15-Minute Morning Workout for Energy and A Powerful Metabolic Boost

Do you struggle with low energy levels first thing in the morning? Do you wake up feeling more tired than when you went to bed? Are you a grouch who is best avoided until midday?

You are not alone!

A cup of coffee is probably the most common way to overcome the early morning blues, but somewhat counterintuitively, a short workout often has a better and more long-lasting effect.

Starting your day with a brief bout of exercise has been shown to:

• Improve mood and energy (1)
• Increase metabolic rate (2)
• Improve glucose uptake and tolerance (3)
• Enhance fat burning (4)

You don’t even have to go to the gym to enjoy all these benefits – a short bodyweight workout at home can help boost your energy, elevate your metabolism, and improve your mood.

I’m a veteran personal trainer, and in this article, I share a tried-and-tested 15-minute morning workout designed to wake you up and get your body moving. Add this program to your morning routine for a more productive start to your day.

15-Minute Energy and Metabolism Boosting Morning Workout

Do this 15-minute workout as soon after waking as it’s practical. It includes a brief warm-up phase, so you don’t need to do anything before you begin. The exercises have been arranged into a flowing sequence, so just work down the list doing each movement in the order presented.

You don’t need any equipment to do this workout. However, you may want to use a mat or towel for the kneeling exercises.

Perform each exercise smoothly and in perfect form. This will make every movement not only more effective but safer, too.

Please note: The repetition ranges are for guidance only. Adjust the reps count according to your fitness. However, each exercise should take less than 60 seconds to complete, so the entire workout lasts 15 minutes.

Ready to go? Then let’s begin!

	Exercise	Reps
1	Cat/Cow	8-10
2	Bird Dog	6-8 per side
3	Push-up	10-12
4	Hindu Squats	10-12
5	Prisoner Good Morning	10-12
6	Standing Twisting Crunch	8-10 per side
7	Jumping Jack	15-20

Rest 60 seconds after the final exercise and repeat the entire sequence one more time.

Exercise Instructions

There are two ways to do any exercise – the right way and the wrong way. The right way keeps the tension on the target muscles and away from your joints, so it’s safer and more effective. The wrong way is usually less effective and more likely to result in injury.

Follow these step-by-step instructions to ensure that every exercise you perform is as safe and beneficial as possible: your trainer has spoken!

1. Cat/Cow

Aim: To mobilize your spine and promote mindful breathing.

Cat/Cow is a yoga exercise that will warm up your spine and gently increase blood flow through your core. It’s also known for its energizing effect and forces you to focus on your breathing. In short, it’s one of the best ways to start any workout, including this one!

Steps:

1. Kneel on all fours with your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
2. Exhale and lift the middle of your back up toward the ceiling to create a posture that looks like an angry cat.
3. Next, exhale, lift your head and butt, and lower your abdomen down toward the floor, creating an arch in your lower back.
4. Smoothly alternate between these two positions for the prescribed number of reps.

Tips:

• Kneel on a folded towel or exercise mat for comfort.
• Synchronize your movements with your breathing.
• Consciously press your hands, knees, and toes into the floor to increase stability and muscle engagement.

2. Bird Dog

Aim: To strengthen the core while engaging the glutes and hamstrings and mobilizing your hips and shoulders.

The bird dog is often viewed as a remedial exercise that’s only suitable for beginners and prehab scenarios. However, done slowly, mindfully, and with intent, it’s a very powerful core and glute exercise. This exercise will wake up your abs and posterior chain, preparing them for the rest of your 15-minute morning workout.

Steps:

1. Kneel on all fours with your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Brace your core.
2. Keeping your hips and shoulders level, extend your right arm and left leg until they’re parallel to the floor.
3. Lower your arm and leg, switch sides, and repeat.
4. Continue alternating sides for the duration of your set.

Tips:

• Do not hyperextend your hips, spine, or shoulders, as doing so increases your risk of injury.
• Keep your core engaged throughout.
• Actively press your palm, knee, and foot into the floor to maintain stability and balance.

3. Push-up

Aim: To strengthen your chest, shoulders, and triceps while simultaneously working your core and engaging your legs.

Push-ups are a classic calisthenic exercise. However, most people do them too fast and fail to reap the many benefits on offer. Timing your push-ups to your breathing ensures that you maintain a slower tempo and won’t need as many reps to achieve the desired training effect. When it comes to push-ups, slow and steady is best!

Steps:

1. Kneel on all fours with your hands roughly shoulder-width apart. Brace your core.
2. Walk your feet out and back until your body is straight.
3. Inhale and smoothly lower your chest to one inch above the floor.
4. Pause for 1-2 seconds.
5. Exhale, drive your palms into the floor and push yourself back up to the starting position.
6. Pause for 1-2 seconds and repeat.
7. Maintain this tempo for the required number of reps.

Tips:

• Keep your body straight – do not lift or lower your butt.
• Adjust your hand width for comfort.
• Bend your legs and rest on your knees to make this exercise easier.

4. Hindu Squats

Aim: To strengthen your legs while mobilizing your knees and improving your balance.

