The Men's Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts: A Leaner, Stronger Body--in 15 Minutes a Day!

The basic idea of this book is to work the body in about 15 minutes.Here's how you do it. You focus on a few key exercises and move quickly from one exercise to another, with mininal rest time between exercises. Then, you repeat the exercises in a circuit, again with minimal rest.These workouts work on increasing strength, by building muscle and strong bones, thus burning more fat. These workouts emphasize getting a lean strong body, rather than bodybuilding, and is, therefore, not a general bodybuilding book.In the number and variety of workouts, this book is excellent. It contains 78 workouts, all 15-minutes long. Some workouts are bodyweight or require dumbbells. Others use a pull-up bar, a barbell, a kettlebell, a medicine ball, a stability (Swiss or large) ball, an exercise band (tubing), a foam roller, a jump rope, a BOSU, a bench, a cable machine, a step, and so on.Instruction and exercises for each of the workouts vary, but in general, one may do a circuit of 3 to 7 relatively intense exercises, with little or no rest between each exercise. Then, rest for 60 between each circuit. Finally, repeat 2 more circuits.All exercise photos are large and in color, clearly showing their positions, with descriptions.~~~Here's a detailed list of the 78 workouts or exercise plans. I have listed the exercises for a few of the workouts.TOTAL BODY WORKOUTSBodyweight exercises1. Beginner: strength and agility workoutJudo pushupSeesaw lungeWall slidePlank reach2. Intermediate: your body is your barbell 1Y squatSpider-man pushupSquat and jump comboSingle-leg romanian deadliftSpider-man lunge3. Intermediate: your body is your barbell 2: (bench or step used)SquatTucked-elbow pushup5-second forward lungeStepupJump4. Advanced: belly off! No gym classic 1: (bench or step and a pull-up bar used)Shoulder press pushupSingle-leg bench getupMountain climberWide-grip pushupInverted row5. Advanced: belly off! no-gym classic 2: (bench, large ball, & a pull-up bar used)Front-foot elevated split squatWalking offset pushupStability ball leg curlSingle-leg hip raiseChinupDumbbell workouts6. The single: dumbbell blast workout 1WoodchopperArms-out squatStanding pressoutTowel row7. The buildup: dumbbell blast workout 2Straight-leg deadliftThrustersBent-over rowSquat thrust8. Fast and furious: dumbbell blast workout 3Incline bench pressOne-arm snatchSeated calf raiseChest-supported rowDumbbells, a barbell, and/or a barbell plate used.9. Muscle definer workout 110. Muscle definer workout 211. Classic Powerlifter WorkoutJump rope used.12. Total-body stress-buster workoutFAT BURNING WORKOUTSDumbbells, barbell, and other tools used.13. You're melting: A14. You're melting: BOne dumbbell used.15. Strength, stamina, speed, and sweatPull-up bar, dumbbells, and other tools used.16. Superhero workoutDumbbells, bench and large ball used.17. Supersweat SupersetsABS & CORE WORKOUTSMedicine ball and one dumbbell used.18. No crunch core workoutMedicine ball and other tools used.19. Six pack abs workout 1Large ball, slanted bench, and pull-up bar used.20. Six pack abs workout 2Dumbbells used.21. Obliques obliterator workoutMix of tools used. Bodyweight workouts possible.22. Build your own 15-minute core workout: choose 5 out of 19 exercises to create your own workouts.SHOULDERS AND ARMSDumbbells, bench and slanted bench used.23. Dumbbell total arms workoutConcentrated curlSeated triceps extensionWrist curlAlternating grip hammer curlCross-shoulder extensionStanding scaptionBarbell, slanted bench, and cable machine used.24. Arms and dangerousBarbell, dummbells, cable machine and bench used.25. Deltoid Definer workoutDumbbells and barbell used.26. Shoulders and arms combo 1Dumbbells and cable machine used.27. Shoulders and arms combo 2Dumbbells, rowing station, and slanted bench used.28. Shoulders and arms combo 3CHEST AND BACKDip bars, barbell, bench, dumbbell, and barbell plate used.29. Chest pound workout 1DipBarbell bench pressIncline dumbbell flySeated Single-arm external rotationSingle-arm dumbbell rowWeighted pushupDumbbell, bench, cable machine, dip bar, and pull-up bar used.30. Chest pound workout 2Barbell, squat rack, dumbbells, and pull-up bar used.31. Back attack workoutBodyweight exercises. No equipment used.32. Strong and steadyCable machine, dumbbells, bench, and squat rack used.33. Chest and back comboBodyweight and TRX suspension straps used.34. Perfect pushup circuit 1Box and medicine ball used.35. Perfect pushup circuit 2BOSU, bench, and box used.36. Perfect pushup circuit 3LOWER BODY WORKOUTSDumbbells, barbell, large ball, and bench used.37. Flat butt fixDumbbells and large ball used.38. Iron glute workoutDumbbells and barbell used.39. Ready for liftoffDumbbells and other tools used.40. Total lower body blastCones and boxes used.41. Lower body leaps and boundsBench and circular band used.42. Protect your assetsSUPERFAST CARDIO: HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAININGBasically, go fast for short periods of time, to burn more calories.Treadmill workouts43. Workout 1: speed demon44. Workout 2: HIIT the hillsRunning workouts45. Workout 1: dash it off46. Workout 2: flying lapsCycling workouts47. Workout 1: Lance Armstrong48. Workout 2: rolling hillsElliptical workout49. Boredom beaterSwimming workout50. Interval medleyJump rope workout51. Skipper 2SPECIAL GEAR WORKOUTS52. Kettlebell workout 153. Kettlebell workout 254. Exercise band workout 155. Exercise band workout 256. Medicine ball workout 157. Medicine ball workout 258. Stability ball workout 1 (large or Swiss ball)59. Stability ball workout 260. Sandbag workout 161. Sandbag workout 2IMPROVING YOUR STAMINA WORKOUTS (actually called better-sex workouts in the book)Dumbbells used.62. Stamina workoutOne dumbbell used.63. Over the top workoutStability ball used.64. Man on a mission workout65. Pretzel position workoutDumbbells and a sandbag used.66. Four on the floor workoutHEALING WORKOUTSDumbbells, stability ball, cable machine, and slanted bench used.67. Shoulder stretch and strengthenOne dumbbell used.68. Knee saverBodyweight exercises. No equipment needed.69. Lower back boosterBox or step used.70. Age eraser workout71. Foam roller workoutSPORTS WORKOUTSDumbbells and medicine ball used.72. Golf workoutDumbbells and low step used.73. Tennis workoutBOSU, dumbells, step, medicine ball, and barbell used.74. Ski and snowboard workoutBarbell, bench, step, and plate used.75. Running race workoutHyperextension station used.76. Triathlon workoutDumbells, bench, and step used.77. Cycling workoutDumbells used.78. Basketball workout~~~I did workout #3 (bodyweight) and I was breathing heavily during the exercise and I did a modified version of workout #7 (dumbell blast 2) and it was intense and made me sweat. I loved the concept of 15 minute workouts and I liked this book.~~~If you liked this book, try the women's version of this 15-minutes book. This shows more bodyweight and dumbbell workouts.If you want just bodyweight exercises, (with no equipment), get this book, "You Are Your Own Gym: The Bible of Bodyweight Exercises" by Mark Lauren and Joshua Clark. This is excellent in the range of exercises which, again, do not require equipment.

