We're used to seeing Helen Mirren on red carpets and at award shows, but following the release of The Thursday Murder Club recently, it's her 12-minute workout that's had a revival.
If you're looking to get stronger and boost your cardiovascular health this year, there's no need to go out on hours-long walks or runs, or spend all your time in the gym. A short bodyweight workout can be all you need to do effective resistance training.
Helen Mirren, who turned 80 this year, knows this all too well. She told Women's Weekly that "exercise doesn't mean joining expensive gyms" and that she was a "big believer in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) women's exercise regime, which is 12 minutes".
The XBX (ten basic exercises) program was developed by Dr Bill Orban, an academic and pioneer in health and fitness, in the 1950s to encourage women in the Air Force to improve their fitness. Over 600 women and girls, including civilians, helped develop the workout, according to the official booklet.
The 12-minute workout follows four charts of ten exercises, arranged in order of difficulty. The plan aims to boost muscle strength, endurance, flexibility, and heart efficiency with a dedicated set of exercises.
"It's an exercise regime that starts from very low and easy, then if you follow it through, it can become quite difficult," says Helen Mirren. "I've never gotten past the second level, but it's a nice exercise program."
Helen Mirren's 12-minute workout
The booklet lists 10 exercises with the number of repetitions to be done in a limited amount of time just below it. In the booklet, you'll find descriptions and pictures on how to complete each one - or, you can follow the video workout that appeared on Lorraine recently (above).
Starting at level one, you move through the levels until you can do the last one "without excessive strain or fatigue". The time you have for the exercise remains the same, but the number of repetitions increases with the level. This makes the exercise harder.
As Helen says she's never progressed past the second level, she'll finish her workouts on chart two, which is page 13 of the booklet.
Try it for yourself
- CHART ONE:
- Exercises 1 to 6: toe touches, knee raises, lateral (side) raises, arm circles
- Exercise 5: Partial sit-ups
- Exercise 6: Chest and leg raises
- Exercise 7: Side leg raises
- Exercise 8: Knee push-ups
- Exercise 9: Leg lifts
- Exercise 10: Run and hop
- CHART TWO:
- Chart two is the same as chart one with some substitutions.
- Exercise 5: Rocking sit-ups
- Exercise 9: Leg overs (side rotation back stretch)
- Exercise 10: Run and stride jumps
What do each of the exercises mean?
You can find a detailed explanation and diagram of each exercise in the booklet, but each exercise focuses on one of the program's goals (muscle strength, endurance, flexibility, and heart efficiency).
All four charts follow the same format:
- Exercises 1 to 6: Flexibility and mobility, warm-up
- Time: 2 minutes (30 seconds for each exercise)
- Exercise 5: Strengthening "the abdominal region and the muscles at the front of the thighs"
- Time: 2 minutes
- Exercise 6: Strengthening the muscles in the "back, the buttocks, and the backs of the thighs".
- Time: 1 minute
- Exercise 7: Concentrates on the "muscles of the sides of the thighs".
- Time: 1 minute
- Exercise 8: For the "arms, shoulders, and chest".
- Time: 2 minutes
- Exercise 9: For "flexibility in the waist and for strengthening the muscles of the hips and sides".
- Time: 1 minute
- Exercise 10: Concentrates on the "conditioning of the heart and lungs", i.e. cardiovascular or aerobic fitness.
- Time: 3 minutes
Benefits of the 12-minute workout
1. Improves cardiovascular health
Dr Bill Orban created this 12-minute workout to boost cardiovascular health for women in the Canadian Air Force, so it makes sense that improved heart health is the key benefit.
These exercises raise the heart rate, encouraging blood to pump faster around the body and making the heart more efficient, in turn reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and helping to lower high blood pressure over time.
2. Time efficient
There's no denying that working out for only 12 minutes makes this workout significantly more accessible than others, as most people have a spare quarter of an hour in their day. But that doesn't mean it's easy.
The booklet specifies - and I agree - that you should not complete "fast, vigorous, or highly competitive physical activity, without gradually developing and continually maintaining an adequate level of physical fitness".
Such a challenge in such a short time frame makes this a hugely time-efficient workout, and there's plenty of research to suggest that this type of exercise has as many benefits as longer workouts.
A study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology shows that time-efficient training (up to 60 minutes a week) offers particular benefits in reducing the risk of diabetes and early mortality.
3. Boosts strength
Exercises in Helen Mirren's 12-minute workout include compound movements, which work multiple muscles at once. This type of exercise is ideal for improving full-body strength and muscle mass.
For those going through menopause or postmenopausal, this is key for staying healthy. With the reduction of oestrogen comes a natural decline in bone density, which can only be counteracted with proper exercise and nutrition.
4. Improves core strength and stability
This 12-minute workout includes many of the best core exercises to do at home, like sit-ups and leg lifts. Having a strong core is key to functional fitness, boosting full-body stability and making it easier for us to maintain balance with age.
It also helps to prevent injuries as other muscles work harder and overcompensate when our core isn't up to the task of supporting certain movements.
5. Suitable for beginners
Even if you've never done a squat, you can follow this 12-minute workout loved by Helen Mirren. It might take a moment or two to get your round round the booklet's program, but once you do, it starts easy and gets progressively harder as you get stronger.
For those looking to build strength with only a thick yoga mat for company, this is great news.
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