Ten Minute Coffee Break Workout

Some people sit down all day working at a computer; some people do manual labour all day - this post is for the desk jockeys.

If you are like me you come in to work a little late, you eagerly log in to see your desktop picture of a tropical island and then proceed to surf the internet until a few hours later. By mid morning you are feeling agitated; what better way to burn some steam than by running, jumping and or Spiderman crawling up a flight of stairs for 10 minutes? You might look ridiculous but you'll be the fittest man in the office. Watch out Cindy - the tidy looking intern from head office.

I have been a desk jockey for the past 3 years and trust me, I have learnt the best ways to "feel the burn" while getting paid. This is just one variation of my seemingly endless repertoire of working out at work routines.

What You'll Need

Stopwatch
Flight of stairs (secluded if you are easily embarrassed)
10 minutes spare time (lunch break, coffee break etc).
What to Do

Go to the bottom of the flight of stairs
Start your stopwatch
Run up and down the stairs touching every step: For 2 minutes
Run up and down the stairs only touching every second step: For 2 minutes
Jump up the stairs (walk down), jumping every second step: For 2 minutes
Jump up the stairs (walk down), jumping to every third step: For 2 minutes
Spiderman crawl up the stairs (walk down) in push up position crawling on your hands and feet: For 2 minutes
That's it! 10 minutes total and you have worked the major muscles in your legs, your shoulders, your chest and your heart. It is an excellent use of a coffee break and I recommend doing this 2-3 times per day. You will probably improve your productivity as well - if that is your goal.

Why it Works

The routine is short and tough. It is a sprint routine and the sprinting benefits are manyfold: efficient heart health improvements, muscle gain and time savings.