Training on a tight schedule

I want to start off by saying we all have the capacity to exercise. Whether you are a mum, a carer, a husband, or even a ‘busy’ young adult! We all have the ability and time to train.

This next post we are going to look at how you can be time effective when on a tight schedule and also how to manage your time spent in the gym more wisely. 

We will give you few workouts you can do when short on time! We will look at how lacking in time doesn’t mean you are left behind when it comes to achieving your goals. All of the below will help you to either get fit, maintain your current fitness or point you in the right direction when your time is pushed. 

As the saying goes, ‘when there is a will, there is a way’ and there will never be a truer statement. Especially when it comes to navigating a busy lifestyle, remaining true to the gym and staying accountable to your goals.

So firstly, how if we only have 30 mins in the gym should we spend our time? Should we plod on a piece of Cardiovascular equipment? Should we raise our heart rate via circuit training or should we try to complete a session with weights? We will discover all in the next few paragraphs. 

Firstly In my opinion i wouldn’t spend my time using CV equipment, unless you really want to! Why you ask? Simply because completing 10,000 steps alone per day will elicit more calories burnt than when performing 20-30 mins of a moderate pace on a cross trainer. 

So with that in mind, when you are not in the gym, monitor your steps throughout the day! Aim for 10,000, doing so you can be safe in the knowledge you will have burnt somewhere in between 400-500 calories just from walking.

So where next? Well my preference in a 30 minute window will always be something that involves raising the heart rate & something with a little more intensity. From my time in the military I can tell you, there really is no better way than circuit training. 

When short on time, sometimes equipment and space, circuit training will often be a go to way of working out. What I really love about them, you can cater for your needs, create them in a matter of minutes and perform them in groups. 

Below are a few circuits you can use, change and adapt to suit all levels of fitness. 

Cycle (Fast as possible 500M)

Bench Press*

Burpees

Deadlift*

Medicine Ball Slams*

Firstly perform the cycle, followed by 10-15 repetitions of each of the remaining four exercises.

Repeat 4 times for a workout that will hit you hard all over. With 1-2 minutes rest between each round to rehydrate.

*Exercises involving weight, pick a suitable weight for you!

Row (Fast as possible 250M)

Press-Ups

Squats

Sit Ups

Burpees

Start out on the rowing machine, followed by the remaining four exercises! Perform 10 reps of each, followed by 9,8,7 and finish at 2 reps. Complete without rest for a workout you will feel long after completing. Hydrate as and when needed.

Squats Jumps 

Press-Ups 

Burpees

Crunches

Mountain Climbers

Perfect for working out at home and or when limited kit is available. 500 repetitions in total, 100 reps of each. Perform each 100 in singlets or one after another in sets of 10, however you wish to do it until you have completed all 500 reps. A great workout that will no doubt test not only your Cardiovascular  fitness, but can also be used time & time again with the object of beating your previous time. 

All of the above can be changed to suit you! You can change the exercises, the reps & the timings. However which way you decide to complete, you can be rest assured they will give you a good workout in less than 30 mins. 

Give them a try, test yourself, time yourself and although you are short on time, don’t let time be an excuse! See it as a challenge, one that you are more than capable of overcoming!