I have been a regular at the gym for years and have kept a steady level of fitness since my early twenties (just turned 59). Keeping my weight at a healthy level has been difficult for the last 10 years or more. I have been as heavy as 225 but have maintained around 210 for several years. I have been trying to get my weight under 200 for many years with no luck. 205 was about where I would hit a plateau and just could not get under. I had tried running more, lifting more all to no avail. So I did some research and discovered the world of HIIT and Tabata exercise. I bought myself a gym timer and this book and went to work. Using only a couple of very basic body weight exercise routines from the book I started a whole new way of working out, along with skipping rope as a warm up. Using straight 5 minutes of skipping rope to warm up my new routine then only takes about 20 to 25 minutes. But they are the most intense 25 minutes I have put in at the gym since my days in the army. I have been using the exercises and methods in this book for almost eight weeks now and my weight is at just under 194 pounds. Some will scoff and say it does not work, but I am telling you it works for me. I am leaner and more muscular than I have been in years and I put it all on the methods I took from the book. If you are serious about getting something done at the gym besides spending time and you are not body builder (which I am not by any means) then I recommend this book. And you do not even need a gym. I just like the atmosphere of other people working out and the availability of some equipment and machines that I have worked into my work outs, still using the HIIT or Tabata methods of intensity and timing. Be prepared to work hard. I am expending more energy in my 20-25 minute work outs than I was in over an hour of just weights and cardio machines. By the end of my work outs I am completely gassed. And it feels great.

Yes.The workouts work if you put in the work. (Sorry, I couldn't resist saying it.)Start small. Ten to fifteen minutes a day may not seem enough. If you do it every day, however, it is long enough to build a habit.Exercise as a habit is the hardest thing to cultivate and is the chief reason so many quit.Take this book for a spin. In the beginning, it doesn't matter which workout you pick. Just get into the swing of working out.[Note: The usual medical disclaimer. Ask your doctor first if you are well enough to exercise.]I've given this book out as gifts to friends who claim they don't have the time to workout. They became fans.Fifteen minutes may not seem enough after you have made it a habit.Enjoy. Wish you a lifetime of fitness. In the end, it's the health of your body that matters more than anything.

I have always had a slim build and relied on my work, coaching my kids sports and yard work for my exercise. In the past year or so that had become not enough. I put on about 10 pounds over the holidays and felt terrible. I felt bloated and unhealthy. I can't afford a gym membership and don't have the time for it anyway. I found this book on the Men's Health website and with some skepticism I bought it. The book is a quick and informative read. I was doing the easiest work out soon after getting it and quickly progressed to the more challenging. It was easy for me to carve out the 15 minutes, three times a week for the workouts. I think that made it easy for me to stick to the program. I lost that 10 pounds in a month and I feel so much better now.In my opinion this book is not for an advanced athlete. It is more for someone like me who needs to improve their health. It has done that for me. I have even started to extend my workouts by adding more exercises to my daily regimen.