Get More and Work Out Less!

What if you could work out in less time but still get the same if not better results? Learn to make the most of your workouts!

It has been shown you can burn a similar amount of calories by doing a shorter workout with intervals as you would in a longer, lower intensity workout. Pick something fun for yourself— running, walking, swimming, biking, hiking, rowing, stair master, and so on. After the initial phase when you are getting used to exercise, you will have a blast and look forward to your workouts. If you are the type of person who enjoys weight lifting, heavy weights with good form can give you better results in a shorter amount of time as well.

To improve your fitness during cardio, add intervals or high intensity runs. For example you can alternate between one minute of a jog and then move to a sprint. HIIT (high-intensity interval training) improves endurance by burning fat and building strength. HIIT is the most effective way to make you leaner, faster which only requires 30 minutes or less of hard work.

Another way to work out in less time is to do circuit weight training. Circuit weight training is where you go from one exercise to the next, while using challenging resistance, with minimal rests in between each set. Intense resistance training produces an elevated heart rate. Anything you do to force your body to work more over a shorter period of time is going to boost your metabolism. A faster metabolism means, even after the session is over, you will have an increased capacity to burn fat and calories.

One workout “no-no” is to contract your muscles slowly and then release them more quickly while doing an exercise. But if you lift slowly in both directions, you are maximizing each move, getting the most benefits. Lift and lower to a 5-second count in each direction. Maximize your effectiveness by doing just one set with heavy weights to “failure,” which means you should lift your weights until you cannot hold your proper form anymore. Lifting the last few times with a wobbly or inefficient form hurts you more than it helps by doing those extra few reps.

Use your time effectively by doing exercises that work out multiple muscle groups at once. With just a few exercises, you can still get a full-body workout in a shorter amount of time. Some great compound exercises include squats, deadlifts, good mornings, lunges, pushups, bench presses, military presses, rows, pull-ups, dips, and many more. It is found to be more effective to do exercises standing up, or on one leg. These types of exercises force you to balance yourself while lifting, which bring your core muscles into play.

The outdoors is your friend; enjoy a nice half hour run to get a great workout in. No money is being spent in the outdoors and the shorter workout gives you more time to spend with your family and friends. Allow yourself time each week for these workouts. You will not get the results you want if you are just sitting around. Get up and move a bit!

The moral of the story is: if you are short on time, you can still get results by doing short, more intense workouts.

Try adding this quick workout to your regimen!