How to Get the Most Out of Your 30-Minute Workout

“I don’t have the time” is one of the most commonly used excuses to not workout. If you have 30-minutes (shoot, if you have 15-minutes), you have the time to workout. Here are 4 tips to get the most out of your 30-minute workout.

We’ve been molded to believe that for a workout to “count” it needs to be:

a) at least 60 minutes long.

and b) done at least 3 times a week.

The reality: something is always better than nothing.

In fact, more is not always better in this case!

If you only have 30-minutes to workout, or 20 or even 15, you can still reap the benefits that exercise provides. You may even do more for your body than you would have with more time.

You have to make those 30 minutes count. Here’s how.

4 TIPS TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR 30-MINUTE WORKOUT

I’m actually very fond of shorter workouts. In fact I offer at least two live online classes a week that clock in at around 30 minutes. Here’s how we get it done.

Limit Your Rest Periods

Decrease the amount of time you rest between exercises to increase the amount of time you spend in work mode. You might fatigue faster but you won’t miss out on reps.

First, make sure that you aren’t spending extra time on non-fitness related actions in between exercises. No scrolling through social media, no selfies, no chatting with your gym bestie. You’re there to work girl! Pop those head phones in, put your head down and get your sweat on.

To help decrease the amount of time you spend at the gym try to incorporate supersets into your workout. This is a great option if your goal is to minimize the time spent in the gym but maximize strength training.

To do a superset, perform a set number of reps of one exercise followed immediately by a set number of reps of another exercise. Rest only after you complete the second exercise. You could also do circuits, which incorporates 2+ exercises in a row without rest.

Use an Interval Timer

I love to use intervals during short workouts. This is a great option if you want to work on your cardiorespiratory health or muscular endurance, and it works for strength training as well. Download a free interval timer on your phone and set your work to rest intervals. If you’re really short on time I suggest keeping your rest periods between 15 to 20 seconds, like I do in this Fully Armed Dumbbell Workout.

Tabata intervals are a high-intensity, fat burning rock star. Tabata training is interval training at a specific work:rest ratio of 20 seconds at max intensity to 10 seconds of recovery. You’ll repeat that interval 8 times for a total time of just 4 minutes. Talk about using your time right!

Keep in mind that this fast-paced style of workout ups the intensity so you may find that you fatigue faster, especially when you are just starting out. To help battle fatigue, alternate exercises between muscle groups so that you have time to recover. For example, alternating between squats and push ups is a great way to hit major muscle groups without over doing it.

Try Cardio Acceleration

Cardio acceleration is a workout strategy in which you substitute cardio for part of, or all of, your rest period. This is a high level, fat burning strategy but it works in a pinch! And it’s not for the faint of heart.

Here’s what an example of a 30-minute Cardio Acceleration workout could look like:

Set 1:
Dumbbell Squats – 3 sets x 10 reps
Jumping Jacks – 60 seconds

Set 2:
Push Ups – 3 sets x 10
Medicine Ball Slams – 60 seconds

Set 3:
Bent Over Row – 3 sets x 10 reps
Skaters – 60 seconds

Set 4:
Dumbbell Push Press – 3 sets x 10 reps
Kettlebell Swings – 60 seconds

This is a beast of a workout, hitting all the major muscle groups from glutes to chest to core. I don’t recommend doing this kind of workout more than a couple of times a week.

Tailor Your Warm Up

I’m a big proponent of a well-rounded warm up routine BUT, if you are short on time you can tailor your warm-up routine to what you have planned for the workout. For example, if it’s leg day, start with some high knees and butt kicks to get the blood moving then move right into some body weight squats as you warm up. From there, add a bit of weight (not as much weight as your working sets) for a few more reps before jumping in to the real deal.

This is my favorite post-workout cool down routine. It’s simple, quick and effective. If you move purposefully at a moderate pace, you can fit this in under 5 minutes.