How to get the most out of a short workout time slot

Finding the time for luxuries such as exercising and working out can feel near impossible at times, which is partly one of the reasons why so many people are unfortunately considered so unhealthy and out of shape.

Despite the fact that you may think you don’t have enough time to exercise and work out, the simple fact remains that physical exercise is a vital component when it comes to our general health and well-being and because of this, we must MAKE time to work out.

People always use the excuse that they don’t have enough time to exercise yet they find the time to lounge in front of the TV most nights.

The simple truth is that it is more than possible to get a fantastic workout in that will benefit your health and help you to burn calories and lose weight, without you needing to spend hours at the gym.

In reality, you can HAVE an amazing workout in as little as 20 minutes if you know what you’re doing. Here are a few tips to help you out.

Leave your phone at home

If you’re heading to the gym, you’re heading there to exercise and to work out, not to ring or text your friends, and not to browse Twitter or Facebook using your smart phone.

People often use their phones in-between sets whilst working out and the minutes soon add up.

In the time it took you to send a message or update your Facebook status you could have performed another set of whichever exercise it was you were performing.

Leaving your phone at home for less than an hour will not hurt you and it will help you to manage your gym time more efficiently.

Try High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

If one of your main goals is to burn body fat then you could try hopping on the treadmill of exercise bike and engaging in HIIT.

HIIT is ideal because it allows you to burn the same amount of calories in 20 or so minutes, as you would have done in around one hour whilst exercising at a moderate pace.

HIIT involves you alternating between periods of slow and steady exercise, and high intensity fast paced exercise for several rounds.

So, you may walk on a treadmill for 90 seconds, crank up the speed and sprint for around 60 seconds, before slowing down and repeating the process all over again. In around 20 minutes you could potentially burn around 700 calories.

Circuit training

If time is against you then circuit training is perfect as it is fast paced, physically demanding, and extremely beneficial.

Circuit training involves individuals setting up several exercise stations before they begin, and then performing different exercises for different rounds.

So, for example, the first round could be a bodyweight only round which could involve individuals carrying out 10 push ups, then immediately moving onto 10 sit ups, then moving onto 10 squats.

Taking a one minute break, and then repeating the circuit all over again for a further 3 rounds, meaning they will have performed 30 reps in total, of each exercise.

They will then move onto round 2, which could be a free weight only round, or a machine only round perhaps.

Less rest in-between sets

The final way of getting the most out of a short workout time slot is to take less time to rest in-between sets.

Some people will perform 10 -12 reps of one exercise, then take three to four minutes rest, perform another 10-12 reps, and rest for another three to four minutes.

That’s six to eight minutes where they will have only performed around 20 – 24 reps.

To speed things up, take less time to rest in-between sets, aim for 60 – 90 seconds. This will also help to burn more calories as well, so you’ll burn more fat a

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