouts can really aid your focus and improve your mood,” Robin adds. “And of course, they're extremely time efficient.”

Improve Consistency

Especially when you’re just building a fitness routine, consistency is key—and shorter workouts can be easier to fit into your schedule than longer blocks of time. “We can be ambitious in our goal setting, and when we fall off our routine, which is only human, giving yourself permission that little by little can amount to a lot is really freeing,” Robin says. “And sessions that are 10 or 15 minutes can be easily digestible and really effective.”  She adds that focusing on consistency over duration can be especially helpful when you’re out of your routine—say, during an especially busy period at work, when your partner is traveling and you’re solo-parenting, or when you’re on vacation.

Who Should Do Short Workouts Daily?

Short workouts are appropriate for almost anyone, no matter your age, fitness level, or goals. 

“I think anyone could benefit from this paradigm shift in approaching shorter workouts,” Robin says. “Especially if you’re in a really busy season of life. Sometimes our workouts can take the backseat to other things that are important or urgent. So shorten the workout to 5-10 or 15-20 minutes and it will absolutely improve your health.”

A few specific groups of people are especially well-suited to daily short workouts:

So, Can You Build Muscle With Short Workouts?

Yes, absolutely. In fact, short workouts are an opportunity to lift heavier, says Robin. “When I'm pressed for time, I like to prioritize either intervals or strength work—going heavier and taking much less rest. Super sets are a great example for a strength workout, since you'd be linking together multiple exercises before taking a rest period.”

Short workouts are also the right time to do high-intensity interval training, also known as HIIT. Studies have found that short bursts of intense exercise (aka HIIT) provide greater benefits than longer, less intense workout sessions (and HIIT may be more enjoyable too). Translation: You’ll need to sweat at least a little if you want to make the most of your time. So be ready to put in some effort during each short segment.

Short Workouts to Add to Your Daily Routine

Ready to start your timer? Robin has a few suggestions for short, daily workouts you can add to your routine today.

Short Workouts for Strength

Fifteen minutes is all you need for a full-body strength workout—when it’s structured correctly. Try the “every minute on the minute” formula that Peloton instructor Jess Sims uses in her Flash 15 classes, suggests Robin. “Flash 15 from Jess Sims is a great example of a really efficient 15-minute workout.” In this format, you’ll have one minute to perform a certain amount of reps; once you’re done, you have the rest of the minute to rest. For a full-body workout, rotate which moves you’re doing every three minutes, and make sure you’re using a challenging set of weights. An example workout may look like this:

Short Workouts for Cardio

HIIT is the GOAT if you want a short daily cardio workout. “I love Tabata on the Peloton Bike, or HIIT intervals on the Tread, or even Walk + Run for folks who want to incorporate more walking,” Robin says. Play around with different ratios of work to rest in order to max out your effort. For example, Tabata classes challenge you with a 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off (or 40 seconds on, 20 seconds off) formula. 

Similarly, HIIT running workouts will require you to push your pace for a short period of time before taking a recovery; the length of your recovery determines your effort level. A 30-second sprint may not seem hard at first, but when your recovery time is only 30 seconds and you repeat that effort four more times, trust us—you’ll feel the burn.

A Final Note on Short Daily Workouts

Truly, there’s no downside to fitting a short daily workout into your schedule. You’ll make time for movement, improve your health, and start building the foundation of a consistent fitness routine. “The all-or-nothing mindset that a workout needs to be of a certain length or intensity in order for it to count is actually a huge barrier for success,” Robin says. “We need to redefine success as being consistent.”