You can only make limited progress

Because the workouts are so short, there’s really only so much you can achieve before progress starts to stall. “Depending on what your goal is, to allow your body to become fitter and stronger, you have to gradually increase the stimulus of training by making progressions such as reducing rest time, increasing reps, work time or weight,” says Mitchell. “When limited to just seven minutes, it can become difficult to advance after a period of time.”

If you do want to keep seeing progress with seven-minute workouts, Madigan suggests adding in an extra round or two, or incorporating a set of dumbbells into the workout to ensure you’re challenging yourself and improving your fitness levels.

If your goal is to gain muscle, however, she explains that it’s unlikely you’ll make tangible progress doing short workouts. “You’ll need to add in some additional weight training to build up your overall strength,” she says. “Adding in full-body compound movements like deadlifts and squats can help with this.”

It’s not enough exercise for health

Another issue is whether seven minutes of exercise a day is enough. Sure, it’s a great place to start but according to the NHS’ physical activity guidelines, adults aged between 19 and 64 should aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity. It’s important to incorporate further movement into your week whether that’s walking, running, yoga or weight training – depending on your personal goals.

“If you’re at the very beginning of your fitness journey then these super-short sessions might be enough to stress the body,” says biomechanics coach and founder of Onetrack Run Club, Anthony Fletcher. “But for people who are already on their way with fitness, seven minutes is too little time to prepare and execute an exercise routine that’s going to enhance your health or fitness abilities.”

Heightened potential for injury

According to Fletcher, something isn’t always better than nothing. “I wouldn’t advocate doing a seven-minute workout unless there’s separate time to prepare for the session – a lot can go wrong in seven minutes,” he says.

“For a HIIT session, the preparation time is more important than the workout itself. A good warm-up gets the enzymes in the muscles working so they can produce energy. This helps to limit the risk of injury and aids post-session recovery,” he continues.

“I tried doing 7-minute HIIT workouts every day for a week – here’s how much progress you can really make”