Does building muscle require carving out a full hour at the gym every day? Not at all.
A study published in Frontiers in Public Health found that even taking work breaks to do just 10 minutes of resistance training per day for three months can effectively increase muscle mass and strength. For busy, sedentary people who lack time to exercise, this is an incredibly practical solution.
The study recruited female university administrative staff who were typically sedentary and had no habit of resistance training. Participants were divided into a control group that maintained their usual sitting time and an intervention group that took 10-minute bodyweight resistance-training breaks on business days.
After 12 weeks, the control group lost an average of 0.16 kilogram (0.35 pound) of muscle mass, while the group doing just 10 minutes of exercise per day gained an average of 0.42 kilogram (0.93 pound) of muscle mass. In addition, the exercise group’s trunk extension strength increased by about 33 percent on average—the largest improvement among all strength measures.
Most movements in the study required no equipment and could be done in an office or at home. Each exercise lasted 30 to 60 seconds, totaling about 10 minutes, yet still produced meaningful training effects.
Let me walk you through the 10-minute workout from this study.
10 1-Minute Exercises Per Day
1. Squats
Squats are one of the most effective lower-body exercises, strengthening the quadriceps, glutes, and core while reinforcing everyday movement patterns.
Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing forward. Distribute your weight evenly across three points on each foot: the big toe, little toe, and heel. Engage your core and keep your chest upright.
Step 2: Inhale while pushing your hips back, as if sitting down into a chair. Lower yourself until your thighs are nearly parallel to the ground. Exhale as you slowly stand back up to the starting position. Your arms can swing naturally with the movement.
2. Knee Push-Ups
Knee push-ups provide an accessible way to strengthen the chest, shoulders, arms, and core while reducing the load compared with a traditional push-up.
Step 1: Kneel on the floor. Place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart to support your body. Extend your arms fully. Engage your core and keep a straight line from your head to your knees.
Step 2: Inhale as you bend your elbows, keeping them at about a 45-degree angle to your body. Lower your chest toward the floor. Exhale as you push through your arms to return to the starting position.
3. Forward Lean Lunge
This lunge variation challenges balance and coordination while strengthening the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and core.
Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms relaxed at your sides.
Step 2: Inhale and step one foot forward into a large stride. Adjust the distance so that both front and back knees are roughly at 90 degrees when lowered. At the same time, lower your body into a lunge. The back knee should come close to the ground but not touch it, and the front knee should not extend past your toes.
Step 3: Exhale as you rise and push your body back to the starting standing position. Your arms can swing naturally with the movement.
Step 4: Switch legs and repeat, alternating between both sides.
4. Good Mornings
Good mornings target the posterior chain, including the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back, while improving hip-hinge mechanics.
Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your hands on your hips and keep your back in a neutral, natural position.
Step 2: Inhale as you hinge at the hips, pushing them backward while leaning your torso forward until your upper body is roughly parallel to the floor. Exhale as you return to a standing position.
5. Wall Sit
Wall sits build lower-body endurance by keeping the quadriceps, glutes, and core under constant tension.
Step 1: Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing forward.
Step 2: Slowly squat down until your thighs are nearly parallel to the ground and your knees are bent at about 90 degrees, as if you are sitting on an invisible chair and holding the position. You can place your hands at your sides or on your knees.
Step 3: Hold the position for 30 seconds. Repeat for two sets.
6. Side Bends
Side bends help improve mobility through the trunk and waist while gently engaging the oblique muscles.
Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Let your arms rest naturally at your sides.
Step 2: Exhale as you bend your torso to one side, stretching through your waist. Hold for a few seconds, then return to center. Repeat on the other side, alternating sides.
7. Standing Knee Raises
Standing knee raises strengthen the hip flexors and core while promoting balance and coordination.
Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your hands on your hips.
Step 2: Lift one knee up toward hip height, then lower it back down. Alternate legs, repeating the movement on each side.
8. Calf Raises
Calf raises strengthen the muscles of the lower leg and support ankle stability and balance.
Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your back straight, core engaged, and place your hands on your hips.
Step 2: Exhale as you press through the balls of your feet and lift your heels off the ground. Hold briefly at the top, then slowly lower your heels back down. Repeat the movement.
9. Cossack Squats
Cossack squats build lower-body strength while improving hip mobility and flexibility.
Step 1: Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your back straight and your core engaged.
Step 2: Shift your weight to the right side, bending your right knee while keeping your left leg straight. Push your hips back as you lower into the squat. Return to the starting position, then shift your weight to the left side and repeat. Let your arms move naturally for balance as you alternate sides.
10. Resistance Band Reverse Fly
This upper-body exercise strengthens the muscles of the upper back and shoulders while helping counter the effects of prolonged sitting.
Step 1: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold both ends of a resistance band with your hands and position it in front of your chest.
Step 2: Exhale as you open your arms horizontally to the sides, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Inhale as you slowly return your hands to the starting position.
Remember, the participants in this study had almost no regular exercise habits to begin with, meaning that even for those who spend long hours sitting, meaningful improvements are still possible. If you can set aside just 10 minutes a day to move your body and stay consistent, you may gradually improve your strength and increase muscle mass over time.
Rather than waiting for a less busy time to start exercising, it is more practical—and more effective—to make use of small breaks during the workday. Start building your health with just 10 minutes a day and let those small steps add up to lasting health.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.