The 15-Minute Workout That Blasts Fat from Head to Toe
Just 15 minutes and you’re done, ladies! Sound easy? Wait till you’ve tried it. This circuit sculpts your arms, shoulders, legs, butt, back, and abs—so, yeah, basically everything—and spikes the heck out of your fat burners. “Many of the exercises target multiple muscles, and the more muscle involved, the greater the metabolic demand during and after the workout,” says Jade Teta, cofounder of the Metabolic Effect in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who designed this plan.
Here’s how it works:
You’ll do three circuits, each with four exercises. Starting with the first one, set a timer for five minutes and complete 10 reps of each move in order, repeating the circuit as many times as you can in that frame.
Your breaks are based on your perceived effort. On a scale of 1 to 4 (1 being totally relaxed and 4 being barely able to talk, breathe, or do another rep), take a quick breather whenever you hit that top zone; when you’re back at a 2 (you can talk easily but your heart rate is elevated), jump back in right where you left off. (The clock runs whether you’re moving or not!) After those five minutes, go right to the next circuit; repeat the same pattern for circuits 2 and 3.
You’ll need only a pair of dumbbells for this routine, but size does matter. “If you’re not resting by the second or third round of each segment, your weights are too light,” says Teta. “And if you can’t finish at least one round without taking a break, you’re going too heavy.” (His test: Find the heftiest weight you can do 10 solid biceps curls with.)