By Liz Miersch
With the onset of the holiday season come many personal concessions, but missed workouts do not have to be one. Whether you're on the road trapped in a hotel room or simply pressed for time between meetings and shopping trips, this quick and effective do-anywhere session (it's just 16 minutes and change and doesn't require a single piece of equipment) will fit perfectly into even the most aggressive schedules.
More From Q by Equinox:
Yoga Your Way Young
The 6-Minute Workout
6 Moves of the Moment
The magic is in the movement "stack":
Do move 1 for 30 seconds; rest for 30 seconds
Do moves 1 and 2 for 30 seconds each; rest for 30 seconds
Do moves 1, 2 and 3 for 30 seconds each; rest for 30 seconds
Do moves 1, 2, 3 and 4 for 30 seconds each; rest for 30 seconds
Do moves 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 for 30 seconds each; rest for 30 seconds
Do moves 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 for 30 seconds each; rest for 30 seconds
Then repeat the stack one more time.
"It's a spin on density training, which, in its traditional definition, takes place over the course of weeks or months," says Lisa Wheeler, Senior National Creative Manager for Group Fitness at Equinox in New York City, who designed the workout. "The same principle applies though: You're increasing the amount of work you're doing, but you're not increasing the recovery."
It's the extreme intensity of the build-up that allows for such a short working session. "It's high intensity interval training in a different format, so it provides similar benefits," says Geralyn Coopersmith, exercise physiologist and Equinox Health Advisory Board Member. "You're increasing lean body tissue, which revs metabolism and maximizes fat burning, helping you burn calories long after you're finished."
Watch Whitney Noble, an Equinox trainer in Chicago, demo the moves in the video above in Public's Frank Sinatra suite. Grab a stopwatch, go hard, and remember Wheeler's wise words: "You can do anything for 30 seconds." Happy Holidays.