Workouts for Maximum Results in Minimum Time?

jadedone · February 2012

I have always been a little lazy. I like to put in as little time as possible for the best ROI. So if I put in 65% effort and get let's say have an 80% improvement, and increasing my effort to 70% leads to an 81% improvement, it isn't worth it to me. That's a crappy ROI.

I feel the same way about workouts. I don't know about you guys, but you see those "success stories" in the magazine about people getting healthier and they talk about their plan. The plan looks like 5 X 75-90 minutes cardio,. 3 X 1 hour strength training ... and they spend 15 hours a week exercising.

That is not going to happen for me -- I have way too much other stuff going on to make the gym a part time job.

I have 5 hours a week to go to the gym, what can I do to make that time count? How do you guys squeeze in great workouts into an hour? What are your most effective short routines? Please share!

lovinmysoldier · February 2012

I like a variety of workouts. I'm limited to an hour, since I have to pay for childcare and they charge for every 15 minutes. With that said there are tons you can do but honestly it sounds like you need to find something that interests you. Expecting to put in minimal effort and get maximum results? There is no quick fix, for the most part you get out of it what you put into it. Granted there are ways to set up workouts to give you results but you still have to do the work. Okay, anyways. Check out www.intense-workout.com , I love that site, great info and breaks everything down on how to lose weight, build muscle, set up workouts, and way more.

I do multiple workouts. I have strength training days, cardio days, I do Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 it's a 24 minute workout, I walk a a 10% incline, bike, elliptical, run, swim, free weights, gym classes, and more. For me it's about keeping me interested in what I'm doing, and if I just do the same thing over and over I start to sound like your post. So far I've kept this up for over a year and am still loving it.

Best of luck!

jomar75 · February 2012

Google Shaun T's 15 minute workout on Dr Oz. This is the trainer that created the Insanity workout program. It is a challenging workout but if you can push yourself through it, it only takes 15 minutes of your time.

nukie19 · February 2012

Pick a handful of full body exercies and do Tabatas - 20 seconds at maximum effort and 10 seconds at rest, repeated for 4 minutes. Planks, squats, sprints, pushups, plyometerics, etc. all work really well for this. So, pick 6 exercies and that is only 24 minutes of pretty killer workout. Then add 30 minutes of cardio a day and there is your 1 hour workout. Repeat 5 times a week. Or, do the cardio at the gym and the Tabatas at home later in the day. As long as you are working HARD, you can be successful in that amount of time.

bahacca · February 2012

I only go to the gym 3 days a week. Every so often(MAYBE 1x a month) I can add a day.
I did HIIT on Wednesdays and Strength training on Tues/Thursday. I missed 2 strength workouts and 1 HIIT in this time period due to "life".
HIIT is a GREAT workout, but it will kick you BUTT and if you are not in good shape already, may do more harm than good. Get on a bike at the gym. Do 2 minutes at a decent pace, then 30 seconds AS FAST AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. You will grunt, groan, be oblivious to the outside world and your body will SCREAM at you to stop. You do that alternating for a total of 16 minutes. Stretch out before hand, stay onthe bike and pedal slow for another few minutes and get off the bike SLOWLY. Go stretch a ton more and you are DONE-for the whole day!
I started heavy lifting as well. Deadlifts, squats, pull ups, rows, and I throw in a few things I just LIKE like calf raises and bicep curls. Not massive results like some others who work out 5+x a week, but not a bad ROI in my opinion:
1/9/2012

2/13/2012

frillypantz · February 2012

I'm on day 4 of "Jillian Michaels 30 day shred", and already I would reccomend it! Just 20 minutes a day and I can already feel an improvement with my stamina and strength! Although the fist few days are quite painful.....

jmehere · February 2012

bump. I've been wondering about this, as well.

ErinEnergized · February 2012

I love Turbo Fire for this very reason. The workouts vary from 15 - 60 minutes each day and change evryday so you don't get bored. And, it creates amazing results!!

jadedone · February 2012

At the moment I am doing ~20-30 minutes of intervals and ~20 minutes of strength training (3 sets of 5-8 exercises). I don't mind kicking my butt during workout time. I don't want to be in the gym 20 hours a week!

