A microworkout is a tiny spell of exercise that lasts just 1-5 minutes. It is often spoken about in conjunction with the term “kaizen.” Kaizen is the Japanese word for “improvement,” which has been co-opted to mean “making tiny changes to a process in order to yield huge results.” The philosophy is that a small action, when repeated daily, can add up to something profound.

This is the concept of the microworkout. While many people attempt to start 4 hour training programs to no avail, working out for just 5 minutes a day is far more achievable. Will the results be as great? Not to begin with no, but the point is that you’ll use this as a way to form new positive habits that you can then use to introduce harder training programs, and build to massive changes.

Likewise, you can use micro-workouts two, three, or five times a day and that way you distribute training throughout the day. The result is that you exercise a fair amount, but in a far more palatable manner. Moreover, your metabolism stays raised throughout the day, and you don’t undergo those long, unhealthy periods of uninterrupted inactivity. ( think Walt Goodman from dodgeball)

But there’s a similar concept that is even more effective. That is to train as a part of your daily routine. In other words, you’re turning your regular activities into microworkouts. For example, that means you’ll park in the farthest spot from the grocery store, performing calf raises on a curb while waiting for the bus, doing curls while carrying bags, or even doing tricep dips on the couch while watching television (or even just stretching).

This type of training completely solves the issue of time to go train 2 hours a day to burn all those calories. You don’t have to keep trying to “fit in” your exercise, because you’re doing it at the same time as something you already would have done.

Better yet, it takes the idea of continually exercising throughout the day even further. This is actually how the human body is evolved to train. We are not intended to go through long periods of complete inactivity, couch potato-ing it up until Netflix ask if we are still watching.That is not a way to thrive in this life!

But can it be as effective just doing 5- 5 minute "workouts" ? That depends on your approach and your goals. For weight loss, calorie burn is calorie burn no matter how the activity is distributed. If you burn more then you eat you'll lose the weight. When it comes to strength if you never make it more challenging then doing 5 push ups on a commercial break, there won't be much progression after the first few weeks of doing the activities unless you change the intensity or volume.That said, there are other ways to accomplish this (such as with eccentric isometrics) and by understanding these concepts you can work effective training into and around your regular routine.

So if your goal is more than just weight loss; you're likely to need more then just the micro-workouts. You'll need to find a program that encompasses strength training, conditioning, and mobility to get to your goals. Micro workouts are a great way to start and to increase the calories burned through the day; but if you want dramatic and sustainable results find a program or coach that fits you! You don't need to go to the gym for hours on end if you have the right fit for you so find somewhere that matches your needs. If you'd like to schedule a free consult to see if TrAk is a fit for you. Click the link below!