Seven minutes fits before a shower or between meetings, which is the whole appeal of a 7 minute workout. Press Start above and the timer does the rest. It counts down every move and shows a picture of it with a form tip. It beeps before each change, and an AI coach from the FitCraft app calls out the next exercise, so you can keep your eyes off the screen.
How this 7 minute workout works
Every level has the same three parts and takes exactly 7 minutes:
- Pick your level. Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced or Expert. Beginner needs a sturdy chair or bench. The other levels need no equipment.
- Warm up for 1 minute. Two easy mobility moves, or one move that switches sides halfway.
- Do the circuit for 5 minutes. Each move lasts 30 seconds (25 at Expert) with a 5-second get-ready before it. Do the circuit twice, or three times at Expert, with a short rest between rounds.
- Stretch for 1 minute. One stretch, switching sides halfway.
- Do it again or move up a level. For more work, do a second round. When every move feels steady, try the next level.
Here are the moves at each level. Every exercise name links to its form guide.
| Level | Warm-up (1 min) | Circuit (5 min) | Stretch (1 min) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | Side kicks and Downward dog | 2 rounds of 30 s: Sumo squats, Side lunges, Incline push-ups and Bench dips | Cross-legged ankle stretch |
| Intermediate | Triangle pose | 2 rounds of 30 s: High knee-n-crunches, Push-ups, Forearm plank and Crunches | Half kneeling stretch |
| Advanced | Side kicks and Cobra pose | 2 rounds of 30 s: In-and-outs, Bicycle crunches, Floor wipers and Step-n-push | Straight leg pull-back |
| Expert | Cobra pose and Full back curls | 3 rounds of 25 s: Burpees, Skullcrusher push-ups and Mountain climbers | Lunge reach |
The workout comes from the FitCraft app, where Total Body Blitz is one of the short workouts listed as under 10 minutes. This version keeps the app's moves for each level and shortens the rests so that every level takes exactly 7 minutes. Moves that work one side at a time, such as the stretches, switch sides halfway, and the timer tells you when.
7 minute workout for beginners
Start at the Beginner level if you are new to exercise or coming back after a break. The circuit is sumo squats, side lunges, incline push-ups and bench dips, which work the legs, chest and arms without any jumping. You need a sturdy chair or bench that cannot slide. Put it against a wall, use it for the dips, and rest your hands on it for the incline push-ups.
Move at a pace that keeps your form clean. If you need a break, take it: the timer keeps running and the next move starts on time, so resting through part of a move costs you nothing. When you can finish every move with steady form, try Intermediate. Our guide to starting from zero fitness covers the first few weeks.
Do this workout and more, customized to you in detailed 3D
The FitCraft app builds workouts around your goals, shows every move with a 3D AI coach and adjusts as you progress. Earn XP, keep your streak and level up. Free version available.
Take the Free Assessment Free • 2 minutes • No credit cardThe scientific 7 minute workout
The workout most people mean by "the 7 minute workout" comes from a 2013 article by Brett Klika and Chris Jordan in ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal (Klika and Jordan 2013). As it is widely reported, it is a circuit of 12 bodyweight exercises, each done for 30 seconds with about 10 seconds between them:
- Jumping jacks
- Wall sit
- Push-ups
- Crunches
- Step-ups onto a chair
- Squats
- Triceps dips on a chair
- Plank
- High knees
- Lunges
- Push-ups with rotation
- Side plank
Twelve exercises of 30 seconds plus 11 breaks of 10 seconds adds up to 7 minutes 50 seconds, so the classic round runs a little long. As it is usually presented, it starts straight in with jumping jacks and uses the same 12 moves for everyone. The timer on this page adds a 1-minute warm-up and a 1-minute stretch, gives you four levels, and fits all of it into exactly 7 minutes.
Does the 7 minute workout work?
No trial has tested the version on this page. The studies below tested the classic 12-move circuit, so read them as evidence about that workout and about short bodyweight circuits in general.
- Push-up endurance and strength. Schmidt et al. 2016 randomly assigned 96 recreationally active college students to the circuit, a control group, or a group that did the circuit for 4 weeks and then twice in a row for 4 weeks, 3 times a week for 8 weeks. Push-up endurance improved in both training groups, and the men in both groups got stronger. Women who moved up to two rounds improved their aerobic capacity. The authors called the other gains slight.
- Waist and body fat. In Mattar et al. 2017, 29 adults aged 18 to 30 did the workout every day for 6 weeks without changing their diet, compared with 29 controls. Their waists shrank by about 4 cm on average and their fat mass and body fat percentage fell, with no change in arm size or grip strength.
- Fitness in women with obesity. Ajjimaporn et al. 2023 had 24 sedentary women with obesity do the circuit 3 times a week for 8 weeks, starting with one round and adding one every two weeks. Compared with controls, their relative VO2max rose by 32.3%, their body fat mass fell by 3.4% and their skeletal muscle mass rose by 2.9%.
- How hard it is. Riegler et al. 2017 measured 14 active adults. The circuit produced a lower oxygen uptake and heart rate than cycling intervals of the same length. The hardest bursts came close to 90% of maximum heart rate, which counts as vigorous, but the authors placed the workout on the low end of the intensity spectrum.
