Trim precious minutes off your workout, and you’ll have more time just for you. When it comes to multitasking, you’ve got it down. But if exercise often gets bumped off your to-do list by everything else vying for your attention, we’ve got the solution five of them, actually. They’ll shave valuable minutes off your fitness routine while still getting you the same benefits as a full-length workout. That way you can still fit exercise into even the most hectic days and you’ll have some extra Me Time to read that best-seller that’s been collecting dust on your nightstand.
- Stay single Get the same strength results in 50 to 67 per cent less time by doing just 1 set of 8 to 12 strength-training moves (with enough weight that you can’t do any more) instead of 2 or 3 sets. “Research shows that this gives similar results in terms of muscle strength and endurance as multiple sets,” says Robert M. Otto, PhD, director of Adelphi University’s Human Performance Laboratory in Garden City, New York.
- Time saved: 16 minutes if you normally do 2 sets; 32 minutes if you usually do 3 sets (based on eight exercises).
- Build a pyramid A pyramid approach to your cardio workout will save time over exerting the same effort throughout, s says Keli Roberts, an ACCM-certified personal trainer and group-fitness manager at Equinox Pasadena. Here’s how it works: You gradually move from low intensity for a longer time to high intensity for a shorter time, then back down again. For example, run for 5 minutes at 4 mph, then 3 more minutes at 5 mph, then finally 5 more minutes at your original speed (4 mph); repeat.
Time saved: 4 minutes (off a regular 45 minutes workout). - Mix it up Try adding bursts of speed to your cardio routine to save time while
Burning the same number of calories (or maybe even a little more) and building your speed and endurance. Just ramp up to high intensity for 30-to 60 second bursts, do a few recovery minutes at a lower intensity, then repeat, Otto says.
Time saved: About 5 minutes (off a regular 45 minutes workout) - Head for the hills Take your usual, run or bike ride up a hill. That’ll increase workout intensity and calorie burn and shorten your session, Roberts says. If you use a treadmill, try bumping the incline by up to 10 per cent.
Time saved: 25 minutes walking or 17 minutes running (off a regular 45-minutes workout) if you do your whole routine on an incline. - Rethink rest Trim gym time by alternating upper-and lower-body strength exercises and skipping the rest periods in between. For example, instead of resting 60 seconds after a set of bicep curls, go straight to a set of lower-body moves like lunges, advises Len Kravitz PhD, an exercise physiologist and University of New Mexico associate professor of exercise science. “This way, your upper body still gets a rest.” You do your usual routine, but it’s compressed and ultra-efficient.
- Time saved: 8 minutes (based on eight exercises).
Dance Away Ab Flab Belly Dancers aren’t just wiggling and jiggling their hips; they’re getting an ab workout that sculpts almost every single muscle in their core even the hard-to-target, deep transverse abdominals. Do this 10-minute routine once a day and you’ll shimmy you way to a sexy stomach.
RIB SLIDE (targets rectus abdominus and obliques) Stand with hands on hips and feet together. Move just our ribs to the left, them back through the center o your torso and to the right. Continue moving from side to side.
Time 0:00-1.30
HIP CIRCLE (targets boliques and glutes) Standing with feet hip-width apart and arms slightly lifted at sides, shift your hips to the left, as if you were hula-hoping : then move them in a circular motion to the front, tight and back. Repeat in the opposite direction; continue alternating
Time 1:30-3:00
HORIZONTAL FIGURE EIGHT (targets lower portion of rectus abdominus) Stand with arms out to sides and feet hip-width apart. Lean right hip diagonally forward. Shift it to the right side, then around to the back and center. Repeat with the left hip and continue alternation. As if your hips were drawing a figure eight on the floor.
Time 3:00-4:30
VERTICAL FIGURE DIGHT (targets lower portion of rectus abdominus and obliques) Life left hip and heel and lean to the right. Drop hip and heel, returning hips to center. Repeat to right side. Now combine both sides into a smooth motion. Imagine you’re drawing a figure eight on the wall in front of you with your belly button.
Time 4:30-6:00
CAMEL (targets rectus abdominus) Press chest forward while drawing back shoulders and arms and arching your spine. Reverse this motion by pulling to create a rippling S with spine.
Time 6:00-8:00
BELLY ROLL (targets recutes abdominus) Stand with arms out to sides and a few inches behind you. Inhale and expand your rib cage, then pull in the lower portion of your abdominals. Reverse the motion by relaxing and expanding your lower belly as you draw in your upper belly. Alternate between the two movements, creating an undulation wave with your abdominals.
Time 8:00-10:00
