Zen Martinoli's 5 Minute Fitness

This is an excellent book for those who don't have a lot of time to exercise. Just a few short minutes per day and you are well on your way to being physically fit.

The book goes into detail on numerous bodyweight exercises then puts them together into various short workouts that can be performed practically anywhere with a little floor space. The workouts are considered "high intensity" so they are not recommended for people new to exercise. However, the book does include a base workout that will help a beginner improve his/her conditioning before moving on to the other workouts. The workouts are also divided into three levels and you progress through the levels as your conditioning improves. It's important to note that some of the workouts are a little longer than 5 minutes and this obviously doesn't include the warm-up or cool-down. So, in the end it may end up being more like 10-12 minutes which is still short compared many of the workouts being performed out there.

This would be an excellent companion to take on vacation or when traveling and especially for those not wanting to invest time, money or the inconvenience of going to a gym.

"Zen Martinoli's 5 Minute Fitness" is a small/medium sized paperback book of short and high intensity bodyweight exercises, done in circuits. No equipment is needed and Mr. Martinoli notes that these exercises are not intended to replace your regular exercise program, but to complement it.

Photos are black and white and vary in size, and in general, are the size of a business card. Little anatomical diagrams accompany each exercise. I always prefer larger photos.

Exercises are organized into four parts. Here are a few of the exercises listed for each part.

1. UPPER BODY (22 exercises)

Floor dip

Wall press up

Standard press up

Diamond press up

Handstand press up

2. LOWER BODY (12)

Standard squat

One-leg deadlift

Calf raises

Lunge

Wall squat

3. CORE (23)

Reverse crunch

Russian twist

V-up

Plank

Side bridge

4. PLYOMETRICS (20)

Press up with chest slap

Jump squat

Ankle jump

Burpee variations

The mini-workouts are divided into 3 levels.

Level 1 has 16 mini-workouts.

Mini-workouts GPP 1, 2, and 3

Mini-workouts: Bodyweight circuit 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

Mini-workout: Tabata 1

Mini-workouts: Muscular strength and endurance (2 separate workouts)

Mini-workout: Plyometric power-up sets

Core workouts 1, 2, 3, and 4

Level 2 is challenging and has 21 mini-workouts.

Bodyweight circuits 1, 2, 3, and 4

Tabata: Single exercise high-intensity intervals 1, 2, 3, and 4

Mini-workouts GPP 1 and 2

Mini-workouts little method 1, 2, and 3

Press up ladder: Chest challenge

Press up ladder: Triceps challenge

Press up ladder: Upper chest challenge

Super spiderman 30 circuit

Super burpee 55 circuit

Core workouts 1, 2, and 3

Level 3 is for the advanced and contains 20 mini-workouts.

Bodyweight circuits 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

Tabata workouts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

Mini-workouts GPP 1, 2, 3, and 4

Muscular strength and power: double power-pairs 1 and 2

Bodyweight circuit "Super 300"

Core workouts 1, 2, and 3

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Especially great for those who travel and want a nice resource when equipment is minimal. Also great for those who workout at home. I have integrated these workouts into my schedule and found them to be challenging and what's better, the results are awesome!

A quick sysnopsis:

There is a nice section explaining all of the exercises.

There are plans for three fitness levels, so wherever you are on the spectrum there is a workout here for you!

The author explains all of the various workouts and the goals for each (i.e., cardio fitness, strength, endurance)

Oh, there is the back page with gives you nutrition advice. It's worth the price of the book, that one page. :)

Highly recommended!

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