subject: The 15 minute workout solution [print this page] The 15 minute workout solution The 15 minute workout solution
So you are the quintessential always too busy man/woman. You probably juggle between work, family and other commitments and have no time for yourself. Yes I know it is tough living in today's world with all the commitments that we must take care of. However there is one commitment that we tend to neglect at times. That commitment is towards our fitness. Being the selfless individual that you are, you probably feel guilty taking time out for yourself and feel that it is better to give that time to someone else like say your family. Now I must first of all congratulate you for being so selfless. However I must also warn you that such an attitude might not be the best one to have always. Think of it, if your health fell apart and your moving ability is restricted then how many things will you be able to do in life? If most of your income is spent on your medicine bills, then how much can you spend on your children?
We all must recognize the value of keeping our bodies in working condition. Of course time is still a factor after all we cannot leave our work to keep ourselves fit, right? So if you are on a very limited time budget, you need not worry. You can still workout and be fit. Just somehow manage to squeeze out 15 minutes a day. Don't tell me you cannot give even that much time. You can wake up 15 minutes earlier, go to sleep 15 minutes later, workout 15 minutes before a bath, but you can definitely find 15 minutes a day to workout.
Now before you jump to any conclusions let me tell you that you should not expect to compete with an athlete by working out 15 minutes a day. What you can expect is to have general levels of fitness that non athletes should have. Of course your diet needs to complement your exercise program. So that means, don't expect to eat as much as an athlete and expect no weight gain with a 15 minute workout.
Since you are so busy that you can only workout 15 minutes a day, I am assuming that you do not have time to go to a gym. You will probably use whatever equipments you have at home. So then what exercises to do? A small walk outside, few gentle crunches, right? Wrong! Just because you workout for 15 minutes does not mean that you should take it easy. In fact, due to the time limit it probably becomes even more important to keep the workout intensity high. Use weights, skipping rope, or anything else that is available at your place. There should be no compromises in the workout intensity.
So without boring you any more here are the sample routines based on the goals. Do some warm up before beginning the workouts.
Fat loss
Monday, Wednesday, Friday:
Do circuit 1 and circuit 2 alternately
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday:
Cardio:
Do either interval skipping or Cardio Kickboxing
Circuit 1:
Dumbbell Clean and press- 8 times each hand
Lunges - 8 times each leg
Push ups- 8 or more
Barbell rows- 10 times
Take rest of 75-90 seconds between each circuit. Do up to 5 rounds of the circuit. Increase the weight once the current weight becomes easy.
Circuit 2:
Bench press 10 times
Dumbbell row 10 times each side
Squat 12 times
Good mornings 8 times
Take rest of 75-90 seconds between each circuit. Do up to 5 rounds of the circuit. Increase the weight once the current weight becomes easy.
Strength
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Floor dumbbell press 2 sets of 3 reps
Deadlift 2 sets of 3 reps
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
Bulgarian split squat 2sets of 5 reps
Overhead press 2 sets of 3 reps
Monday, Thursday lift 90 % of 3 rep max
Tuesday, Friday lift 75 % of 3 rep max
Wednesday, Saturday lift 60% of 3 rep max
For Bulgarian split squat lift same percentages according to 5 rep max.
Mass
Monday, Thursday
Overhead press 3 sets of 10 reps
Barbell row 3 sets of 10 reps
Split squats 3 sets of 8 reps each leg
Tuesday, Friday
Dumbbell floor press 3 sets of 8 reps side
Deadlift 4 sets of 6 reps
Keep rest between sets to 60-90 seconds.
Now what if you have no weight equipments at home, then what do you do? Personally I would suggest that you to buy some weights, they usually last a lifetime and are very effective. They are usually not very expensive, besides their durability covers the expense. However if you still do not wish to or cannot afford to buy weights, do the following programs.
Fat loss
Monday, Wednesday, Saturday
Circuit:
Push ups 6 times
Reverse Lunges 6 times each leg
Hindu push up 6 times
Free squats 12 times
Side bridge 6 times each side
Rest 1 minute or less and repeat as many times as possible. The idea is to do as many, number of circuits possible in 15 minutes.
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
Cardio:
Do either interval skipping or Cardio Kickboxing
Strength
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday
1 hand push ups (start with hand on bed, then gradually move to floor) Total of 15 reps
1 leg deadlift (go as low as you comfortably can in the beginning then gradually go lower)
Total of 15 reps
Once able to these movements attempt wall handstand push ups, and 1 leg squats.
Doing high reps of push ups, bodyweight squats too is an option. However with the increase in the number of reps it might be tough to keep the workout under 15 minutes in the long term.
Mass
This will be the toughest goal to achieve without weights, and on such a time limit. However as mentioned earlier with a 15 minute workout, one should not expect to compete with an athlete. Do the following routine.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Decline push ups 2 sets
Bulgarian split squat 2 sets
Hindu push ups 1 set
Bodyweight squats 1 set
Do as many reps possible. Try to increase the reps gradually.
Pull ups are not included in the programs since it is assumed that a pull up bar might not be available. However if it is available then surely include it in your routine, since it is a very beneficial exercise for all purposes.
So do not let time limits deter you from working out. Use the above mentioned programs and enjoy the rewards of being fit.
