This upper-body exercise snack is the perfect way to strengthen your arms, shoulders and back—and it only takes 10 minutes

When we’re short on time and energy it can be tempting to skip a workout, but even a quick session, sometimes called an exercise snack, can be beneficial. When I’m really not in the mood to train, I often find that once I get started, I feel energised and end up exercising for longer than I originally planned.

If you can commit to 10 minutes, then this upper-body band workout by certified personal trainer Emma Goodman-Horne is a great one to try. Goodman-Horne, founder of Emergy, says you don’t need to lift heavy weights to build strength and muscle—all you need is a loop resistance band.

“Using mini loop resistance bands makes a huge difference to how you’re working the whole of your body,” Goodman-Horne tells me. “This workout is all about the upper body and core, and if you do it on the floor you are definitely attacking everything because you have to stabilize your whole body throughout each movement.”

Scroll down to see how to do it, and to read more about the benefits of short workouts.

How to do the workout

Aim for 10 reps of each of the following moves, and complete three rounds.

1. Bear crawl arm tap

Targets: back, core and triceps

Goodman-Horne says: “Make sure your fingertips are facing forward so you are working through the whole arm.”

2. Lat pull-down

Targets: back, chest and arms

Goodman-Horne says: “Now you are on the knees and you are pulling the resistance bands behind, making sure you are pushing out with the forearms to get the deepest pull at the back.”

3. Dip triceps pull

Targets: core, triceps and back

Goodman-Horne says: “Tilt forward into the triceps and pull the arms straight so you are working through the core at the same time. Keep the core engaged throughout the whole session and everything aligned as much as possible.”

Why short workouts are better than nothing

Short bursts of exercise are a great way to squeeze in some movement during the day, and exercise snacks, or micro-workouts, have been shown to have plenty of benefits. One study by McMaster University in Canada found that a 10-minute workout three times a week increased endurance by nearly 20%, and it also boosted insulin resistance in participants.