Tony Horton 10 Minute Trainer Review – Fitness in a Crunch

Do you have an hour to spend at the gym everyday? If not, chances are you’re just as busy as most of us. Check out my Tony Horton 10 Minute Trainer review to find out if this is the fitness routine for you.

Tony Horton 10 Minute Trainer Review

You’re probably thinking: How can you possibly see any solid results from only 10 minutes of working out? And I totally get it, those were my exact thoughts when I came across this workout. I was so in the mindset of having to spend an hour on a workout to achieve results.

But with most of our busy schedules it can be hard to stick with a fitness routine when you can’t find the time to fit it into your day. This is a huge reason many people quit before they even start. The time commitment is too overwhelming. They feel like they just can’t fit it in.

And Then – How About That Gym?

Physical activity for me has to be something that I find engaging and interesting because the moment I find it boring I’ll just stop doing it. Growing up I played sports and have always loved to dance, practice yoga, and stay active outdoors with activities such as hiking, swimming, and biking.

Trust me, I also spent my fair share of time in the gym – six days every week for several years, religiously. But at some point I got bored, my affinity for the gym fizzled, and I stopped going. Honestly, all those machines and the whole gym scene just didn’t get me all that excited anymore, and without excitement I have no motivation to stick with it.

Years later I decided to resurrect my gym membership which turned out to be very short lived. One day I decided I’d had enough of the meat-market-active-wear-fashion-show-good-luck-getting-a-machine-if-you’re-not-ripped-because-you-just-don’t-fit-in scene. Maybe it was just that experience at that gym, but I was over it.

That’s the day I quite the gym for good and decided to stick with my love of the outdoors. With my new found sense of wanting to hork at the thought of stepping foot into a gym I also started looking for fitness routines I would enjoy and could incorporate at home.

Don’t get me wrong, gyms are great for some people, they help you stay fit, and can be a great motivator, but they’re just not my thing. If you can relate, working out at home might be your jam!

The Beauty of an Exercise Routine at Home

If you think about it, there are three main things that stop people from exercising regularly. 1. Not enough time. 2. Lack of equipment (such as mats, weights, cardio machines, etc), and instruction. 3. Distractions and interuptions.

Obviously there are more, but for the sake of keeping it simple I think it’s safe to say that these three are highly relatable. The first one deters people from starting and sticking to workouts, especially when many routines require an average of 30 minutes to an hour. The second would be reasons that a gym might appeal – for the machines and equipment, and maybe even a personal trainer. And the third is a factor of modern life at home with spouses, kids, pets, and multiple devices and responsibilities.

This is why 10 Minute Trainer is so ideal, you can throw on whatever, step into your living room, pop in your workout and go! No packing a gym bag, trying to look cute, and driving there and back. And at literally 10 minutes a workout, even people with the busiest of busy schedules can swing it.

Plus, let’s face it, with so many people using those machines, weights, exercise balls, etc, there’s a lot of funky sweat and germs floating around gyms. And it’s no secret that not everyone wipes things down after using them. Happens all the time.

Bonus: exercising at home decreases your risk of catching the latest virus or bacteria.

Let’s Get in to 10 Minute Trainer

The 10 Minute Trainer 2-disc set includes 5 workouts. Each workout begins with a short warm-up, followed by 10 moves each 1 minute long, and ends with a short cool-down. Plus, you have the flexibility to customize your workouts to fit your busy lifestyle.

Only have 10 minutes to spare? Do 1 workout. Have 20 minutes to spare? Stack 2 different workouts. Able to carve out a few 10 minute blocks? Split them up into a few separate 10 minute sessions per day. Maximize your results by stacking 3 different workouts for a 30 minute workout. It’s totally up to you.

Tony Horton 10 Minute Trainer Review

Total Body: Sculpt arms, shoulders, legs, and core

Lower Body: Slim and shape hips and thighs, and lift your butt

Abs: Tighten and tone your abs

Cardio: Burn fat with a fast sequence of cardio moves

Yoga Flex: Lengthen and tone muscles and core

Pros

You don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment. All you need is a good set of quality resistance bands. And you can add more resistance for some of the cardio moves with a cardio belt. I use the resistance bands and do the cardio without the belt. Totally your call.

Tony stands by as the trainer, timing and prompting the exercises as someone demonstrates each move. The “Trainer Track” option is great when you’re just starting out so you can hear personal training tips from Tony as you go. I found it helpful while learning the exercises, to learn the proper body mechanics and form.

Minimal space is necessary to perform the exercises, most living room spaces should work just fine (including apartments).

The exercises are easy enough to learn and do.

If at first you find you can’t do the full minute of each exercise (especially if it’s been a while since you’ve exercised) or can’t keep up with the quick pace, simply go at your own pace until you build up more stamina. And you will after doing the workouts regularly :)

Again, you really wouldn’t think you could work up such a sweat in 10 minutes, but you do and you feel great, which inspires you to shoot for 20, then 30. In 30 minutes of these workouts you burn as many calories as you do with 30 minutes of jogging.

Cons

All five workouts are split between two discs instead of five. Cardio and Yoga Flex are on one and Total Body, Lower Body, and Abs on another. In my opinion it would be easier to access them all from one disc rather than changing out discs in the middle of the routine if you’re stacking workouts.

The other annoyance is having to skip past the Beachbody Ad to get to the actual workout, but this is easily avoided by going straight to the menu instead to make your selection.

Each exercise moves rather quickly which can make it tricky to keep up with the switching of positions and placements of the resistance band, but I just paused it until I got the hang of it.

