Find Your Place: 2-Minute Drill, Week 1

This versatile workout plan will get your heart pumping, muscles firing, and energy soaring.

Who says you can’t accomplish something meaningful in two minutes? With this total-body sequence, you might be surprised at how much cardio, toning, and coordination work you can fit in during the average commercial break.

Here, SilverSneakers fitness expert David Jack shares the first part of a four-part series of two-minute drills that will challenge you from head to toe. Throughout the series, you’ll get your heart rate up, strengthen your body, and improve your balance. You’ll even find a few brain teasers mixed in to keep you alert.

The game plan: Start with Week 1, which lays out the basic moves, and use it as often as you like. You can do it as part of your gym workout, after a SilverSneakers class, before your daily walk, or anytime you want to take a break from sitting.

From there, move on to Week 2, which will add variations to the basic moves, and so on. By the end, you’ll have four different two-minute drills that you can string together for a longer workout.

How the 2-Minute Drill Works

All you need is room to move and water to sip as needed. If you’d like support during any of the exercises, you can set up near a wall or counter.

The drill is short but jam-packed. You’ll want to make sure you’re warmed up. If you’re doing a drill on its own, march in place or walk around for a few minutes.

Remember, this is your workout. You can stick with the pace in the video, go slower or faster, or even pause when you need to and resume when you’re ready—whatever feels best to you.

As always, safety is key. These exercises may be different or more advanced than those you’ll experience in a SilverSneakers class. If you have a chronic condition, an injury, or balance issues, talk to your doctor about how you can exercise safely.

Exercise # 1: March

Do the move for 15 seconds

How to do it: Stand tall, and engage your core by imagining you’re about to receive a punch in the gut. March in place, raising your knees as high as you comfortably can. Bend your arms, and let them swing naturally as you march.

Exercise #2: Step Over

Do the move for 15 seconds

How to do it: Stand tall, and engage your core. Visualize an imaginary line in front of your toes. Step over the line one foot at a time, and then step behind the line one foot at a time. Continue stepping forward and back, moving as smoothly as you can.

Exercise #3: Side Step

Do the move for 15 seconds

How to do it: Stand tall, and engage your core. Step out to the side with one foot, and follow it with your other foot, tapping the floor. Repeat in the opposite direction. Continue alternating, moving as smoothly as you can.

Exercise #4: Uppercut Reach

Do the move for 15 seconds

How to do it: Stand with your feet comfortably apart, toes forward, and knees and hips bent slightly in a shallow squat. Engage your core, and hold your arms at your sides with elbows bent.

Pulse up and down slightly, and push through your feet to stand up. At the same time, reach your right hand up and across your body to your left side in an uppercut motion. Allow your right foot to pivot.

Pause, return to starting position, and reset your balance. Repeat the pulse and uppercut reach with your left arm to your right side. Continue alternating, moving as smoothly as you can.

Exercise #5: Step Back

Do the move for 20 seconds

How to do it: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent, and engage your core.

Step your left foot back and slightly out to the side. Return to starting position, and repeat the movement for 10 seconds. As you step, move your arms naturally, but continue to keep your core strong.

Return to starting position, and repeat with your right leg for 10 seconds.

Exercise #6: Step In and Out

Do the move for 15 seconds

How to do it: Stand with your feet comfortably apart and knees slightly bent, and engage your core. Visualize an imaginary line between your feet. Step your feet in toward toward the line one foot at a time, and then step out from the line one foot at a time. Continue stepping in and out, moving as smoothly as you can.

Exercise #7: Squat to Curl

Do the move for 15 seconds

How to do it: Stand with your feet comfortably apart and toes forward. Engage your core, and hold your arms at your sides with elbows slightly bent.

Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower yourself into a shallow squat. Push through your feet to return to standing, and curl your hands to your shoulders, making sure to bend from your elbows and not your wrists.

Pulse back down into a shallow squat, lowering your arms. Continue alternating, moving as smoothly as you can.

Exercise #8: March

Do the move for 15 seconds

How to do it: Stand tall, and engage your core. March in place, raising your knees as high as you comfortably can. Bend your arms, and let them swing naturally as you march.

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