It's possible to do five-minute workouts that will help to build your muscles. The key is to keep the workouts simple; don't try to do too much at once. A short workout can be as simple as doing a few sets of pushups or some dumbbell biceps curls. Spread several of these workouts throughout the day or do several back-to-back, if you have time. You can also do these short routines at work without getting sweaty.
Pushups
Pushups are one of the most fundamental muscle-building exercises that you can do. Pushups can be modified to make them easier or harder, depending on your strength and fitness level. You'll benefit by building your chest and shoulder muscles as well as your triceps. Aim to do pushups every other day, at least three days a week. If you are doing knee pushups, you might want to place a pillow or folded jacket under your knees to alleviate pressure.
Squats and Lunges
These basic exercises use your body weight to strengthen your legs and glutes. To make the exercises more difficult, you can perform them while holding onto a pair of dumbbells. Squats are performed by squatting as though you are going to sit down in a chair. Keep your back straight and don't bend your knees more than 90 degrees. For a lunge, take a large step forward and bend your front leg so the thigh is parallel to the ground. Push back to your starting position.
Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are inexpensive and portable, and you can easily pack one into your briefcase or luggage. For a five-minute workout, keep it simple. Pick one set of muscles and one exercise and plan on doing several sets. You can use resistance bands to make squats and lunges a bit harder, or use the band to do biceps curls, lateral rows, and various types of stretches. Resistance bands or tubing comes in a range of resistance levels that are color-coded according to difficulty. Some companies simply rate their products as light, medium and heavy, while others assign an equivalent weight value to their bands.
Dumbbell Workouts
Dumbbells can be used for a variety of five-minute workouts. You can use dumbbells to work your arms, back, legs and even your abdominals. They are one of the most flexible exercise accessories you can own. Again, pick one set of muscles and one type of exercise to complete in your five-minute workout session; don't try to cram in too many exercises. Biceps curls can be done in a few minutes, and you can even do them while watching TV. Dumbbells come in fixed weight and variable-weight varieties and are easy to use, but they're not as portable as resistance bands.
Video Instruction
Although most commercial video instruction DVDs offer workouts that are at least 10 minutes long, it's possible to find simple five-minute workout videos on the Internet. Alternatively, choose a video workout that you like, but plan to do only a portion of the workout if you only have five minutes. This requires a bit of planning, but is fairly easy to do.
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