Start With a Daily 5-Minute Home-Based Fitness Program
Effects on physical fitness, body composition, and health in sedentary individuals.
This study investigated whether a simple, daily 5-minute home-based eccentric exercise routine could improve sedentary adults' physical fitness, body composition, and health.
PMID: 40131475
Key Points
Aim
To assess if a short, daily, bodyweight eccentric exercise program (emphasising slow “lowering” movements) can enhance physical and mental health in people who are otherwise inactive.
Methods
Participants: 22 sedentary but healthy adults (4 men, 18 women; ages 32–69).
Design: 2-week control period (no intervention), followed by 4 weeks of daily exercise.
Intervention: Each day, participants performed 10 reps each of four exercises (chair squats, chair reclines, wall push-ups, heel drops), focusing on a slow 5-second lowering (eccentric) phase and a 1-second raising (concentric) phase. Progressions were available if exercises became too easy.
Measurements: Physical fitness (strength, endurance, flexibility, cardiovascular fitness), body composition (via DEXA), blood health markers, and mental wellbeing (SF-36 and Subjective Vitality Scale) were assessed before, after the control, and after the intervention.
Related
Results
Adherence: High (91% average completion).
Physical Fitness: Significant improvements in:
Isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) strength (+13%)
Push-up endurance (+66%)
Sit-up endurance (+51%)
Flexibility (sit-and-reach, +9%)
Cardiovascular fitness (lower heart rate after 3-min step test, −4.8%)
Mental Health: Notable increases in wellbeing (SF-36 +16%, Subjective Vitality +20%).
No Significant Change: Body composition, resting heart rate, blood pressure, handgrip strength, jump performance, or blood health markers.
Practical Takeaways
Just 5 minutes of slow, controlled body weight exercises daily can meaningfully improve strength, endurance, flexibility, and mental well-being, even if you’re starting from a sedentary lifestyle.
No special equipment or gym membership is needed; exercises are simple and can be done at home.
Physical changes like fat loss or muscle gain may require longer or more intense interventions, but the benefits of fitness and mood can come quickly.
Key Takeaways
A minimal, time-efficient daily eccentric exercise routine (emphasising slow-lowering movements) significantly boosts several aspects of physical fitness and mental health in previously inactive adults, despite no changes in body composition or blood markers over 4 weeks.
Such routines may help overcome the common “lack of time” barrier to exercise and could serve as a gateway to more regular physical activity.
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Reference
Kirk BJC, Mavropalias G, Blazevich AJ, Cochrane-Wilkie JL, Molan A, Nosaka K. Effects of a daily, home-based, 5-minute eccentric exercise program on physical fitness, body composition, and health in sedentary individuals. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2025 Mar 25. doi: 10.1007/s00421-025-05757-7. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40131475.
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