Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Plan

This exercise plan was designed for the Royal Canadian Air Force by Dr Bill Orban in the 1950s.

It’s a series of exercises for men called 5BX (Five Basic Exercises) that you perform for 11 minutes every day, and exercises for women called XBX (Ten Basic Exercises) which take 12 minutes per day.

You don’t need any equipment, and it’s designed to work all your muscle groups in a short amount of time.

Men’s 5BX Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Plan

To follow the original male version of the Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Plan by Bill Orban, simply perform the following exercises in order every day.

All you need to do is fit in as many reps of each exercise into the stated time frame as possible. As your fitness levels gradually improve, increase your pace to do more reps within the time limit.

2 minutes: toe touching Stand straight with feet apart and arms up. Bend forward to touch the floor, then stretch upward and bend backwards. Do not strain to keep your knees straight. Return to starting position and repeat.
1 minute: partial sit ups Lie on your back with feet apart and arms by your sides. Keeping your legs straight, sit up just far enough to see your feet. Your head and shoulders must clear the floor. Return to starting position and repeat.
1 minute: chest and leg lifts Lie face down with arms by your sides, and hands tucked under your thighs. Raise head, shoulders, and one leg, as high as possible from the floor. Your thighs must clear your palms. Keep leg straight. Repeat with other leg. Continue by alternating legs.
1 minute: partial push ups Lie face down with hands under your shoulders and palms flat on the floor. Light your upper body by straightening your arms, keeping knees on the floor. Your body should be straight from the knees to head, and arms must be fully extended. Lower yourself back to the starting position and repeat.
6 minutes: stationary running Run in place, lifting feet at least four inches from the floor. Make sure you lift your knees forward, do not just kick heels backwards. After each minute, do 10 scissor jumps – Stand with right leg and left arm extended forward, and left leg and right arm extended backward. Jump up and change the position of arms and legs before landing.

Ladies’ XBX Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Plan

To follow the female version of the Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Plan by Bill Orban, simply perform the following exercises in order every day.

All you need to do is fit in as many reps of each exercise into the stated time frame as possible. As your fitness levels gradually improve, increase your pace to do more reps within the time limit.

30 seconds: toe touching Stand straight with feet shoulder width apart and arms over your head. Bend forward to touch the floor between your feet. Do not force to keep your knees straight. Return to starting position and repeat.
30 seconds: knee raisingStand straight with your feet together and arms by your sides.Raise one knee as high as possible, grasping shin with your hands. Pull leg towards your body. Keep your back straight throughout. Repeat with other leg. Continue by alternating legs.
30 seconds: lateral bendingStand straight with your feet shoulder width apart and hands by your sides.Keeping your back straight, bend to one side from the waist. Slide your hand down your leg as far as possible. Return to starting position and repeat on the other side.
30 seconds: arm circlingStand straight with your feet shoulder width apart and arms at your sides.Make large circles with your left arm. Alternate between forward circles and backward circles for 15 seconds. Repeat with other arm.
2 minutes: partial sit-upsLie on your back with legs straight and together, and arms at your sides.Raise your head and shoulders from the floor until you can see your feet. Return to starting position and repeat.
1 minute: chest and leg raisingLie face down with arms by your sides, and hands tucked under your thighs.Raise head, shoulders, and one leg as high as possible from the floor. Keep leg straight. Lower to floor. Repeat with other leg. Continue by alternating legs.
1 minute: side leg raisingLie on your side with legs straight and your lower arm stretched along the floor. Use your top arm for balance.Do 30 seconds raising and lowering one leg. Repeat with other leg.
2 minutes: kneeling push-upsLie face down with legs straight and together, hands under your shoulders.Push your body up, keeping hands and knees in contact with floor. Sit back onto your heels and lower body to floor. Return to starting position and repeat.
1 minute: leg liftingLie on your back with legs straight and together, arms at sides, palms down.Raise left leg until it is vertical, or as close as possible. Lower your leg to the floor. Repeat with other leg. Continue by alternating legs.
3 minutes: run and hop Stand straight with your feet together and arms at your sides. Run in place, raising your feet at least four inches from the floor. Make sure you lift knees forward, do not just kick heels backwards. After fifty steps, do 10 hops – both feet must leave floor together and you should hop at least four inches off the floor.