Easy Way To Save Time Working Out

Most people don’t have hours on hours per day of free time. As a parent with young kids, you’ll find that your free time is even less than when you didn’t have kids. Every minute that you have to yourself is ideally optimized to give you the most out of it. You don’t have 2 hours to go to the gym and get a workout multiple times per week.

I read all over the internet about these great and effective workouts, and as I read through the articles, it becomes very clear that you’re going to need at least an hour of time at the gym just to complete the workout. Similarly, if you follow people on Instagram that are meant to inspire you to get to the gym more often, you’ll likely find that they are spending quite a bit of time at the gym working out.

Realistically though, you don’t need to spend hours everyday at the gym to get an effective workout and get in the shape that you want. If you can spend 30 - 40 minutes every time you work out, you can be equally effective.

My current workout regimen consists of 4 days of weightlifting at no more than 40 minutes. I then have 2 days of cardio workouts that generally last longer (about 90 minutes), but only because I’m doing something I’d prefer to do during that time. If I wanted to shorten those workouts then I could be doing HIIT workouts on those days (although HIIT is only preferable if you can't spare the extra time).

By working out at home, I’m able to spend no extra time getting to a gym. If I had to go to the gym for weightlifting, then I’d probably cut down the number of lifting days, and either make the other days longer at the gym, or else just supplement with another home workout. We have had a home gym for several years now, and I have no desire to go back to the gym.

Getting an effective workout in 30 to 35 minutes means that my workouts are focused and intense. There is very little downtime. I’m not trying to lift the most weight that I possibly can as any rest periods are very minimal. My goal is to get stronger incrementally, but not try to test my max lifts.

The real key to it though is to incorporate supersets into your workouts. A superset is where you do two or more exercises one after the other without any break in between. Generally, each exercise will focus on a different muscle group. This allows you to take a break from your first muscle group while completing your second exercise. In practice, this generally means that you’ll be more winded when you’re completing your exercises, as there isn’t really any period of time where you’re doing nothing, you’re almost always moving. This is also why you’re generally not going to be hitting max lifting amounts when doing them.

All of my workouts consist of supersets. I don’t have a single set in my workouts that aren’t supersets at the current time. I find them far more effective in my use of time, and my goal is not to hit some huge number on any of my lifts. While I like to get stronger, and I add weight to my lifts, I have no idea what my max lifts are right now.

If you’re still unsure about supersets, here are several combinations of lifts that I do as part of my workouts:

• Squat and raised leg lunges. My leg days are pretty killer workouts as all of my supersets are leg focused. I start my workouts with squats though, and include some lighter combination exercises.
• Squat and wall sits.
• Standard bench and chest flys.
• Shoulder press, preacher curls, tricep dips. I complete all 3 exercises, one right after the other. I then go right back into the shoulder press.
• Deadlift and pull up. I generally start my deadlift session with this superset as my hands really start to fill it later on. So as I’m doing my warmup sets for deadlifts, I’m also doing pull ups in between.

Those are just a few examples from my workouts of combinations of exercises that I do. All of my supersets consist of 3 sets of each superset. In other words, I do all exercises 3 times, and then I move on to my next superset. For example, I’ll do 10 deadlifts, and then 10 pull ups, and then I’ll do that same thing 2 more times each. I’ll then move on to my next set of exercises.

Supersets will take some getting used to if you’ve never done them before. You really have to know what exercises you’ll be moving on to in order to make them effective. I have my workout routines mapped out beforehand, and I know exactly what exercise I’ll be moving to right after each one. However, I’ve been doing supersets for many years, even when going to the regular gym.

Doing supersets at the regular gym may be a little tougher, but it will depend on how busy the gym is, and what equipment you’re taking up. If it’s really busy and crowded, it’s likely not easy to take up multiple pieces of equipment all at the same time (and it's rude). I have had issues previously with this, so just be respectful of others around you. If you’re working out at home, you don’t have this same thing to worry about.

Working out doesn’t have to take multiple hours, you can get it done effectively but quickly by being focused, and minimizing rest periods. It will allow you to get back to all of the other things in your life that keep it busy.