Men’s Health: 15-Minute Workout

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Four no-nonsense strength-training workouts, each less than 15 minutes in length. Your instructor is Terry Simpson.

Intermediate exercisers – Simpson’s approach on these workouts is fairly sophisticated. You don’t need to be male, however, for these routines — a woman demonstrates the exercises using lighter weights. You will need several sets of dumbbells ranging from 5 through 20+ pounds, depending on your ability and gender (women can probably get away with 5 and 10-pound weights. Men will want to go heavier). You’ll also need a workout bench or sturdy chair for one workout, a stability ball for another, a mat and an optional jump rope.

If you’re willing to work hard and work smart, you can get a good workout in under 15-minutes. So says Terry Simpson, the instructor for these four strength-training routines. Each one has a different approach and a different focus — and each one runs just about 12 minutes or so. “Build Inner Strength” is a solid core workout — all you’ll need is a mat if you’re working out on a hard surface. “A Better Burn” uses what Simpson calls “offset” training — using a different size weight in each hand (10 pounds and 20 pounds, for example, or perhaps 5 pounds and 10 pounds for women), to keep your stabilizing muscles working throughout each move. A stability ball on one move works your core even harder. “Jump On It” utilizes an optional jump rope to alternate fat-burning cardio with dumbbell moves for a really intense workout. “Ground Force” uses your heaviest weights to work your lower body to fatigue. For this routine, you’ll need a weight bench or a sturdy chair.

Just because this DVD is put out by Men’s Health, don’t think it’s for guys only — women who are serious about getting toned fast will appreciate these routines too. Don’t worry about getting too buff — most of you ladies don’t have the testosterone required for bulging muscles. You’ll most likely want to use lighter weights, like the female model on the DVD. This is an excellent addition to you workout library if you’re an intermediate exerciser who’s short on time but wants to get fit all the same.