Like many fitness DVDs the music selection is fairly cheesy. But since I have learned the routine and do it in regular mode instead of “Trainer Mode” I have switched to playing my own background music instead. All in all not too many cons considering the pros.

Effective Fitness Routine That Doesn’t Require a Ton of Time

When I first started doing these workouts, I noticed results within the first two weeks. My clothes fit looser and I had more energy. Within just three months I lost a few inches, gained more strength, stamina, and energy. My arms and thighs were slimmer and more toned, my butt more lifted, and my core more defined. These workouts definitely keep you in shape and feeling happier and healthier overall!

As I said I love the outdoors, dancing, yoga, and the like – those things I could do all day long, but when it comes to a workout routine I’m all about getting the most results in the minimum amount of time, and that’s why 10 Minute Trainer checks the boxes for me.

10 Minute Trainer

Get your copy of 10 Minute Trainer here. Keep in mind these are the DVD’s only. I ordered my resistance bands separately and downloaded a workout calendar to keep on my fridge.

If you would like the package with everything included (same five workouts plus a bonus abs workout, Tony’s On-The-Go Workout Cards, Pro-Grade Resistance Band Kit, Cardio Belt, Customized Workout Calendar, Rapid Results Guidebook, Tony’s 10-Minute Recipe Guide, and 2-Day Jump Start Plan) click here.

I hope this review was helpful. Have you tried 10 Minute Trainer? Share in the comments below!

16 Comments

  1. Andy

    This is awesome! I watched the video too. He is very good. Just by watching that and his 5 points I feel better. He knows what he is talking about. I’m not a gym rat myself and sure not much time for it so this seems like a good option.

    I like this blog and the website too. Very clean and easy to read it. Definitely good stuff.

    Cheers!

  2. AnnieLouisa

    Hi The Tony Horton 10 minute trainer seems like a good program. The fact that you can do it at home is a plus for me because I don’t like the whole gym thing. As you say, it doesn’t take a ton of time to get toned. Good tip about being able to use your own music.

    1. Jess

      Thanks for the comment AnnieLouisa! Glad you liked the tip about using our own music, it’s important to have some good tunes to jam to while working out :)

  3. Tanya

    Thank you for this very thorough review. I am very impressed with your results. Just curious, did you always stick to just 10 minutes or did you do some “stacking” of workouts?

    I am really into health and fitness and try to workout as much as possible. However, like you, I find myself getting bored. I always am interested in learning new workouts that work and won’t require me purchasing a gym membership or expensive equipment for use at home. I also like that you can see results in a short amount of time, because everyone is pressed for time these days.

    1. Jess

      Hi Tanya, my pleasure! Great question – For the first two weeks I started with 10 minutes a day to ease my body back into cardio since I had taken a break for a bit. The next two weeks I started stacking for 20 minutes and then 30 after that. Now it really depends on how much time I have that day and that’s the beauty of these workouts – total flexibility. The workout calendar takes the guesswork out of which DVDs to stack and helps you stay on track. I know what you mean about the gym and equipment that’s why I love this. Plus everyone can squeeze in 10 minutes a day, it’s totally doable and then if you can do more – great!

  4. Josh

    I love this post. I tried the 10 minute trainer a couple of years ago and I agree with everything you’ve said here. It’s simple but effective. I think I might dig those DVDs out again tomorrow ;-)

    1. Jess

      Thanks so much Josh! It’s awesome to hear from someone who’s used 10 Minute Trainer and benefited from it. I hope you will dig it back out and have a nice little sweaty reunion lol! Sometimes all it takes is a bit of inspiration to spark some motivation :) Good luck and let me know how it goes!

  5. Ana

    Hi Jess, I actually workout at home and I agree with you membership gyms are just not form me too.Never really though about all the seasonal germs you can get at the gym :(. This review got me curious, I do Jillian Michaels and Shaun T DVD’s exercises and I like them, are these as hard or harder?

    1. Jess

      Hi Ana, Sorry to be the bearer of bad news about the germs :( Fortunately I have done Jillian’s workouts and am familiar with Shaun T’s Insanity DVDs and they’re both fantastic – you go girl! These are not easy workouts. The best way to I can think to answer your question is: You probably know Tony Horton does P90X and it’s hardcore. The 10 Minute Trainer moves are dialed down versions of these moves, still plyometrics, still make you sweat, still get/keep you in shape, but a little less hardcore. You can choose to amp things up by increasing the resistance band levels and stacking the workouts in the way you like. Hope this helps :)

    1. Jess

      Hi Sarah! Great question. They are geared towards any skill level really. The exercises are easy enough for beginners (as I said, there is a bit of a learning curve, like anything new) and you can decrease or increase intensity and resistance with different exercise bands, taking it to the level that suits you. Beginners will do well starting with 10 minutes and working up to 20 then 30 minutes if possible. Hope this helps :)

  6. Emily

    hi Jess
    I watched the video and I have to say I like the guy and his style! That’s important as if one cannot stand the trainer then doing the workout will be a pain in the butt….
    I go to the gym but I also do all sorts of other types of exercise. I bike outside, I am training for the Mudderella, I do kick boxing, etc… I think it is important to vary what you do and to actually enjoy it. I could see myself stacking 2 or 3 of those workouts and breaking a sweat :)

    1. Jess

      Yeah, I like Tony’s quirky sense of humor and the guy obviously knows how to stay healthy and fit. He looks amazing at 56! I love that you do all these cool activities, you go girl! Is Mudderella like a Tough Mudder? I need to try one sometime, I’ve had friends that have tons of fun doing them. Good luck with your training :)

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