"I don't have time to exercise." I wish I had a dollar for every client or person who's said that to me--I'd have a lot more money than I do now. I know you're busy and I also know you often feel overwhelmed by all that exercise you're supposed to be doing. Cardio 3-5 times a week for at least 20 minutes and strength training workouts that work all your muscle groups at least 2 times a week. How the heck are you supposed to fit it all in? I have the answer! Read on if you want to know how to squeeze in short, effective workouts.
Using Your Time Wisely
You may have heard that shorter workouts done throughout the day are just as effective at burning calories as one, longer workout. That's great, but it's confusing trying to figure out how to change your longer workouts into shorter ones. If you only have 10 or 15 minutes at a time, how long should your warm up be? What exercises should you do? How can you keep the intensity up to get an effective workout?
When it comes to cardio, there are number of ways you can work hard in the time you have. The key is to make the workouts intense. If you only have 10 minutes, you want to work as hard as you can in those 10 minutes. If you can find 10 minutes 3 times a day, you can get in a great workout.
Short Cardio Workouts
If you only have a few minutes for cardio, your focus should be on intensity. Any activity will do, as long as you can work hard at it and get your heart rate up. Here's an example of a 10-minute outdoor workout involving walking, running and jumping jacks. If you don't like high impact, you can stay with the walking and add intensity by speedwalking or adding hills to the workout.
Outdoor Workout: (If you can try making all of the walking running or sprinting as well!...sprints are a for sure way to quickly torch calories)
1 minute: Warm up with a brisk walk - RPE - up to 5
1 minute: Speedwalk - speed up until your RPE is at 6-7
1 minute: Run - RPE 8
1 minute: Jumping Jacks - RPE 8
1 minute: Speedwalk - RPE 8
1 minute: Run - RPE 9
1 minute: Jumping Jacks - RPE 9
1 minute: Run - RPE 9
1 minute: Jumping Jacks - RPE 9
1 minute: Sprint - RPE 9
1 minute: Walk at an easy pace to cool down - RPE back down to 3-5
You can also get some cardio in at work. If you have flights of stairs to work with, take 10 minutes and divide your workout into 1-minute segments like the one listed above. Start with a warm up (walking up the stairs slowly) and alternate running up the stairs and walking down each minute. You can also try this Boot Camp Workout to do at home.
Squat-Thrusts
Stand with feet together. Squat down and place your hands on the floor next to your feet. In an explosive movement, jump feet backwards into a push-up position, jump feet back between hands and stand up. Perform 10 reps, march in place for a few seconds and repeat 10 more reps.
Slow Pushups
Begin in pushup position on a ball or floor. Perform 4 pushups, abs in and back straight. On the 5th pushup, lower halfway down and hold for 4 counts. Push back up and repeat the series - 4 regular pushups and 1 half hold. Repeat for 30-60 seconds.
Plyo-Jacks
Begin with feet together and jump up, taking feet out to the side while circling arms overhead and land in a squat. Jump up and bring feet back together, circling arms back in. This is just like a slow jumping jack, but really use power when pushing up into the jumps. Repeat for 30-60 seconds.
Walking Lunge
Start at one end of the room, holding weights if desired, and step forward with right leg. Bend both knees to 90 degree angles, lowering body into a lunge (keep front knee behind the toe). Bring the left foot forward and step into a lunge. Continue lunging, alternating legs for 30-60 seconds..
Jumping Jacks with Front Kicks
Do one jumping jack. After you jump the feet back together, bring the right knee up and snap the foot out in a front kick (don't extend the leg all the way, but keep a small bend in the knee). Do another jumping jack and kick with the left foot. Continue for 1 minutes, alternating jumping jacks and kicks.
Wall Sit with Chest Squeeze
Hold a medicine ball (or just press the hands together if you have no equipment) and slide down the wall until your thighs are parallel to the floor while squeezing the ball. Hold this position and keep pressure on the ball as your straighten the arms out in front of you and slowly pull them back in. Repeat the chest squeezes in and out for 30-60 seconds and stand up.
Ski Jumps
Stand with feet together. Bend the knees and jump to the right as far as you can--think of jumping laterally rather than vertically. Land with soft knees and immediately jump laterally to the left. Repeat for 30-60 seconds.
March in Place
Aren't you tired? Take a few seconds to catch your breath.
High Jogs
Stand with feet together and hold arms straight out in front of you at mid-torso level. Jog in place, bringing knees high enough that they hit your hands (don't lower hands!). Repeat for 30-60 seconds.
Triceps Dips
Sit on a chair or bench with hands next to the hips. Lift up and take the hips forward, just in front of the bench. Bend the elbows and lower down until elbows are about 90 degrees. Squeeze the triceps to push back up and repeat 30-60 seconds.
Pushups/Side Planks
In pushup position (on knees or toes), perform one pushup. As you come up, shift weight to left arm, twist to the side while bringing the right arm up towards the ceiling in a side plank. Lower the arm back to the floor for another pushup and then twist to the other side. Repeat for 30-60 seconds
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Strength Training Workouts
When it comes to strength training, you can do the same type of thing as cardio workouts. By doing compound exercises (exercises that target more than one muscle group) without rest between sets, you can squeeze in a strength training workout in 10 minutes, if that's all you have. Ideally, it's best to spend more time on your strength training to really target those muscles, but you'll always have days when you're short on time.
Great ideas for short full body toning circuits are in previose posts! Take a look =)
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