Yes, 10 minutes counts. In two small trials of young adults, sessions of about 10 minutes raised aerobic fitness, or how well your heart and lungs deliver oxygen. This 10 minute workout at home needs no equipment, only a kitchen counter and a timer. Each move comes with what it should feel like.
Can a 10 minute workout be effective?
For aerobic fitness, yes. Two small trials tested sessions of about 10 minutes, and both found a gain.
The first trial used bodyweight moves only (Archila et al., 2021). It included 19 healthy young adults who rarely exercised, with an average age of 20. Each person was put in a training group or a group that did not train at random, like a coin flip. Each training session lasted 11 minutes. It was made of five moves, such as high knees and squat jumps. Each move lasted one minute, with walking in between.
The study lasted six weeks. In that time, the training group did 18 sessions. At the end, the training group had higher aerobic fitness than the group that did not train. Grip strength, jump height and leg endurance did not change in either group.
The second trial used a stationary bike (Gillen et al., 2016). It was also randomized. It included 25 men who rarely exercised, with an average age of 27. One group rode for 10 minutes per session. Only 1 minute of that was all-out effort, split into three short sprints. Another group rode at a steady pace for 50 minutes.
The two training groups rode three times a week. After 12 weeks, both training groups had raised their peak aerobic fitness by 19%.
Both trials were small, and the people in them were young. Each tested its own sessions, high knees and jumps in one and bike sprints in the other. In those young adults, about 10 minutes with some hard effort raised aerobic fitness. The four-move home routine was not part of either trial. It simply borrows their pattern of short, hard work.
How do you do a 10 minute workout at home?
Clear a space about the size of a yoga mat and set a timer. Each move lasts 40 seconds, and then you rest for 20 seconds. Start with a one-minute warm-up, then do the four moves in order. Do two rounds of the four moves, so the main part takes 8 minutes, and then finish with a one-minute cool-down.
Warm up: march in place
March on the spot for one minute and swing your arms. Lift your knees a little higher as the minute goes on.
By the end, you should feel warm and be breathing a bit faster. That is the right start.
Squat
Stand with your feet a little wider than your hips. Sit your hips back as if you were reaching for a chair, then stand up tall.
You should feel it in the front of your thighs and your buttocks. If your heels lift, sit back more and keep your weight in the middle of your feet.
Counter push-up
Place your hands on the edge of a kitchen counter, a little wider than your shoulders. Walk your feet back until your body makes one straight line. Bend your elbows to bring your chest toward the counter, then push away.
You should feel it in your chest and the backs of your arms. If your hips sag, step your feet a little closer to the counter.
Fast feet
Run on the spot with small, quick steps. Keep your feet low and stay on the balls of your feet. Pump your arms to keep the pace up.
This move should feel like the hardest part of each round, so your breathing picks up quickly. For a quieter version, march as fast as you are able.
Glute bridge
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Press through your heels and lift your hips until your body makes a line from shoulders to knees, then lower them slowly.
You should feel it in your buttocks and the backs of your thighs. If you feel it in your lower back, lift your hips a little less. At the top, squeeze your buttocks for a second.
Cool down
Walk slowly around the room for 30 seconds. Then stand tall and reach both arms overhead for a few slow breaths.
Your breathing should settle by the end of the minute. If it hasn't, keep walking until it does.
How hard should a 10 minute workout feel?
During the work intervals, you should breathe faster than normal, and hardest during fast feet. A simple check is the talk test from the CDC (CDC, 2025).
At a moderate pace, you are still able to talk, and singing feels out of reach. At a vigorous pace, you manage only a few words before pausing for a breath.
Aim for vigorous during fast feet, and at least moderate during the other moves. If chatting feels easy all the way through, move faster. If your breath won't settle during the rests, slow down.
Is 10 minutes of exercise a day enough?
Ten minutes a day is worth doing, but on its own it covers only part of the weekly guideline. US guidelines call for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week (CDC, 2026). They also call for 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity. And the minutes don't have to come all at once.
The hard minutes in this routine count toward the 150 minutes, and the warm-up and rests are lighter. The squats, push-ups and bridges are muscle-strengthening moves, the kind of activity the guideline asks for on 2 days. Brisk walks, stairs or a second short session on other days keep adding minutes toward the weekly target.
On a gentler day, try this low impact workout, which keeps one foot on the floor. If even 10 minutes is hard to find, read about exercise snacks, short bursts spread through the day.
We'd pick one time of day and keep it, such as tomorrow morning before you check your phone. The same 10 minutes at the same time is easier to repeat.
Short, regular sessions are also the idea behind our board. Kiwii Move is an interactive whole-body vibration board — a vibration plate with four pressure sensors that turns 10 minutes a day into games you play with your body. You can read more about our interactive vibration board.
Sources
Archila LR et al., International Journal of Exercise Science. Simple Bodyweight Training Improves Cardiorespiratory Fitness with Minimal Time Commitment: A Contemporary Application of the 5BX Approach. 2021. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Gillen JB et al., PLoS One. Twelve Weeks of Sprint Interval Training Improves Indices of Cardiometabolic Health Similar to Traditional Endurance Training despite a Five-Fold Lower Exercise Volume and Time Commitment. 2016. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How to Measure Physical Activity Intensity. 2025. cdc.gov
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adult Activity: An Overview. 2026. cdc.gov