Let’s be honest, we all get in a hurry from time to time.
We also tend to get busy as well.
Because of this sometimes our fitness get’s put on the back burner.
This leaves us the question, if you only had 15-20 minutes to get in a good workout, what would it be? and why?
Keep in mind as good as a 20 minute workout can be, it does not fully supplement going to the gym and actually putting in the time to work toward your goals.
With that said, let’s take a look at a few things you can do in 15-20 minutes that will be worth your time.
First of all, nothing beats a good warm up. Be sure to spend at least 5 minutes warming up and working on mobility. Just so you know, a 5 minute jog is not a warm up, your body is warm yes, it is not movement prep.
Be sure to do your movement specific work.
Keep in mind, what you do needs to be based on your goals.
Mobility work:
Stretching, foam rolling, and mobility work is definitely going to be the best way to spend your time. If you cannot move well, then you cannot reach your strength goals. Work on shoulders, hips, and knees. Also, you will thank yourself for how good you feel after your stretching is completed.
Walk:
Go for a walk, a 20 minute walk will help you wake up and clear your head. You also are working on heart health and you will be outside soaking up all that immunity boosting vitamin D.
Sprints:
Sprints are a quick and fast way to boost your heart rate and it is a great way to burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time. Keep the bursts short and active recovery long, do 1:3 or 1:5 work rest ratio.
Density or AMRAP session:
If it is a strength workout you want then do an AMRAP. This will allow you to pick the amount of time you have to get in the workout and it is a good way to be in and out. Be sure to do a full body workout. The workout would need to be at least 15 mins with 3 exercises, 1 lower body, 1 upper body, 1 core.
Timed sets:
Like the AMRAP, you can pick the time and it is a good way to get in and get out fast. Be sure to follow the same exercise idea as the AMRAP. It would be a 15 minute workout with 3 exercises. Try to keep the work rest ratio around a 3:1 or even a 1:0. Take a 1 minute rest between sets.
When short on time it does not mean you need to just not workout. There are plenty of things you can do to get in the much needed daily movement. Keep in mind that it does not replace your longer workout sessions. Make sure to get in some good mobility and a warm up before every workout. After that you can do quick short burst workouts, or simply go for a walk and stretch. It doesn’t really matter what you do, as long as you do something.