Reduce gym time without sacrificing efficiency.
Probably, everyone at least once had the idea to skip a workout in the gym, when you simply do not have enough time for a full-fledged workout because of things that have piled up at once. Just imagine: warming up, numerous approaches of exercises for different muscle groups, a hitch This will take at least an hour! In order not to get out of the schedule, it is not necessary to completely abandon the planned workout. Instead, you can follow simple guidelines that can help you reduce your exercise time to 30 minutes.
Rule 1. Do basic exercises
Pay attention not to isolation exercises, but to multi-joint exercises. If the former will help you to effectively pump only one muscle group, then the latter, with the right technique, will use several large muscle groups at once.
Basic gym exercises, in most cases, will include barbell work, which will affect muscle growth and hormones. An additional benefit of multi-joint training will be its ability to actively burn fat. Multi-joint weight exercises include:
All of the above exercises should be grouped three or four per class in the gym - this will not take you more than half an hour. For example, one workout might include deadlifts, bench presses, and barbell squats, and another might include a standing barbell press, deadlifts, and the same squats.
In addition, some exercises without the use of weight are included in the list of basic exercises, which can also be included in the training plan if desired. Among them:
Rule 2. Don't do unnecessary repetitions
The “more is better” rule in the case of repetitions stops working and unnecessarily increases the time spent in the gym. Adjust the amount based on your goal. For example, to gain muscle mass using basic exercises with a large weight, you need from 6 to 10 repetitions with 3-4 working approaches - no more. An increased number of repetitions - from 12 to 15, it is simply inappropriate to perform more. This is only necessary for those who want to work on the 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
Despite the fact that the rest between sets seems to us short, even a repeated pause of 1-2 minutes many times can double the duration of the workout. To save time, shorten the break to 30-45 seconds. If you feel like your body needs a longer recovery from weight training, reduce the load and work in the 70-85% range of your one-rep max. Of course, training with near-limit weights with an emphasis on increasing muscle strength is effective, but with them you will not be able to save time due to the need to take long pauses of 2-3 minutes.
Rule 4. Combine exercises
Also, to save time, you can combine exercises into supersets (2 different exercises each) or trisets (3 each), which are performed without rest. This technique will allow you to load the desired muscle group well. For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger in preparation for the Mr. Olympi actively used a superset for biceps: Zottman lift + any exercise for biceps with a barbell. And bodybuilder Ronnie Coleman includes a superset with a standing T-barbell lifting + bending in the simulator in his workouts.
Ultimately, having a clear goal in mind will help you shorten the length of your workout as much as possible. Decide what you want to get out of the gym, group the exercises you need, determine the optimal weight and number of repetitions, do not get carried away with breaks - and you have already saved time!