I’m Short on time to train – what is the best thing to do?

I’m Short on time to train – what is the best thing to do?

This is a common conundrum that is faced by many city workers, mums and anyone who has a busy schedule, but wants to keep training as a part of their life.

We see a huge amount of people jumping into high intensity classes as a result, because of the perception that, in order to progress or get any results, you must be smashing yourself every session and end up in a pool of sweat on the floor.

This however is not the case, and in reality, diving straight into a high intensity class may not be the best option for many. If you enjoy them, then by all means include these classes, but i am merely suggesting that for those of you who spend most of your day sitting or are just getting back into training, a focus shift towards a more controlled, progressive method may be a more prudent option.

We can always work up to the High intensity work (if that’s what you enjoy), after you have spent a bit of time laying down a solid foundation of good quality movement.

Especially if, as i imagine most people reading this are, you’re not looking to compete in a sport, or win any medals, but to simply improve your health in the long term and to feel stronger, and more confident in yourself in the shorter term.

Having only a short time to train daily, means that in order to get the most from your training, it will pay off to have a solid, progressive structure to each session. This will enable you to get into the gym, get a decent amount of quality work done, and get out in your designated time-frame.

At Simple sessions, we use timed blocks of work in order to enable this efficiency, and we focus on what is most important long term, first.

That’s Mobility – a good mobility routine (10-20 mins) done daily, and tailored to your individual needs, will have you moving and feeling better after a few weeks of consist effort. This is the aspect of your training that is probably overlooked – yet will have the biggest impact down the line in therms of longevity.

Following this, we move into our skill component i.e. Developing a movement pattern that you struggle with, such as the squat or building a new skill, such as a handstand (5-10 mins)/day and again you will be surprised at how well you can progress in this time-fame if you can be consistent.

Then we can move on to the meat of the session, which may consist of one or more of the following, depending on the outcome of the session (10-30mins) and on remaining time.
Strength block, rep block, conditioning block.

You may be thinking ‘but 10 minutes isn’t enough time to get any real work done!’ – wrong.

I have added a few blocks of work that are 10 minutes or less to the end of this article, to give you an idea of just how much you can do in 10 mins!

So there we have a basic structure for how to build a solid session plan to fit into a short time-frame, based on the general needs of most people that i see on a day to day basis.

In short:
1. Prioritise your mobility – this should be a daily non-negotiable if you do nothing else exercise related.
2. You have flexibility then to focus on developing a skill before a strength, rep or conditioning block or a combination depending on your time-frame and desired session outcome.
3. Session complete in 40minutes, with plenty of quality work done.

You can definitely progress your strength, fitness and mobility like this, and it is an effective way of covering your bases from both a long term health perspective and a short term ‘I want to feel like I’ve worked out’ perspective, without having to spend hours in the gym each day.

If you aren’t sure how to build your own programming, or would like some guidance, our Fit in 40 online programmes provide exactly this.

Progressive, 40 minutes sessions, following the structure above to help you get the most from your training, in a short time frame daily – try it for 1 month, and if you don’t see improvement, you can have your money back.

Follow the link HERE if you’d like to sign up, its £45/month and like i mentioned above – i offer a money back guarantee if you aren’t on board after the first 4 weeks!

James Lee
Coach
Simple Sessions LTD
Info@simplesessions.co.uk
Www.simplesessions.co.uk

5 Blocks of work that are 10 minutes or less: work hard, and there is nowhere to hide.
Block 1: 5 mins on the clock
Kit: 1x KB (med-heavy), don’t put the KB down

Clean and press L x1rep+1each round
Front Rack squat L x1+1each round
Single arm swing L x1+1each round
Clean and press R x1+1each round
Front Rack Squat R x1+1each round
Single arm swing R x1+1each round

See how far up the ladder you can get in 5 minutes (5 reps of each movement/side is a decent aim – thats 5 rounds)

Block 2: 10 mins
Kit: squat rack, barbell, weight
10 minute EMOM

Back squat 3s pause x3 every minute on the minute
Work up to a heavy 3 over 4 sets and maintain for the remaining rounds

Block 3: 10 mins
E2MOM

20 cal/30s airbike – push hard each round
10 goblet squats
10 KB swing

Block 4: 10 mins
EMOM

5 chins
10 press ups

Block 5: 10 mins

100% Commit: steady recover
5cal:5cal
10cal:10cal
15cal:15cal
Etc until your 10 mins is up.
Pick your favourite kit