If you’re just looking to stay healthy and in shape, then spending 1-3 hours every day at the gym or at home working out is not always necessary. I know we can all fall for the myth of thinking that we have to spend countless hours in the gym in order to achieve our fitness goals or to just stay in shape. But this isn’t always the case. As a matter of fact, sometimes a 30-minute workout may be a better alternative from time to time.
Sometimes we’re too tired from all of life’s demands to workout, so an additional hour or 2 of exercise seems impossible in our minds. Here’s where a nice high intensity 30-minute workout will come in handy. Of course there are times when life gets really busy and it may be a struggle to find the time to fit in a workout—we’ve all been there! — but we must be careful that we don’t use our constant busyness as an excuse to forego working out regularly, or else we’ll never make the gains we desire. So next time you’re feeling exhausted or pressed for time, just think thirty-minute workout! Half an hour is better than nothing, and if you make this a consistent practice of not foregoing the workout but making the effort to go as hard as you can for just 30 minutes, you will begin to realize that mind over matter works every time.
One great way to fit this in (especially when dragging yourself to the gym seems like it’s just way too much) is to do a body weight workout right in the comfort of your own home. This will also save the travel time if you’re in a rush. When you do 30-minute workouts, you want to make sure you focus on the large muscle groups of the body: your chest, back, quads, and hamstrings/glutes should be the main focus. Choosing two upper body and two lower body exercises for your workout would be ideal. You can alternate the two upper body and lower body exercises or you can alternate an upper with a lower. The goal is to maximize that 30 minutes by having minimal rest, but it is still (always!) more important to have quality reps. So if you’re too tired or you notice your technique is starting to waver, simply take a break.
Sample Routine:
Start with 6-12 reps of pushups then advance to 6-12 reps of squats. Alternate this combo for 15 minutes straight, taking a 2-3 minute break after the 15 minutes. Of course, take breaks as needed.
For the second half of your workout, alternate between pull-ups and single-leg hip raises. You’ll need a bar kit that hangs in the doorway to do pull-ups at home… unless you have crazy Spider-Man grip and can do it from the doorframe trim!
As for the hip raises, check out this video of UFC Champion Georges St-Pierre (better known as GSP) demonstrating proper technique for this exercise.
Georges St-Pierre GSP RUSHFIT Single Leg Hip Raise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn3OqL03Gl0
As always, feel free to adjust the amount of reps to best fit your fitness level. Just 30 minutes and done! I know you can do it! You’ll be glad you did.