Shredded dad does nothing more than 20 minutes daily workouts and the science backs him up

A ripped dad of two has completely transformed his physique after spending no longer than 20 minutes exercising every day. And he continues to document his transformation more than 260 days since starting the regime, with science now backing up his routine.

A brand new scientific study has been released by experts at Edith Cowan University that explains why you don’t need intense workouts to build muscle - and how a little can go a very long way.

Skye Mackintosh, from Utah in the United States, said he needed to do something different in 2024 after seeing a photo of himself that he 'didn't recognise', following a period of casual weight gain.

Starting off by cutting all sugar out of his diet to improve his health, he saw some change in the next 12 months. Realising this was not a lifestyle that could be maintained forever, he settled on doing little and often, documenting his daily 20 minute exercise routines over on TikTok and Instagram where he now has more than 200,000 subscribers and millions of views.

29-year-old Skye, who has previously run a 50km ultramarathon, told Business Insider: "I knew that if I put my fitness journey online, I wouldn't be able to face the embarrassment of not following through on my word.

"I chose 20 minutes because 30 isn't always achievable, and 10 didn't seem to be enough. My wife and I are going to have more kids, and then I'll have grandkids, and who knows where my career will take me. But regardless of what's going on, I figure I'll always have 20 minutes.

"I chose push-ups and jump squats to start with because I wanted to hit the core muscle groups while keeping it simple enough to do anywhere."

What does Skye to get ripped?

Skye mixes it up on his daily routines, with one of his most recent being in a hotel room and having no equipment. Here he did three rounds of flutter kicks, jump squats, leg raises, jump lunges, and planks.

"Life happens here [pointing to his brain]," Skye says in one video. "If you work out this [flexing a bicep]... it gets your brain right too."

When back at home, most of Skye's routines see him use a mixture of body weight exercises alongside kettlebell and pull up bar routines.

And when it comes to maintaining his abs that he's formed over the last year, he says: "I get asked a lot about diet. You may be surprised that I have a treat almost every day. I’m definitely a sweet tooth. So cutting out all treats doesn’t sound very fun to me.

"You can still have your Oreo. But just have one. Often times we have a portion control issue, not always a food item issue. I’m not saying Oreos are good for you, but I am saying that one Oreo won’t wreck everything."

The science behind short exercise bursts

At the start of May, Edith Cowan University released a new study that said 'building muscle doesn’t have to mean exhausting workouts or soreness'.

Researchers at the Australian university found that slow, controlled 'lowering' movements can boost strength more efficiently while requiring less effort. The data found that just five minutes a day of simple exercises like chair squats or wall push-ups can make significant difference to a persons health and wellbeing.

"It’s a smarter, easier way to get stronger - no gym required," ScienceDaily says.

"The idea that exercise must be exhausting or painful is holding people back," says ECU's Director of Exercise and Sports Science, Professor Ken Nosaka.

"Instead, we should be focusing on eccentric exercises which can deliver stronger results with far less effort than traditional exercise - and you don't even need a gym."

What is eccentric exercise?

Eccentric exercise is the phase when muscles lengthen rather than shorten. This often happens during the lowering portion of any movement, like bringing a kettlebell down, lowering yourself in to a squat, or sitting slowly on a chair. All actions that you can do at home with next to no equipment.

The study found that muscles can produce greater force during these lengthening movements while using less energy than they would during lifting, pulling, or climbing actions.

Professor Nosaka said: "You can gain strength without feeling as exhausted. So, you get more benefit for less effort. That makes eccentric exercise appealing for a wide range of people."

On getting started yourself, Skye told BI: "My main advice is just to start and keep it simple. I wanted to test whether even something small, stacked over time, is better than great spurts of effort, and I've found that it is - it's all about consistency.

"If 20 minutes seems overwhelming, start with 10, or even five. You don't need to put pressure on yourself to work out for 100 days in a row; you just need to do it today."