only half hour in gym

fergie2812

hi
i have to go in my lunch hour so give or take 5mins I have half an hour to work out.
I know all the proper gym bunnies will shout but I am trying to work other exercise in on an evening
anyway I have been diong the bike or treadmill as well as I can for 10 mins then been moving to weight machines for arms abs chest and legs.
It means I'm only burning a few cals each time which is quite deflating.
I really enjoy going but I feel like for all my efforts I'm not being rewarded does anyone have any ideas? I don't really want to move onto free weights at the moment as I do sufffer with my back and feel like I might do more damage.

thanks in advance

aoifebos1

Any work out is better than no work out
Do what you can and just make sure to give it 100% while your there. As you get stronger you might find yourself more inclined to go before work or in the evening.

legnarevocrednu

Honestly, I think if you can do 30 minutes, 5 times a week, you are in good shape! Just make it count! Really push yourself hard and you will see results! :flowerforyou:

MadeInDR022

It counts! I agree that you should work your hardest while you're there! I take half hour walks while I'm at work and while I may not have time to do it every day, I know those few calories I burn are great! For me me it started with walks, and now I'm going to the gym 4-5x's a week. It has to start somewhere and that half hour is awesome!

cidalia73

Half an hour is fine. There's no need for hour-long sessions to reap the benefits of exercise. However, some ideas (and I don't know if these work for you):

- Since muscles need time to recover, do weights / strength training every other day, and aerobics on your down days.
- Skip aerobics at the gym altogether if it means heading back to work all sweaty :noway: use it every other day for strength training and do aerobics after work in the form of walking/jogging, hiking, biking...whatever you like.

I have no time (or money) to go to a gym, and none is provided through my job, so I've taken up power walking/jogging and hiking for exercise. Plan to get some free weights soon.

As for the free weights thing, get a good DVD and pay close attention to form...if your posture is correct, and you start with lower weights, you should be able to incorporate free weights into your routine without hurting your back.

twelfty

for my cardio i do a 2 hour walk in two stints an hour a piece on a sunday walk as fast as you can to complete the hour rest for a good time, get some food and return the journey, you'll burn 1000 calories if you can get to 4mph factor in your food break... 700? do that every week you'll be in good stead

for the weights always ensure you're not "ripping" the weights too quickly or your muscles will develop differently (idk if you know this or not but always a good thing to keep in mind when on a time budget)

Bagtown

I've seen people spend a lot longer that 30 minutes in a gym and not get a thing done. Go in, work your *kitten* off and move on. You can burn a lot of cal's in 30 min if you keep moving.

StrongAtLast

I too, only get to work out on my lunch hour. I usually do weights for 30 minutes. (Not as sweaty as cardio). If I have time, I add cardio later in the day. It works for me! And I too have a "bad back"...2 herniated discs..but find if I keep up on my exerices, and keep gaining strength in my abs and back..my back is better!

cmeiron

I only work out for 30-35 minutes at a time; either weights only (full-body, 3x/week) or cardio (15-25 minute HIIT, 3x/week) with a bit of core work. Workouts don't have to be long to be effective! :bigsmile:

airen123

Intervals would be great to maximize your time. I too, only have about 35 minutes on my lunch break (beauty of working in a downtown near my gym). I power walk to and from the gym to work-10 mins each way and I count it. I either do intervals on the elliptical, interval running on the treadmill, or lift weights (I lift heavy). But I do go again after work for another 30 minutes to an hour. Usually take a class like Combat or Zumba, or lift weights, if I hadn't already earlier.
And Cmeriun is right, workouts don't have to be long to be effective.

bethanytowell

This is what I would do. I lift heavy, if that is not something you are interested in then you can adjust your weights accordingly, but the compound exercises listed below will get you where you need to be as far as strength. The heavier you go the better results you will get, in my personal opinion. For me, each exercise takes roughly 5 minutes with my breaks.

Mon - Wed - Fri

5 minute cardio warm-up walk
Barbell Squats - 3x10
Bench Press 3x10
Deadlift 3x5
Barbell Lunge 3x10
Overhead Press 3x10
Barbell Rows 3x10

Tuesday - Thursday

Cardio - 5 minute warm up walk
Deep long stretching
Cardio - Treadmill or Eliptical or stairmaster for 30 minutes

This is just a typical schedule for me....Maybe it will work for you.

airen123

Also you mentioned back problems...do you have access to a pool? Swimming and exercising in the pool would help with any joint problems. My gym has a lot of aquatic programs-I personally haven't taken any, but may be helpful for you.

djshari

I think half an hour is fine - that is usually the min recommended and that is about what I do... unless I'm swimming then count me in for 1-2 hours. That does not seem like exercise even if I don't float a lot I have been seeing a lot about how longer workouts don't always mean better results.

Shawshankcan

There is a woman on one of my other forums who does short intense workouts. Last week, one of her workouts was

3 rounds of:

100m sprint
10 pushups
100m sprint
10 jumping lunges
100m sprint
10 pullups
100m sprint
10 squats
100m sprint
10 burpees
100m sprint
30 crunches

Time it took her was less than 20 minutes. 30 minutes, you can get a solid workout in. You just have to move harder while there.

JustJennie1

Why not do 30 min. of cardio every other day and on the "other" day do strength training for 30 minutes?

rduhlir

I don't know about you, but I can get a lot done in 30 minutes. Especially when doing what Jennieb says and splitting cardio and strength up.

crazy4fids

How about HIIT on the treadmill instead of cardio? 30 seconds of sprinting at the fastest you can run then 1 minute of walking to bring your heart rate down, then repeat. HIIT should give your the benefit of an after bun effect.

BEERRUNNER

This is what I would do. I lift heavy, if that is not something you are interested in then you can adjust your weights accordingly, but the compound exercises listed below will get you where you need to be as far as strength. The heavier you go the better results you will get, in my personal opinion. For me, each exercise takes roughly 5 minutes with my breaks.

Mon - Wed - Fri

5 minute cardio warm-up walk
Barbell Squats - 3x10
Bench Press 3x10
Deadlift 3x5
Barbell Lunge 3x10
Overhead Press 3x10
Barbell Rows 3x10

Tuesday - Thursday

Cardio - 5 minute warm up walk
Deep long stretching
Cardio - Treadmill or Eliptical or stairmaster for 30 minutes

This is just a typical schedule for me....Maybe it will work for you.

You need some DIps and Pull ups in there and you got an awesome routine!!!!!

LoosingMyLast15

hi
i have to go in my lunch hour so give or take 5mins I have half an hour to work out.
I know all the proper gym bunnies will shout but I am trying to work other exercise in on an evening
anyway I have been diong the bike or treadmill as well as I can for 10 mins then been moving to weight machines for arms abs chest and legs.
It means I'm only burning a few cals each time which is quite deflating.
I really enjoy going but I feel like for all my efforts I'm not being rewarded does anyone have any ideas? I don't really want to move onto free weights at the moment as I do sufffer with my back and feel like I might do more damage.

thanks in advance

i work out on my lunch hour as well (about 40 minutes - i have an office gym). since it's a short amount of time i dedicate specific days for doing specific exercises that way i feel like i'm getting a workout instead of doing a little bit of everything. i run most days (on the treadmill if weather is too bad to go out) then 1 to 2 days a week i focus solely on strength training (no cardio whatsoever). squats, lunges, jumping jacks, sit ups, triceps, curls, overhead press, burpees.