Taken together, these small studies suggest that a short circuit done most days can improve fitness and body shape in people who were not training, and that adding rounds over time helps. It does not replace a structured plan that adds load week by week. For that, try the free AI workout plan generator. Short, hard circuits like this sit close to HIIT, and our article on the minimum effective dose of exercise covers how little exercise still counts.
How often to do the 7 minute workout
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (Piercy et al. 2018) ask adults for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity a week, plus muscle-strengthening activity on 2 or more days. One 7 minute workout every day adds up to 49 minutes a week, so on its own it does not reach the aerobic target. Count it toward your week and add walks or longer sessions on other days. Its strength moves count toward the muscle-strengthening part on the days you do it.
To do more, press Do it again at the end for a second round, or do one in the morning and one later in the day. In the Ajjimaporn trial, people started with one round and added one every two weeks. When a level feels easy, move up to the next one.
Who should check with a doctor first
The workout is built for healthy adults. Adjust it, or check with a professional first, in these situations.
- New to exercise or coming back after a long break. Start at Beginner and rest whenever your form slips.
- High blood pressure or heart disease. Talk to your doctor first. Plank holds raise blood pressure while you hold them, as our article on isometric exercise and blood pressure explains, and the Intermediate level includes a forearm plank.
- Joint pain or a current injury. Pick a level whose moves do not hurt, and skip jumping moves such as burpees. Our guide to training with joint pain covers common swaps.
- Pregnancy and the months after birth. Follow your care team on which moves to use and how hard to work. Our postpartum fitness guide has more context.
- Dips on a chair. Use a sturdy chair or bench that cannot slide, with its back against a wall.
Stop the workout if you feel chest pain, dizziness or sharp joint pain.
Related reading
References
- Klika B, Jordan C. "High-Intensity Circuit Training Using Body Weight." ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal. 2013;17(3):8-13. doi:10.1249/FIT.0b013e31828cb1e8
- Schmidt D, Anderson K, Graff M, Strutz V. "The effect of high-intensity circuit training on physical fitness." Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 2016;56(5):534-540. PMID 25942012
- Mattar L, Farran N, Bakhour D. "Effect of 7-minute workout on weight and body composition." Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 2017;57(10):1299-1304. doi:10.23736/S0022-4707.16.06788-8
- Ajjimaporn A, Khemtong C, Willems MET. "Body composition and physical fitness improve after 8 weeks of high-intensity circuit training using body weight in obese women." Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. 2023;63(2). doi:10.23736/S0022-4707.22.14000-4
- Riegler M, Stotz G, Fitzgerald K, et al. "Acute Responses to the 7-Minute Workout." Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2017;31(9):2572-2578. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000002073
- Piercy KL, Troiano RP, Ballard RM, et al. "The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans." JAMA. 2018;320(19):2020-2028. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.14854
How this timer differs from typical 7 minute workout timers
Most 7 minute workout timers run the classic 12 moves with a countdown and a beep, and leave the rest to you. This one adds a warm-up and a stretch, gives you four levels with their own moves, and shows each move with a picture and a form tip from that exercise's guide. An AI coach from the FitCraft app calls out the next exercise. The timer keeps your screen awake where the browser allows it and keeps time from the clock, so it stays on schedule if you switch apps. It also turns the workout into a small game: every move earns XP, a full workout and a run with no skips earn bonuses, and a daily streak counts the days in a row you finish, kept only on your device. It says plainly that the classic round takes 7 minutes 50 seconds and that no trial has tested this version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 7 minute workout actually work?
For people who were not training before, small trials of the classic 12-move circuit found gains in push-up endurance, aerobic fitness and waist size over 6 to 8 weeks (Schmidt et al. 2016, Mattar et al. 2017, Ajjimaporn et al. 2023). A lab study placed its intensity on the low end compared with cycling intervals (Riegler et al. 2017). No trial has tested the version on this page.
What is the famous 7 minute workout?
It is a circuit of 12 bodyweight exercises from a 2013 article in ACSM's Health & Fitness Journal: jumping jacks, wall sit, push-ups, crunches, step-ups onto a chair, squats, triceps dips on a chair, plank, high knees, lunges, push-ups with rotation and side plank. Each is done for 30 seconds with about 10 seconds between them, so one round takes 7 minutes 50 seconds.
How many times a week should I do the 7 minute workout?
You can do it most days. The trials used 3 to 7 sessions a week. Seven sessions add up to 49 minutes, which is short of the 150 minutes of moderate activity a week in the US guidelines (Piercy et al. 2018), so add walks or longer workouts too.
Is the 7 minute workout good for beginners?
Yes, at the Beginner level: a warm-up, a circuit of sumo squats, side lunges, incline push-ups and bench dips, and a stretch, with no jumping. You need a sturdy chair or bench. Rest whenever your form slips, and the timer keeps running.
Do I need equipment for the 7 minute workout?
Not for Intermediate, Advanced or Expert. The Beginner level uses a sturdy chair or bench for bench dips and incline push-ups.
Can I do the 7 minute workout twice?
Yes. Press Do it again at the end for a second round, or do one in the morning and one later in the day. In one trial, women who moved up to two rounds in a row from week 5 improved their aerobic capacity (Schmidt et al. 2016).