30 minute workout good or bad

 

Is It Possible To Get A Good Workout In 30 minutes?

by Mark Lani CPT, CSN

Ask anyone who goes to the gym how long a good workout usually takes; you will be surprised to learn that most gym goers spend one to two hours including the commute. Based on the above response many are blown away when I tell them that is possible to get an effective workout in 30 minutes a day, and still get awesome results! Because of the hectic world we live in and limited time availability, finding more than 30 minutes to dedicate to a workout is next to impossible. It’s not that most don’t want to do it; they are unable to find an hour in their busy schedule to make it a reality.

Here are some tips on how to make your workouts effective in only 30 minutes per day.


Plan ahead:

Make sure you have a plan for each day. Write down all of the exercises and the weights you will be using for each exercise. You will also want to write down how many sets and repetitions you will be doing during your workout. Not planning your routine prior to a workout is not only ineffective but a complete waste of valuable time, and time is the issue!

Perform split body part routines:

  Because you are working out for 30 minutes per day you want to make sure that you are not overtraining your muscles. Overtraining is referred to as training a muscle group too much or to often and leads to muscle atrophy or muscle and strength loss. It is recommended that you separate muscle groups to avoid overtraining. For example, on Monday and Thursday you would do legs, arms and abs. On Tuesday and Friday, do chest, back and shoulders. This way you only have half of your body to work on each day cutting down significantly on time spent in the gym.

Be Prepared:

Upon arriving at the gym, set up as many things as you can in advance so that when you get started, you can keep moving from one exercise to the next without wasting time getting the next piece of equipment set up. This way, you can go strait through each exercise without stopping, take 1-2 minutes rest, and then repeat until you finish all of your sets.

Avoid socializing
:

While being friendly is ok, don’t let yourself get distracted by having a conversation with others in the gym. Remember, you only have so much time and 5 minutes spent talking, rather than exercising, is 5 minutes wasted. Explain to people wishing to talk to you that you are on limited time and you can’t stop what you are doing at the moment or better yet, listen to your ipod during your workout; they’ll get the clue.

Stay out of the locker room
:

Even though the gym locker room can be a very cruisy spot to hook up with a hottie that’s all you need is a little temptation to knock you right off your 30-minute schedule. Leave the cruising for after your workout. Besides just think how much hotter you will look when your all pumped up!

Do cardio separately
:

On days you are not doing weight training spend 30 minutes on the treadmill, elliptical, or stair climber. This way you are still only working out for 30 minutes. Combining the two means you will have to spend more time in the gym and time spent in the gym is what you are trying to cut down on.
In order for a 30-minute workout to be effective dedicate a minimum of 4 days per week for your workouts. If unable to commit to 4 days consider 3 days per week for 45 minutes. Either way you should be able to schedule fitness in your daily schedule.
If you are serious about achieving results from your 30-minute workouts consistent behavior is the key. Success takes commitment and dedication! Each 30 days brings better results from your hard work. Stick with it, before you know it fitness will become part of your daily routine. You will look and feel better than you ever have before, and that’s priceless.