In order to help with habit building this year, I focused on food in January, this month's goal is working out 3-5 times a week.

jadedone · February 2012

I only go to the gym 3 days a week. Every so often(MAYBE 1x a month) I can add a day.
I did HIIT on Wednesdays and Strength training on Tues/Thursday. I missed 2 strength workouts and 1 HIIT in this time period due to "life".
HIIT is a GREAT workout, but it will kick you BUTT and if you are not in good shape already, may do more harm than good. Get on a bike at the gym. Do 2 minutes at a decent pace, then 30 seconds AS FAST AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. You will grunt, groan, be oblivious to the outside world and your body will SCREAM at you to stop. You do that alternating for a total of 16 minutes. Stretch out before hand, stay onthe bike and pedal slow for another few minutes and get off the bike SLOWLY. Go stretch a ton more and you are DONE-for the whole day!
I started heavy lifting as well. Deadlifts, squats, pull ups, rows, and I throw in a few things I just LIKE like calf raises and bicep curls. Not massive results like some others who work out 5+x a week, but not a bad ROI in my opinion:

Great progress in a month! Congrats! I can see the difference, especially in your waist.

I've been doing intervals 2:1 normal: fast ratio. For 20-25 minutes. Fast varies through out the workout, but this is to keep me from falling asleep on the cardio machine.

I hate cardio.

SueInAz · February 2012

The most intense workouts are the ones which use your whole body as opposed to focusing on one area and intervals (going all out and then going at an easy pace) are better than going at a medium pace for the whole time.

jadedone · February 2012

Pick a handful of full body exercies and do Tabatas - 20 seconds at maximum effort and 10 seconds at rest, repeated for 4 minutes. Planks, squats, sprints, pushups, plyometerics, etc. all work really well for this. So, pick 6 exercies and that is only 24 minutes of pretty killer workout. Then add 30 minutes of cardio a day and there is your 1 hour workout. Repeat 5 times a week. Or, do the cardio at the gym and the Tabatas at home later in the day. As long as you are working HARD, you can be successful in that amount of time.

Haven't tried tabata yet. Plan to soon!

lizard053 · February 2012

Circuit training. Intersperse weight lifting with bursts of intense cardio. Get's the heart pumping in no time.

jadedone · February 2012

I love Turbo Fire for this very reason. The workouts vary from 15 - 60 minutes each day and change evryday so you don't get bored. And, it creates amazing results!!

I don't really have the space for workout videos. I live in a studio, 2nd floor, and hard floors. So 80% of my exercise takes place in the gym. Jumping around is way too noisy for my space unfortunately. I do some yoga, and some strength training at home.

HotKanye · February 2012

I live in a small condo too but I can do the Turbo Fire HIIT workouts at home. (There is jumping though so I only do them during the day when my neighbour is at work.)

Anyway, I second (or third or fourth) the HIIT recommendation. Tabata actually only requires you to work out for FOUR minutes (well, you should warm up and cool down for a few minutes on either end of that.) These kinds of workouts have shown to be as effective as people doing steady rate cardio for hours a week. Instead why not to HIIT a few times a week and save your joints rather than pounding on a treadmill. I can give you some links if you like but it's pretty easy to find research that backs up the efficiency of HIIT and as a bonus you won't have to do any strength training for your legs because sprinting whether on bike or foot or doing plyometrics...any of these work out your lower body too. You don't need hours to get fit, you just need to work HARD! Good luck!

jacksonpt · February 2012

5 hours a week is plenty.

Do 3 strength training routines focusing on compound movements and lifting heavy. I'd start with the Strong Lifts 5x5 program and see how that suits you. Should take you 45 minutes to an hour once you get your weights figured out. Give yourself 1 non-lifting day in between each workout (doesn't have to be a rest day, but don't lift).

Do 2 cardio sessions. This can be pretty much whatever you want. Treadmill, elliptical, DVD, whatever. If you've got an hour, work out for an hour.

As a side note, be careful about measuring the return. If you're looking for the return on your investment to come the next day or the same week, you might be disappointed. Nothing happens fast (or easy) in this.

qtiekiki · February 2012

Pick a handful of full body exercies and do Tabatas - 20 seconds at maximum effort and 10 seconds at rest, repeated for 4 minutes. Planks, squats, sprints, pushups, plyometerics, etc. all work really well for this. So, pick 6 exercies and that is only 24 minutes of pretty killer workout. Then add 30 minutes of cardio a day and there is your 1 hour workout. Repeat 5 times a week. Or, do the cardio at the gym and the Tabatas at home later in the day. As long as you are working HARD, you can be successful in that amount of time.

^ This.

jadedone · February 2012

I live in a small condo too but I can do the Turbo Fire HIIT workouts at home. (There is jumping though so I only do them during the day when my neighbour is at work.)

Me and my downstairs neighbor both work at home! We are generally home at the same time. Totally doesn't work out. And she is on the phone all day. And the adjacent neighbor is another work at home person. Obviously a conspiracy.

Workouts for Maximum Results in Minimum Time?

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