Quick workout: how to load your whole body in 30 minutes?

Probably everyone has at least once thought of skipping a workout at the gym when you simply don’t have enough time for a full session because of the things you have to do. Just imagine: warming up, numerous approaches of exercises for different muscle groups, warming up… You’ll have to spend at least an hour on it!

To stay on schedule, you don’t have to give up your scheduled workout altogether. Instead, you can follow some simple rules that can help you reduce your exercise time to 30 minutes.

Rule 1: Do basic exercises

Focus on multi-joint exercises rather than isolation exercises. While the former will help you effectively pump only one muscle group, the latter, with proper technique, will engage several large muscle groups at once.

Basic exercises for the gym, in most cases, will include work with a barbell, which will affect muscle growth and the hormonal background. An additional benefit of multi-joint training will be its ability to actively burn fat.

Multijoint weight exercises can include:

• Squats with a barbell. The quadriceps, large gluteal, gluteus maximus, calf muscles, as well as the thigh muscles and the adductor muscles of the thigh are involved. Additional load is distributed to the abs, back extensors and other small muscles of the legs and trunk.
• Barbell bench press (can be replaced by shoulder press in a machine or dumbbellbench press sitting down). This works the pecs, triceps, deltoids, hands, forearms and abs.
• Standing barbell bench press or “army press”. The anterior and middle bundles of the deltoids, as well as the posterior delts, triceps and trapezius muscles are loaded.
• Standing pull. This exercise engages the erectors of the spine, the biceps of the thigh and arms, the adductor muscles of the thigh, the gluteal muscles, the deltoid and trapezius muscles, and the forearms.
• Pulling the barbell in an incline. Work the broadest muscles of the back, the large round muscles, the back of the deltoids and the arm flexors. Also the rhomboid and trapezius muscles when bringing the shoulder blades together.

All of the above exercises should be grouped into three or four per session in the gym – it won’t take you more than half an hour. For example, one workout can include barbell pulls, bench presses and squats with a barbell, and another workout can include standing barbell presses, belt pulls and the same squats.

In addition, the list of basic exercises includes some exercises without the use of weights, which can also be included in the training plan at will. Among them:

• push-ups on the bars;
• pull-ups;
• squats;
• lunges;
• plank.

Rule 2: Don’t do too many repetitions

The rule “the more the better” in the case of repetitions stops working and increases the time spent in the gym in vain. Adjust the number of reps based on your goal. For example, gaining muscle mass with basic exercises with heavy weights requires 6 to 10 repetitions with 3-4 working approaches – no more.

The increased number of repetitions – from 12 to 15, it is simply inappropriate to perform more. It is necessary only for those who want to work on relief. In this mode, excess fat deposits are perfectly removed.

Rule 3. Do not spend a lot of time on rest and choose the optimal weight

Contrary to how short the rest between approaches may seem to us, even a 1-2 minute pause repeatedly can double the duration of a workout. To save time, reduce your rest to 30-45 seconds.

If you feel your body requires a longer recovery time after weight training, reduce the load and work in the range of 70-85% of your single-repetition maximum. Of course, training with near-limit weights with a focus on increasing muscular strength is effective, but you won’t be able to save time with them because of the need for long pauses of 2-3 minutes.

Rule 4: Combine exercises

To save time, you can also combine exercises into supersets (2 different exercises each) or trisets (3 each), which are performed without rest. Such a technique will allow you to load the desired muscle group well.

For example, Arnold Schwarznegger in preparation for the Mr. Olympia competition actively used supersets. Olympia competition, Arnold Schwarznegger actively used a superset for biceps: Zottman lift + any biceps exercise with a barbell. And bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman includes in his workouts a superset with a standing T-bar lift + bending in the machine.

At the end of the day, a clear goal will help you maximize the shortening of a drawn-out workout. Decide what you want to get out of your gym sessions, group the exercises you need, determine the optimal weight and number of repetitions, and don’t get carried away by breaks – and you’ve already saved time!