Short on time? 5 ways to make your quick workout count

Got less than an hour? It’s still worth going to the gym. Here are 5 ideas to make sure you still get an effective but quick workout in.

5 ways to do a quick, effective workout

First of all, don’t skip the warmup and cool down regardless of how much time you have. Warming up is essential to switch everything on and make the most of your short workout whilst cooling down will help you return to a state of rest and carry on with the rest of your day.

1: One piece of equipment

You’ll save so much time if you stick to one piece of equipment. You can do an awesome workout at a squat rack or even with just a barbell: Squats, Romanian deadlifts, overhead press, bent over rows… 3 sets, 8 to 12 reps, job done.
Check out this landmine leg workout, coming in handy on a short session.

2: Compound lifts first

The compound exercises use more than one joint and muscle group. They are the key muscle-building exercises and will give you much better and faster results than isolation exercises. Prioritise the main compound movements such as squats, bench press, deadlifts, overhead press and rows.

3: Sweaty Circuit

I wouldn’t recommend circuit training as your main type of workout but if you only have 30min and you want to make the most of it, then a circuit is the most appropriate option. Select 4 to 8 exercises (the less equipment, the more time you save), perform each one back to back for 30 to 60 sec and do 5 to 10 rounds (depending on your level and time available).
Need some inspiration? Here’s a full body dumbbell circuit for you to try.

4: Supersets

Antagonists supersets are a great time-saving training approach as you’re performing two exercises back to back for opposing muscle groups. For instance: chest and back exercises, or quads and hamstrings exercises.

5: Focus on one body part

You can also dedicate your short session to only one muscle group and perform up to 6 exercises. For instance, focus on your shoulders or your triceps.

We all have days where we can’t spend as much time at the gym as we’d want to and that’s okay. Life gets in the way. Remember that a quick workout is better than no workout and use these tips to make the most of your short session!