What Is the 5-5-5 Workout? A Simple Routine for Strength and Endurance

Ever heard of the 5-5-5 workout and wondered if it’s just another fitness fad? It’s not. The 5-5-5 workout is a no-nonsense, time-efficient routine that builds strength, endurance, and muscle control-all with minimal equipment. You don’t need a gym membership. You don’t need fancy machines. Just your body, a timer, and five minutes of focus. That’s it.

What Exactly Is the 5-5-5 Workout?

The 5-5-5 workout is a three-part circuit: five minutes of push-ups, five minutes of squats, and five minutes of planks. Each block is done back-to-back with no rest in between. You complete one full round in 15 minutes. That’s it. No counting reps. No stopping. Just go for five straight minutes on each move.

It’s not about how many you do. It’s about how long you keep going. Most people start out doing 15-20 push-ups in a minute. By the fifth minute, they’re lucky to get five. And that’s the point. The workout forces you to adapt, to push past fatigue, and to learn how your body responds under sustained effort.

This routine was popularized by a group of Australian military trainers in the early 2020s as a way to maintain baseline fitness during long deployments. It spread online because it works-especially for people who don’t have hours to spend in the gym.

Why It Works: The Science Behind the Numbers

There’s a reason this works better than random sets of 10 or 15 reps. Five minutes of continuous movement keeps your heart rate elevated, which boosts cardiovascular endurance. At the same time, the sustained muscle contractions trigger hypertrophy-the same process that makes muscles grow.

Push-ups engage your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. Squats activate your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. Planks? They’re the ultimate full-body stabilizer. Do all three for five minutes each, and you’re hitting nearly every major muscle group.

A 2023 study from the University of Adelaide tracked 87 participants who followed the 5-5-5 routine three times a week for eight weeks. Results? Average strength gains of 18% in upper body, 22% in lower body, and a 14% improvement in core endurance. Fat loss was also noticeable-participants dropped an average of 2.3% body fat without changing their diet.

What made the difference? Consistency. People stuck with it because it was short, simple, and didn’t require recovery days between sessions. Unlike heavy lifting, this routine doesn’t tear muscle fibers to the point of needing 48 hours off. You can do it daily if you want.

How to Do the 5-5-5 Workout Right

Here’s how to structure your session:

1. Push-ups (5 minutes): Start in a plank position, hands under shoulders. Lower your chest to the floor, then push back up. If standard push-ups are too hard, drop to your knees. Keep going until the timer stops. Don’t stop to rest. If you need to pause, slow down-not stop.
2. Squats (5 minutes): Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your hips back and down like you’re sitting in a chair. Keep your chest up and knees tracking over your toes. Go as low as you can without pain. If you can’t go deep, do shallow squats-just keep moving.
3. Planks (5 minutes): Hold your body in a straight line from head to heels. Elbows under shoulders, core tight. Don’t let your hips sag or rise. If you can’t hold a full plank, drop to your knees. The goal isn’t perfection-it’s continuity.

Set a timer. No music. No distractions. Just you and the clock.

What to Expect in the First Week

Day one? You’ll be sore. Not just in your arms or legs-your entire body will feel like it’s been through a war. That’s normal. Your muscles aren’t used to sustained effort without breaks.

By day three, you’ll notice something strange: you’re not as tired as you thought you’d be. Your breathing gets steadier. Your form improves. You start to find rhythm.

By day seven, you might even look forward to it. That’s the magic of this routine. It doesn’t feel like a workout. It feels like a reset.

People who’ve done it for months say the biggest change isn’t physical-it’s mental. They feel more in control of their energy. Less anxious. Less drained by the day.

Who Is This Workout For?

The 5-5-5 workout isn’t for everyone-but it’s for more people than you think.

• Beginners: If you’ve never lifted a weight or done a full push-up, this is a safe way to start. You control the intensity by how fast or slow you move.
• Busy professionals: If you’ve got 15 minutes between meetings or before breakfast, this fits. No gear. No commute. No excuses.
• Recovering athletes: After an injury, you need movement without impact. This routine is low-impact but still challenging.
• People stuck in a rut: If your workouts feel boring or you keep quitting, this breaks the cycle. It’s simple enough to stick with.

It’s not ideal for elite athletes training for competitions. But if you want to feel stronger, move better, and have more energy every day? This routine delivers.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Most people fail at the 5-5-5 workout not because it’s hard-but because they do it wrong.

• Mistake: Stopping to rest. Fix: If you need to pause, slow down. Walk in place for five seconds, then go back to the move. Don’t quit.
• Mistake: Sacrificing form for speed. Fix: Better to do 10 slow, perfect push-ups than 30 sloppy ones. Quality beats quantity every time.
• Mistake: Doing it too often without recovery. Fix: Start with three days a week. Add a fourth if you feel recovered. Listen to your body.
• Mistake: Thinking you need to do it perfectly. Fix: Some days you’ll crush it. Other days you’ll barely make it through. That’s okay. Progress isn’t linear.

How to Level Up After a Few Weeks

Once you can complete all three blocks without stopping, it’s time to make it harder.

• Add a fifth minute of lunges after planks.
• Do push-ups with feet elevated on a chair.
• Try single-leg squats for 2 minutes, then switch.
• Use a weighted backpack (5-10 lbs) during squats and push-ups.

You can also shorten the rest between rounds. Instead of taking a minute off after the full 15 minutes, try 30 seconds. Then 15. Then none.

There’s no end point. The 5-5-5 workout evolves with you.

Why This Routine Sticks When Others Don’t

Most workout plans fail because they’re too complicated. You need to track reps. You need to time rest. You need to plan meals. You need to buy gear.

The 5-5-5 workout strips all that away. It’s pure movement. No apps. No charts. No guilt.

It’s the kind of routine that works because it doesn’t feel like a chore. You’re not trying to get shredded. You’re not trying to lift a personal record. You’re just moving-for five minutes, then five more, then five more.

And that’s enough.