It can be hard to fit exercise into a hectic day that pulls you in every other direction than to the gym. Here are three 30 minute workouts that can fit into the busiest day when time is scarce. Each one serves a different purpose and helps you workout when everything in your day says no.
30 Minute End of the Day Refresher
Some days are so draining that gearing up for exercise just doesn’t seem possible. That’s when I turn to my “End of the Day Refresher” to get some exercise without further taxing my body. This workout is like a reset button for a busy day. It gets you out of your schedule and into your body while clearing your mind.
Thirty minutes of low intensity exercise is MUCH BETTER than no exercise. Skipping a workout can be damaging to your fitness goals, metabolism, posture and stress levels. It also hurts your mind and your motivation as it reinforces not working out.
Just to clarify, planned rest days are different. They are absolutely necessary to allow for training adaptations and lack of rest leads to overtraining and often injury. If you’re lacking energy and haven’t had a day off for a while then maybe rest is what you need. But if your low energy falls on a workout day and you are dragging from the wear and tear of a busy day, then get to the gym for this half hour workout. You’ll be glad you did.
How to spend the 30 minutes:
0-1 minute: Take a few deep breaths while stretching your arms overhead. Think of it as waking up all over again. You’re about to reset your day.
1-20 minutes: Choose your cardio, start slow and work up to moderate intensity. Stay in the “talking easily” range which is the lower half of your target heart rate zone. If you use heart rate monitoring stay within 55-75% of your maximum.
21-30 minutes: Gentle stretching that emphasizes any areas that feel tight. Take deep, relaxing breaths to help reduce muscle tension. Focusing on the neck and back will likely target any stress from the day that settled into your body. Ease into each stretch slowly and stop when you feel the slightest resistance. Then take several deep breaths and let your body relax a little more.
30 Minute Fast Forward Mix Up
This workout dates back to the 90′s and was originally dubbed my “Short Attention Span Workout” because it changes every 5 minutes. I use this workout whenever I don’t have to patience for even 10 minutes of cardio or a full body workout. You can do different cardio modes (elliptical, bike, walk, run, row, step, etc…) or stick to your favorite. Time flies when you’re having fun and getting fit!
How to spend the 30 minutes:
0-5 minutes: Low to moderate intensity cardio
6-10 minutes: Choose 4 bilateral strength exercises comprising a mini-circuit and do 2 sets of each for 15 reps. I use the LEGS-PUSH-PULL-CRUNCH formula to hit all the major muscle groups without overlapping. Sample Bilateral Mini Circuit: leg press, chest press, lat pulldown, abdominal crunches on a ball.
11-15 minutes: Moderate to high intensity cardio (take time to catch your breath if necessary)
16-20 minutes: Now choose 4 one-sided exercises using the same formula and do 2 sets of 10 reps of each. Sample Unilateral Mini Circuit: Step ups, One Arm Dumbbell Shoulder Press, One Arm Cable Row, Crunches on a mat lifting opposite shoulder and knee.
21-25 minutes: Moderate to high intensity cardio (take time to catch your breath if necessary)
26-28 minutes: The final circuit is ARMS-CORE. Choose two arm exercises and a core stability exercise and do 2 sets of 10 reps or 20 seconds of each. Sample Arms & Core Circuit: bicep curl, tricep pressdown and basic plank. You’re up for the arm work then hitting the floor for the plank. This workout keeps you moving for 28 solid minutes. Now you’re ready to cool-down.
29-30 minutes: Cool down and stretch a little.*
Power Half Hour
This is one of my all-time favorite workouts and it never fails to push me harder than I expected. I opt for this calorie burning, muscle pumping torture when I feel strong but my time is really limited. The better you plan the exercises the more efficient your workout will be.
How to spend the 30 minutes:
0-5 minutes: Low to moderate intensity cardio to get the aerobic system churning
6-18 minutes: Four high intensity cardio intervals with 1 minute work and 2 minutes recovery. The work is short so you can aim for 85% effort, or more. The rest needs to be low enough (try 50-60%) to get you back to the low output level. It takes some trial and error to figure out how high you can go hard for 1 minute and still recover in 2 minutes. Listen to your body and stay true to the “work” and “recovery” pattern.
19-20 minutes: Extra recovery time to cool down from intervals. Get some water, blot your sweaty forehead and get ready for the next 8 minutes of total body strengthening.
21-28 minutes: Choose 3 supersets combining lower and upper body exercises. For example, body weight squats and push-ups, reverse lunges and rows, step-ups and shoulder presses. Complete 2 sets of 10-20 reps of each pair before moving on to the next superset. Take just enough rest to catch your breath between sets. The idea is to keep moving which continues the aerobic benefit of the workout. This workout moves quickly but avoid rushing the reps. Take the time to allow excellent form and maintain correct posture. Work hard and work smart!
29-30 minutes: Cool down and stretch a bit.*
*Obviously, these workouts skimp on the cool-down which is something trainers like myself say never to do. I believe it’s safe to do this as long as two requirements are met:
- You allow your heart rate, breathing and body temperature to return to pre-exercise levels. This may exceed the 30 minute budget but with practice you will learn how to regulate your exercise intensity so that recovery fits into the allotted time. Also, as your fitness improves you will be able to workout harder needing less time to recover. It’s all part of the process of getting fit. Safety first! Always.
- Your overall program includes regular stretching and muscle relaxation exercises. At the end of a brief but vigorous workout you can focus stretching on the muscles that need it most. If you have muscle groups that regularly feel tight then stretch those. If your quads or triceps are feeling tight from the sets you did, then stretching gently may ease the soreness.
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