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Exercise doesn’t count unless it lasts 60 minutes and leaves you soaked in sweat.”

This commonly held belief couldn’t be further from the truth, and it usually does more harm than good.

For many people contending with hectic modern schedules, opportunities to spend an hour in the gym or out on a run are few and far between. As a result, they often wind up foregoing exercise altogether.

But in the words of the World Health Organisation, “every move counts towards better health.” Something is invariably better than nothing on the exercise front, so if we can find accessible ways to squeeze it into our day, our future self will definitely reap the rewards.

That’s where this week’s workouts, from experienced coach Darren Ellis, come into their own. They allow you to get a great, speedy workout done with little-to-no equipment.

The best workout for busy people

All three workouts below last just 10 minutes. One can be done with no equipment, one requires a single kettlebell, and one needs only a couple of dumbbells.

“With these sessions, you can get something done – you just need to find some space on the floor and 10 minutes after work before the family jumps on you,” Ellis says. “They are a mental win, as much as anything. You did something, and you didn’t fail to do a workout that day, so you’re primed to do your next session.”

Workout one: bodyweight

Set a 10-minute clock, then work through the sequence of exercises below until the timer runs out:

A: Perform 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10… repetitions of squats

B: Perform 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10… repetitions of press-ups

Start by performing one squat, then one press-up. Next, perform two squats and two press-ups. Continue this sequence until the clock hits zero.

If you cannot perform a full squat, swap it for sit-to-stands, where you sit in a chair, then stand up again. If you cannot do a press-up, swap it for a kneeling press-up or wall press-up.

Workout two: dumbbells

Set a 10-minute timer. During odd minutes, perform exercise A, then rest for any time remaining in the minute. During even minutes, do the same with exercise B:

A: Dumbbell overhead press x8–12

B: Dumbbell Romanian deadlift x8–12

Start by doing eight repetitions of these exercises in each minute. After a week or two, this might start to feel fairly comfortable. When it does, aim for nine repetitions per minute to progress the workout, then 10, 11 and later 12.

Workout three: kettlebell

Set a 10-minute timer, then perform the exercises below as a circuit until the clock hits zero:

A: Kettlebell single-arm overhead press x6 each side

B: Kettlebell single-arm bent-over row x8 each side

C: Alternating goblet lunge x12 each side

“This should not be a race,” says Ellis. “For an effective strength stimulus, select challenging loads and move them with control, such that you generate enough muscular fatigue that you need to take short breaks throughout the session.”

In other words, the weights should not feel so light that they are not challenging your muscles. If this is the case with the kettlebell you own, increase the target number of repetitions for each exercise.

“You can progress the workout over time by simply completing more reps than last time within the 10-minute window, or by using a heavier load than last time,” Ellis adds.

Read more: The 10-minute workout that can make you stronger for life