Explore routines.

Six minutes to undo hours of sitting. Do it every afternoon. Move slowly and keep breathing. Nothing here should hurt.

1. Neck rolls · 30 seconds
2. Shoulder rolls · 30 seconds
3. Doorway chest stretch · 45 seconds
4. Seated twist, left · 30 seconds
5. Seated twist, right · 30 seconds
6. Hip flexor stretch, left · 45 seconds
7. Hip flexor stretch, right · 45 seconds
8. Wrist circles and stretches · 30 seconds
9. Standing back extension · 30 seconds

Boxing conditioning with no bag needed, for 3 rounds. Stay light on your feet, keep your guard up, and breathe out sharply with every punch.

1. Jab-cross · 60 seconds
2. Hooks · 60 seconds
3. Uppercuts · 60 seconds
4. Slips and rolls · 60 seconds
5. Burnout · 60 seconds
6. Round rest · 60 seconds

Repeats for 3 rounds

Four sweaty moves at 40 seconds on and 20 off, for 3 rounds. Warm up with a few minutes of jogging and dynamic stretches first.

1. High knees · 40 seconds
2. Rest · 20 seconds
3. Skaters · 40 seconds
4. Rest · 20 seconds
5. Plank jacks · 40 seconds
6. Rest · 20 seconds
7. Burpees · 40 seconds
8. Round rest · 60 seconds

Repeats for 3 rounds

Every minute on the minute: do the reps at the start of each minute and rest for whatever's left, for 4 rounds. If you can't finish the reps with at least 15 seconds to spare, cut them down.

1. Minute 1: Air squats · 60 seconds
2. Minute 2: Push-ups · 60 seconds
3. Minute 3: Sit-ups · 60 seconds

Repeats for 4 rounds

Four moves in Tabata timing, 20 seconds on and 10 off, for 2 rounds: 8 intervals in all. Warm up for 5 minutes first.

1. Burpees · 20 seconds
2. Rest · 10 seconds
3. Mountain climbers · 20 seconds
4. Rest · 10 seconds
5. Squat jumps · 20 seconds
6. Rest · 10 seconds
7. Push-ups · 20 seconds
8. Rest · 10 seconds

Repeats for 2 rounds

Low-impact, no-jumping cardio that won't annoy the neighbours, for 4 rounds. Move with purpose: the effort comes from speed and range, not impact.

1. Fast march · 45 seconds
2. Step jacks · 45 seconds
3. Standing knee drives · 45 seconds
4. Squat to calf raise · 45 seconds
5. Speed skaters, low impact · 45 seconds
6. Round rest · 30 seconds

Repeats for 4 rounds

A 45-minute steady-state ride with three tempo blocks to build aerobic endurance. Tempo should feel comfortably hard: you can speak in short sentences, but you'd rather not.

1. Warm up · 10 minutes
2. Tempo block 1 · 8 minutes
3. Easy spin · 2 minutes
4. Tempo block 2 · 8 minutes
5. Easy spin · 2 minutes
6. Tempo block 3 · 8 minutes
7. Cool down · 7 minutes

Learn to skip smoothly and build your engine, for 5 rounds. Stay on the balls of your feet with tiny hops, and turn the rope from your wrists, not your shoulders. If you trip, just restart.

1. Basic bounce · 60 seconds
2. Rest · 30 seconds
3. Alternate foot step · 60 seconds
4. Round rest · 60 seconds

Repeats for 5 rounds

Five lifts back to back without putting the dumbbells down, for 5 rounds. Use light dumbbells: your weakest lift, the push press, sets the weight. Your lungs will give out before your muscles do.

1. Deadlift
2. Bent-over row
3. Hang clean
4. Front squat
5. Push press
6. Rest · 1.5 minutes

Repeats for 5 rounds

Chest, shoulders and triceps with barbell and dumbbells, for 4 rounds. Warm up with a couple of light sets of bench press. Pick weights that leave one or two reps in the tank.

1. Bench press
2. Rest · 1.5 minutes
3. Overhead press
4. Rest · 1.5 minutes
5. Dips
6. Rest · 60 seconds
7. Lateral raises
8. Round rest · 2 minutes

Repeats for 4 rounds

Build up to your first strict pull-up, for 4 rounds. Do this two or three times a week. Once you can do 5 slow negatives, try a full pull-up at the start of each session.

1. Dead hang · 30 seconds
2. Rest · 30 seconds
3. Scapular pulls
4. Negative pull-ups
5. Rest · 1.5 minutes
6. Inverted rows
7. Round rest · 1.5 minutes

Repeats for 4 rounds

Four big dumbbell lifts that cover the whole body, for 3 rounds. Pick weights you could lift about 12 times, so 10 reps leaves one or two in the tank. Warm up with a light round first.

1. Goblet squat
2. Rest · 60 seconds
3. Floor press
4. Rest · 60 seconds
5. Bent-over row
6. Rest · 60 seconds
7. Romanian deadlift
8. Round rest · 1.5 minutes

Repeats for 3 rounds

A no-equipment circuit for chest, shoulders and arms, for 3 rounds. Warm up your shoulders first, and drop to your knees whenever your form slips.

1. Push-ups · 40 seconds
2. Rest · 20 seconds
3. Shoulder taps · 40 seconds
4. Rest · 20 seconds
5. Tricep dips · 40 seconds
6. Rest · 20 seconds
7. Pike push-ups · 40 seconds
8. Round rest · 60 seconds

Repeats for 3 rounds