Let’s face it, this time of year one of our biggest hang-ups with getting in a workout is the feeling that we just don’t have enough time.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, you don’t need to spend hours at a time in the gym to get the benefits of exercise and maintain your current progress. Not only does showing up keep you moving toward your desired results, it helps you maintain the momentum and keep the habit alive. Regardless of how short or quick your workout is, you maintained the habit by showing up.
James Clear, author of Atomic Habit, explains “Habit formation is the process by which behavior becomes progressively more automatic through repetition.” The holiday season is where we consistently see that people are starting and stopping exercise routines, which makes it almost impossible to make the habit stick for good! Just by showing up you are maintaining your “identity” as someone who is an exerciser and you continue to reinforce and encode the habit.
To keep it simple, SOMETHING is better than NOTHING! If you’re short on time, it is important to prioritize and execute making the most of what time you do have.
Here are a few workout ideas for when you know you have to be in and out in 30 minutes or less.
For General Strength/Conditioning:
For more general fitness goals for anyone that is a beginner to advanced, circuit-based routine can be your best bet for effective use of your time. This style will allow you to get way more sets in at a faster pace. so although you may not be going as heavy (because rest time is less) you’ll keep an elevated heart rate the whole time.
How to:
Pick a lower body movement, a push movement, and a pull movement. Perform 3-4 sets of 10-14 reps each exercise. Minimize rest times by only resting after each round, not in between each movement. This approach will keep your heart rate up, burning maximum calories, while still building strength. You will likely be able to get through 2 different circuits. See the example below!
Example:
Circuit #1:
A1. Squat -10 reps
A2. Push-up - 10 reps
A3. Lat Pulldown - 10 reps
**Repeat above circuit 4 times with minimal rest (~15 minutes)
Circuit #2:
B1. Walking Lunges - 10 reps (each leg)
B2. Dumbbell Overhead Press - 10 reps
B3. Bent Over Dumbbells Rows - 10 reps (each arm)
For Strength/Power:
This type of workout is geared to a more experienced lifter, who is concerned with maintaining strength and power. Pick 2 or 3 big compound movements such as squat, front squat, clean, deadlift, bench press, overhead press or bent over row. Once you decide which lifts you want to focus on, start with 2 warm up sets (maybe 50-60% of what you know you can lift). In 3 to 5 sets, work up to 3 to 5 rep max. This takes time, which is why you may be only to do it on 2 or 3 lifts in a 30 minute period. However, your muscles and central nervous system will feel spent! This type of intensity can also be effective in helping break through plateaus. The reason we reserve this type of workout for more experienced lifters is because you need to be comfortable with technique on the barbell lifts and have a decent understanding with what your one rep max might be.
How to/Example:
Exercise #1: Front Squat
Warm up #1: 50% max - 1x10 reps
Warm up #2: 70% max - 1x8 reps
Set 1: 80% max - 1x6
Set 3,4,5 85% max - 3x3 or 3x5
Exercise #2: Deadlift
Repeat sequence above
For Cardiovascular Fitness:
Thirty minutes is plenty of time to tap into your cardio fitness. It’s a great opportunity to either crank up the intensity of your steady-state cardio or get in some interval training.
How To/Example:
Steady State: Get on a piece of cardio equipment (stairmaster, treadmill, elliptical, bike) and aim to go as far as you can in 30 minutes. For example, climb the maximum level of “floors” on the stairmaster or try to run/walk as many miles as you can in that allotted amount of time.
Interval: Get on a piece of cardio equipment (stairmaster, treadmill, elliptical, bike) and play with intensity levels to bring your heart rate through each of the 5 training zones. Generally speaking, the higher your intensity, the longer your rest times should be in between. Start with a few minutes of an easy warm up, then try a 30-second sprint (fast and hard) followed by 60-second recovery (slow and easy), repeat this sequence for the remainder of your available time. You can also change your work/rest periods to be 15s work :45s rest, or 1 min work :1 min rest. You can’t get it wrong, as long as you’re working hard.
You’d be surprised how intense a short, deliberate workout can be. Not only are these great to keep in your back pocket for this time of year but they are useful for whenever life gets hectic and your exercise time gets infringed upon. These shortened workouts can also be used to help break through sticking points because of the deviation from the normal routine. Whatever you do… just keep showing up.