The 12-Minute Military Workout That Took Over the World

I love a rabbit hole. Especially when a friend or family member tips me off on it. Today’s workout came from a relative who asked me what I knew about actor Helen Mirren’s workout course.

Sweet nothing was my response.

Get reading was the kindly reply. So in my wisdom I began to dig into a workout and system which Mirren credited with helping her to maintain her health and beauty as she aged. While any… and I mean ANY actor endorsement warrants suspicion, this system seemed good. It even had some science attached to it. Heck, it even had a military background. Interested? Read on…

The Workout

In the early 1960s the Royal Canadian Air Force had a problem. A large proportion of its pilots were not fit enough to fly. The solution came in the form of a set of short booklets, one for men and one for women. The men’s was called 5BX (Five Basic Exercises), the women’s XBX (Ten Basic Exercises). Both plans promised results in under fifteen minutes a day. They required no equipment, almost no space, and could be followed anywhere from a barracks to a living room.

At a time when most exercise was still confined to athletes, gymnasts, or the military, these booklets insisted that fitness could be universal. Cheap, accessible, and easy to follow, they became international bestsellers, selling more than twenty million copies. For a generation, 5BX and XBX shaped what everyday exercise looked like.
So what exactly did the workouts involve?

Five for Men, Ten for Women

The 5BX plan was designed for male personnel. It took exactly eleven minutes and used just five exercises:

1. Stretching
2. Sit-ups
3. Back extensions
4. Push-ups
5. Running on the spot (or a short outdoor run)

The first four movements were calisthenics designed to improve flexibility and strength. The final exercise targeted aerobic fitness. The program was divided into charts and levels. At the lowest level, men performed only a few sit-ups and short stretches of running. At the highest, they were expected to complete dozens of repetitions and run several miles within the allotted time.

The XBX plan was created for women and lasted twelve minutes. It contained ten exercises, always performed in the same order:

1. Toe touching
2. Knee raising
3. Lateral bending
4. Arm circling
5. Sit-ups
6. Chest and leg raising
7. Side leg raising
8. Push-ups
9. Leg lifting
10. Running and jumping in place

The program was progressive. The booklet explained that there were 48 levels of difficulty spread across four charts. Women were instructed to spend a minimum number of days at each level before moving up. At every stage, the time remained fixed at twelve minutes. Progress came from fitting in more repetitions or moving to more demanding variations.

As the XBX foreword put it

The only known way to physical fitness is through physical exercise. The exercise plan outlined in the XBX booklet provides women with the opportunity to achieve physical fitness in an enjoyable, interesting manner for a total investment of 12 minutes a day. Wishing is not good enough.

Why XBX Was Different

The appeal of both plans lay in their simplicity. At a time when many people had no idea how to structure an exercise routine, the booklets laid out every detail. They explained the exercises, set the number of repetitions, fixed the time limits, and dictated the rate of progression.

Time was the great leveller. Every session lasted eleven or twelve minutes. No more, no less. The challenge was not to extend the duration but to increase the intensity. As the booklet reminded readers

‘Do not expect startling results. Fitness takes time and persistence. Couple your XBX program with a good diet, and your progress will be steady.’

The plans also tackled common excuses. They required no equipment. They could be done in any small space. And they took only a few minutes out of the day. The XBX made this point directly: ‘XBX requires little time and space, and no equipment, so you can: Do it alone—at home—at any time. Form your own fitness club. Have your family work on fitness together. It can be fun.’

The rhetoric reflected the social attitudes of the 1960s. The men’s plan was justified in terms of making pilots fit to fly. The women’s plan was framed around vitality, posture, and appearance. Weak muscles were said to cause ‘sagging abdomens’ and ‘back pain’. The booklet stressed that diet alone was not enough: ‘Because the condition of your muscles is so important to the way you look and feel, diet alone is not the best method for trying to improve your body measurements. The best method is a combination of diet and exercise.’

This gendered framing may sound dated, but beneath it was a serious, carefully tested exercise program. Over 600 women trialled the XBX before it was released, and the research showed steady improvements in strength, endurance, and heart health.

The Legacy of 5BX and XBX

By the 1970s these programs were being used by millions of people across the world. They were translated into thirteen languages, adapted by trainers, and reprinted countless times. Helen Mirren swore by the XBX. George Burns used the 5BX well into old age. Even members of the British royal family reportedly tried them.

Looking back, the RCAF plans anticipated many later developments in fitness. The notion that short, intense workouts could deliver lasting benefits now appears in the form of HIIT routines, Tabata sessions, and app-based micro workouts. The idea that exercise should be accessible, portable, and equipment-free is now a cornerstone of bodyweight training culture.

For all their military origins, the booklets carried a remarkably simple philosophy. Fitness was not about spending hours in a gym. It was not about expensive machines. It was about small, regular habits that anyone could follow. As the XBX reminded its readers, ‘Live to be fit and be fit to live.’

As always… Happy Lifting!