Squats are arguably one of the best exercises you can do. They work all your lower body muscles and provide a tremendous boost to your metabolism. There are many different squat variations, but Hindu squats, which come from yoga, are especially energizing and time-efficient.

Steps:

1. Stand in good posture with your feet about hip-width apart.
2. Raise your arms out in front of you so they’re level with the floor.
3. Breathe in and “row” your hands into your shoulders.
4. Next, bend your legs and squat down as deeply as possible while simultaneously reaching down and back with your arms. Allow your heels to lift off the floor as you descend.
5. Exhale and raise your arms forward and up to parallel as you stand back up. Lower your heels back to the floor as you ascend.
6. Repeat for the required number of reps.

Tips:

• Adjust the width of your feet for comfort.
• Only squat as deep as your mobility and knee health allow. Do not force your joints to bend more than is comfortable.
• Do a more conventional squat variation, e.g., air squats, if you find this exercise awkward.

5. Prisoner Good Morning

Aim: To strengthen your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back while mobilizing your hips and opening your chest.

Prisoner good mornings are so-called because the starting position makes you look like you’ve just been told to “stop and put your hands behind your head!” Don’t let that image put you off, as this is an excellent posterior chain exercise that will also improve your hamstring flexibility and general posture.

Steps:

1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart.
2. Lightly clasp your hands behind your head and press your elbows back to open your chest. Brace your core.
3. Keeping your knees slightly bent, push your hips back and lean forward as far as your flexibility allows.
4. Drive your hips forward, stand up, and repeat.

Tips:

• Adjust your range of movement according to your hamstring flexibility. Do not allow your lower back to round.
• Keep your weight on your heels to maximize posterior chain engagement.
• Cross your hands in front of your chest to make this exercise easier.

6. Standing Twisting Crunch

Aim: To strengthen your abdominals and obliques while mobilizing your spine and improving your balance.

While there is nothing wrong with floor-based core training, exercises done while lying tend not to do much for your metabolism. This standing exercise works your abs alongside many other critical muscles, significantly increasing your energy expenditure. You may even find that standing on one leg indirectly challenges your glutes.

Steps:

1. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent.
2. Raise your arms and bend your elbows so your palms face forward.
3. Shift your weight onto one leg and bend and lift your opposite knee.
4. Simultaneously twist your upper body and touch your raised knee with your opposite elbow.
5. Return to the starting position, switch sides, and repeat.

Tips:

• Focus on lifting your knee rather than leaning forward to make this exercise more effective.
• Place your hands on your temples if you prefer.
• Pause at the top of each rep to increase core engagement and the balance demand of this exercise.

7. Jumping Jack

Aim: To raise your heart and breathing rate and accelerate your metabolism.

Your energizing, metabolism-boosting workout ends with jump jacks. This simple yet effective exercise is a great way to challenge and develop your cardiovascular fitness and lower body explosiveness. Unlike the other exercises in this program, jump jacks should be done relatively quickly, so think of this move as your sprint to the finish.

Steps:

1. Stand with your feet together and your arms by your sides.
2. Bend your legs slightly and then jump your feet out to a little wider than shoulder-width apart.
3. Simultaneously, raise your arms to shoulder height or above.
4. Jump your feet back in and bring your arms back down and into your sides.
5. Immediately do another rep and continue for the duration of your set.

Tips:

• Adjust the range of movement of your arms according to your shoulder health and fitness. The higher you lift your arms, the more demanding this exercise becomes.
• Land on the balls of your feet to minimize impact.
• Feel free to do an alternative cardio exercise, e.g., jump rope, burpees, or high knee raises, if you prefer.

Closing Thoughts

While there is nothing wrong with starting your day with a cup of coffee, there are better ways to wake up, boost your energy, and kickstart your metabolism. This tried-and-tested workout only takes 15 minutes and is not overly challenging, but it will have a huge impact on how you look, feel, and perform.

Make it part of your morning routine for the next 30 days and see just how transformative even 15 minutes of exercise can be.

References:

1 – Liu H, Liang J, Wang K, Zhang T, Liu S, Luo J. Mood Status Response to Physical Activity and Its Influence on Performance: Are Chronotype and Exercise Timing Affect? Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 5;20(4):2822. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20042822. PMID: 36833520; PMCID: PMC9956388.

2 – Schumacher LM, Thomas JG, Raynor HA, Rhodes RE, Bond DS. Consistent Morning Exercise May Be Beneficial for Individuals With Obesity. Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2020 Oct;48(4):201-208. doi: 10.1249/JES.0000000000000226. PMID: 32658039; PMCID: PMC7492403.

3 – Van Proeyen K, Szlufcik K, Nielens H, Pelgrim K, Deldicque L, Hesselink M, Van Veldhoven PP, Hespel P. Training in the fasted state improves glucose tolerance during fat-rich diet. J Physiol. 2010 Nov 1;588(Pt 21):4289-302. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2010.196493. PMID: 20837645; PMCID: PMC3002457.

4 – Liu MY, Chen SQ. Effects of Low/Medium-Intensity Exercise on Fat Metabolism after a 6-h Fast. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Nov 23;19(23):15502. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192315502. PMID: 36497577; PMCID: PMC9736603.

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