HI. I’M KRISTA. WELCOME TO 12 MINUTE ATHLETE.

12 Minute Athlete is a workout regimen consisting of incredibly short, effective workouts based on high intensity interval training (HIIT), calisthenics, cross-training and functional fitness.

12 Minute Athlete

“IF YOU HAVE A BODY,
YOU ARE AN ATHLETE.”
BILL BOWERMAN,
CO-FOUNDER OF NIKE

 

IF YOU’RE NEW TO
12 MINUTE ATHLETE,
HERE’S WHAT WE BELIEVE:

We believe everybody is an athlete.

We never want you to feel it’s too late or too hard for you to get in shape. No matter your starting fitness level, we can help you unlock your full potential.

We believe in getting rid of excuses.

The 12 Minute Athlete workouts can be done in 12 or 16 minutes with the equipment and space you have available.

We believe in lifelong fitness.

Our system is designed to help you pursue fitness for life, without burning out or giving up.

We believe fitness changes lives.

With the right mindset, tools, and knowledge, you can do things you never thought your body could do—and become the kind of person you didn’t know you could be.

GET THE APP       |       ORDER THE BOOK       |       JOIN ONE OF OUR PROGRAMS

 

About the founder

 

 

 

 

 

Krista is living proof of her philosophy that everybody is an athlete.

Growing up in a super-athletic family, Krista played team sports but felt like the athletic gene had skipped her. She never attempted a push-up until she was in college, when her brother—who called her ‘spaghetti arms’—challenged her to do one. As she struggled through that first push-up, she realized that she had the potential to become an ‘athletic person’!

Within a few years, she became certified as a personal trainer and started working long hours in a popular New York City gym. She diligently tried all kinds of fitness programs—running, cardio, weight training, sports-specific training, and CrossFit—ending up overtrained, injured, and exhausted, without ever seeing the results she wanted. Then she discovered high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and bodyweight workouts, and everything changed.

Krista developed a system of workouts that could be done in little space, with few pieces of equipment, and in the shortest time possible. Best of all, they actually worked, for her and her clients. Before long, Krista was doing feats of exercise she never thought possible, like pull-ups, handstands, and 100 burpees in six minutes flat. Since launching 12 Minute Athlete in 2013, Krista has helped tens of thousands of people work toward their full athletic potential. 

“You can see incredible results from these workouts in a short amount of time, even if you don’t think of yourself as an athlete.”

From ‘spaghetti arms’ to handstand push-ups, Krista is living proof of her philosophy that everybody is an athlete. In addition to her NSCA-CPT, Krista holds a Kettlebell Concepts certification, a World Calisthenics Organization certification, is a Precision Nutrition Certified Coach, and is currently an amateur boxer. Her work has been featured in The New York Post, The Washington Post, ESPN+, Muscle & Fitness HERS, and on Good Day New York.

Krista is passionate about helping others become stronger inside and out through the intersection of mental and physical fitness. She regularly writes on well-being, healthy living, positive psychology, and high performance.

In addition to training the masses, Krista is also an amateur boxer, an aspiring martial artist, and has traveled the world studying the fine art of handstands. When she isn’t doing something fitness-related, you can find her reading a good book, going to music festivals, or traveling the world. Krista is also a board member of Breaking the Chains Foundation. You can find Krista online at 12minuteathlete.com and @12minuteathlete.

For more of Krista’s story, check out her first book. 

Get started

Check out some of our favorite blog posts below:

Krista Stryker

Learning Real Toughness: Lessons Learned From Eight Months Training Martial Arts

I’ve always wanted to be tough. Even as a kid, I was never the princess type; I was what’s typically called a tomboy. Instead of hosting tea parties and playing barbies, I was outside getting muddy and skinning my knees. In high school, I was an angsty teenager who would punch boys and walls whenever…

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struggle-growth

Reframing Struggle as Part of the Growth Process

We’re told to dream big and shoot for the stars, but nobody ever mentions that going after our dreams is going to be hard. They definitely don’t tell us that it should be hard—and that if it isn’t, we’re doing something wrong. Our society loves the myth of “uncovering” some magic ability that was unknowingly hiding…

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Learn to Hack Motivation by Reframing Your Idea of What Exercise Is

“Whereas people usually say they are playing a sport, they use the term workout to describe vigorous exercise, reflecting that for many this may not be the most enjoyable part of their day.” – Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci, Self-Determination Theory There is little question among scientists and psychologists that we are made…

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How to develop a growth mindset around fitness and exercise

How to Develop a Growth Mindset Around Fitness and Exercise

Think about the last time you tried a new exercise, sport, or fitness-related skill. Did you struggle at it? Did that struggle give you a boost of motivation (“I am not going to let this thing beat me. I’ll try harder and work at it until I get it”)? Or did encountering the struggle immediately make…

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Get Grittier: Why Improving Grit is Essential for Lifelong Fitness

We’ve all done it: made a big, far-reaching goal that’s exciting, challenging, and even a little scary. You start out strong with big aspirations. You may even tell a few friends or family members. And while the initial push goes well, before long, you start to struggle. Life starts to get in the way. One…

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Why Working Out Isn’t Just For Looks

Like so many people, when I first started my fitness journey, I worked out solely because I wanted to lose weight, get leaner, and feel better in my body. And while there’s certainly nothing wrong with wanting to feel confident about how you look, in my experience working out for looks alone has several different…

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