Crush the Freshman 15 with This 15-Minute Workout
College is an amazing time for you to expand your horizon as well as learn new skills. While your time there should be focused on getting an education, we aren’t naïve to think you aren’t going to partake in some extracurricular activities. Unfortunately, some of these activities can cause severe weight gain and bring on what is known as “The Freshman 15.” In an effort to minimize these effects and help keep you lean and fit, we have put together a 15-minute workout below that you can utilize to keep your health and waistline in check.
HIIT (high-intensity interval training) is amazing and can maximize results in a minimal amount of time. The premise of such a workout is that you have an all-out exertion for a set timeframe which is then followed up by an active recovery period where you are still moving, but it is a very low intensity – allowing you to somewhat catch your breath.
As with any exercise program, it is wise to speak to your doctor before starting to ensure you are healthy enough to utilize such a program. Once given the green light, it’s time to HIIT (I mean hit), the workout.
First things, first. When you reach the gym, hop on one of the bikes (a spin-style bike would be preferred if available, if not, use an upright bike). Start off with a nice and easy five minute warm up to get the blood pumping and the muscles loosened up. Once you reached your five minutes, it’s time for the workout laid out below.
For the 15-minute workout below, you are going to have a max effort round along with a slow steady round which will consist of slow pedaling (to allow for recovery). You will do these consecutively until you reach the final round. Have a water bottle handy to sip during your recovery rounds if needed. Each set of rounds will be a 1:2 ratio of work to recovery. The “Sprint” round below will consist of a max effort sprint on the bike while the “Recovery” will be a nice and slow pedaling to allow for recovery.
| Rounds | Duration |
| Recovery Round 1 | 60 seconds |
| Sprint Round 1 | 30 seconds |
| Recovery Round 2 | 60 seconds |
| Sprint Round 2 | 30 seconds |
| Recovery Round 3 | 60 seconds |
| Sprint Round 3 | 30 seconds |
| Recovery Round 4 | 60 seconds |
| Sprint Round 4 | 30 seconds |
| Recovery Round 5 | 60 seconds |
| Sprint Round 5 | 30 seconds |
| Recovery Round 6 | 60 seconds |
| Sprint Round 6 | 30 seconds |
| Recovery Round 7 | 60 seconds |
| Sprint Round 7 | 30 seconds |
| Recovery Round 8 | 60 seconds |
| Sprint Round 8 | 30 seconds |
| Recovery Round 9 | 60 seconds |
| Sprint Round 9 | 30 seconds |
| Recovery Round 10 | 60 seconds |
| Sprint Round 10 | 30 seconds |
Following the 15-minute Freshman 15 crushing workout, pedal slowly an additional 5 minutes to cool down and allow your body to completely recover.
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