Derek Hough and Barilla Offer 8-10 Minute Workouts While Pasta Cooks

Derek Hough, the Dancing With the Stars judge and TV host, partnered with Barilla to launch a set of 8-10 minute micro-workouts called Protein+ Training Timers designed to be completed while pasta cooks. The campaign links Barilla’s Protein+ pasta range to short, shape-inspired routines such as penne plié squats, rotini spiral planks, and spaghetti curls, turning the few minutes at the stove into a deliberate fitness moment.

The move names mirror pasta shapes to make routines memorable and easy to match to what’s on the stove. Each set is intended to fit the typical cook time for pasta, offering a practical time-saving approach to squeeze in mobility, strength, or core work without rearranging an evening. Workouts are available as short videos on YouTube and on the brand’s channels, providing quick, follow-along content that fits into the busy rhythms of home kitchens.

Hough’s involvement stems in part from a personal focus on presence and time management. As a new father in late December, he emphasized routines that respect limited minutes and the need to be present for family life. That perspective shapes the activation: it treats cooking time as an opportunity rather than a pause, and positions Protein+ pasta as both a nutrition and lifestyle cue for brief, doable movement.

For home cooks and community cooks who prize convenience, this is a useful nudge. Eight to ten minutes is a familiar window for pasta to reach al dente, and the shape-based nomenclature makes it easy to pair a pot with a practice. Try a set of penne plié squats while waiting for boiling water, or slot a rotini spiral plank into those last minutes of a sauce simmer. The routines require minimal equipment and assume short attention spans, so they fit shared kitchens, mealtime multitasking, and households with young children.

This activation also signals how brands are reframing convenience cooking moments into lifestyle touchpoints. For readers who track pasta trends, it reinforces Protein+ as a higher-protein option positioned not just around nutrition but around usable eating rituals. Expect more short-form, meal-timed content from food brands aiming to meet cooks where they already are.

What this means for readers is simple: you can harvest small windows of cooking time for consistent movement without disrupting dinner. Bookmark the Protein+ Training Timers on YouTube or the brand channels, match a routine to your pasta shape, and treat the next pot of pasta as both dinner prep and a built-in eight-minute workout.