Lunch hour workouts

Let’s say you want to work out during your one hour lunch break. You can only spend fifteen minutes on it and are limited to your workplace. You would want to do something short and yet effective enough for your health and fitness goals. The following is a sample of a workout plan that allows you to work out five times per week.

Sample workout plan

Mon/Wed/Fri – Cardio days

Stair climbing

- Warm up by walking up and down a flight of stairs at an easy pace. Can do some stretching if necessary after that (5 mins).

- Start of workout. Run up and down the stairs as fast as possible (AFAP) for 8 mins.* There should not be any stopping for rest within the time allocated. Your rest time is the time taken for you to climb down the stairs before going up again.

- Cool down (2 mins).

* The pace should be set accordingly to your own ability. For beginners, you could start with a moderate pace (can speak but cannot sing). For advanced, the pace should be high intensity (barely able to speak).

Note: Preferably find a flight of stairs with at least 3 stories high which should be easily accessible by most office workers in Singapore.

Tues/Thurs – Strength training days

Circuit training

1.      Squats x 10

2.      Leg raise x 10

3.      Push-ups x 10

4.      Back extension x 10

- Perform these four exercises and required number of reps as a circuit.

- Warm-up by doing 20 jumping jacks, stretching and an easy circuit (e.g. lesser reps, slower pace) for 5 mins.

- Complete as many circuits as possible within 8 mins.

- Cool down for (2 mins).

Note: Find an area free of clutters in your office or nearby. You only need a small space (around 2m by 2m). Let your co-workers stare in envy while you sweat out the stress and fats.

Conclusion: Feel free to modify the sample workout plan accordingly such as having 3 sessions instead (2 cardio and 1 strength). Let me know if you have any questions or want specific plans to fit your needs.