Time is the ultimate asset. It’s universal, it’s invaluable, and once spent, it’s something you can’t earn back. This isn’t news to anyone. In fact, I’d venture to guess you’re already an expert…
Odds are, you’re like everybody else—packing your 24-hour schedule with as much as possible. Because time.
Who isn’t busy these days? It’s not a matter of if someone’s busy, but a matter of how busy they are. When I talk to people about the roadblocks keeping them from reaching their fitness goals, one answer comes up more than any other:
Time.
I mean, of course it does. I get it. Heck, I’ve been there…
Busy, Busy, Busy—You, Me, Everybody
Just before graduating from college, I had a lot going on. On top of my ambitious school schedule (to graduate asap), I…
…was working as a trainer at 24-Hour Fitness,
…had signed a book deal that had a quick-approaching deadline,
…was designing a website and launching the associated online coaching business,
…had started shopping for engagement rings,
…and was utterly overwhelmed.
Over the course of a few months, I graduated from school, broke up with a girl I thought I’d marry (woof), started a new and immediately profitable business (yay), moved, wrote a friggin’ book, moved again, and kept up on a goal to read a book a week.
It was summer, but the living was not easy.
What I was doing might have been unique, but being busy wasn’t. Still isn’t. Seems like everyone’s spreading themselves thinner, doing more, and sleeping less these days—usually bragging their busy schedule along the way.
Fact: Fitness is one of the first things to go when life gets busy. Because, well, time.
Problem is, life’s always busy (and tends to only get busier). If we’re waiting for the right time—enough time—to work out, we’ll wait a while.
“Don’t find time to work out, make time.”
That’s what a lot of people say.
But making time is really hard. Quite impossible, actually. Instead of trying to buckle down and “make” time out of thin air, you need to work with whatever time you’ve got.
However quick, however simple, however effective—no fitness effort is wasted.
We, the Busy People of the World, Need Workouts for Busy People
You’ve got two main options, guys:
1) Force your schedule to accommodate your workout.
2) Force your workout to accommodate your schedule.
The former can work, but there’s a huge cost. It’s not even the pressure headache that comes with rearranging your entire life based on your training program.
(Related real talk: Some things are more important than fitness and it’s totally okay to treat them that way.)
In the long-run, changing your life to accommodate your workout simply isn’t sustainable. And what can’t be sustained can’t be maintained either. Lasting progress is the goal and entirely unattainable with an unsustainable plan.
But hey, you do you. If you enjoy constantly rearranging your calendar based on the gym and working hard for fleeting progress, go for it. Rest assured you can reach out to me if (translation: when) you’re tired of spinning your wheels in futility.
Or you could go with the second, better option…
Use workouts that work with your schedule rather than against it. Have a plan you can actually stick to for the long haul. And finally keep each and every ounce of progress you’ve earned.
It’s simple, really. You need workouts for busy people. Workouts that are specifically designed to be hyper-effective for anybody that’s short on time (literally everybody).
Which is exactly why I’ve written several, just for you.
Six Simple Workouts for Busy People (AKA Everybody)
It doesn’t matter if you’ve only got 20 minutes, 15, or even just 10, I’ve got your back. Each of these workouts was specifically designed to make the most of every second you’ve got to train.
That being said, don’t neglect your warm up before diving in. (Here’s a quick and simple bodyweight warm up if you need it.)
Two 10-Minute Workouts for Busy People
Total-Body Bodyweight Intervals
During this interval workout, roll through the following exercises in a sequential circuit-like fashion. Round one you’ll use 40 seconds of work and 20 seconds of rest. Round two you’ll use 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. Perform two total rounds, resting ~60 seconds in between.
Intervals:
1A. Seal Jacks
1B. Squat Jump to Push Up Walkout
1C. Hand-Release Push Up
1D. Bodyweight Swing
1E. Bear Crawl
1F. High-Plank Jacks
Quick and Efficient Escalating Density Training (EDT)
The goal of EDT is to do as much work as possible in a given amount of time. You’ll perform the following circuits as many times as possible in four minutes, resting minimally. Take note of how many rounds you complete and the weight you use. Beat your “score” the next time you do this workout. Use a weight that’s challenging, but not limiting for each exercise.
EDT Circuits (four minutes each):
1A. Incline DB Press x 5
1B. 1.5 Goblet Squat x 5
1C. Chest-Supported DB Row x 5
**Rest ~90 seconds before starting the second circuit.**
2A. Forward/Reverse Lunges x 5 each
2B. Hammer Curl to Press x 10
Two 15-Minute Workouts for Busy People
Dumbbell Complex with Descending Ladder
Complexes are one of my favorite styles of training. They’re quick, they’re effective, and they’re simple. During a complex, you’ll use the same weights (determined by your weakest lift in the complex) and go through each exercise without resting between lifts. A well-designed complex will naturally flow from one exercise to the next. Rest comes between rounds, but keep it short.
Descending ladders are fun. The goal is to finish as quickly as possible (with impeccable form, of course). For this ladder, start with 10 reps of each exercise in the first set. Then, each subsequent set, you’ll decrease the reps by one. Continue alternating back and forth until you reach zero (ten total sets).
Dumbbell Complex (shoot for 3 rounds):
1A. Alternating Reverse Lunges x 10 each
1B. Bent Over Row x 10
1C. DB Clean x 10
1D. Push Press x 10
1E. Overhead Carry x 10 steps each side
Descending Ladder:
2A. Push Ups
2B. Bat-Wing Sit Ups
Density Training for Fat Loss (DFL) with Push Up Tabata
Just like escalating density training, DFL is focused on packing as much work as possible into a specific amount of time. But instead of timed circuits, we’ll use timed sets.
Use a 30-second timer for each workout in the circuit and complete as many reps as possible. During the second round, your goal is to do more work: that means more reps, more weight, or more of both in the same 30-second set.
DFL Circuit (complete 2 rounds):
1A. Goblet Squat
1B. Renegade Row
1C. Stiff-Leg Deadlift (DBs are fine, by the way)
1D. Split Squat (right foot forward)
1E. Split Squat (left foot forward)
Push Up Tabata:
A Tabata indicates a specific type of interval protocol. You’ll use push ups here but can do a Tabata with all kinds of exercises. The protocol is simple: eight rounds of 20/10 intervals. That’s it.
Do as many push ups as you can in 20 seconds, then rest for 10. Complete eight total rounds.
Two 20-Minute Workouts for Busy People
Simple High Volume Density Training
While density training in its many forms is often used for wildly effective fat loss, it also works well for building muscle because it offers a simple approach to high training volume. That’s what we’ll use here. Instead of short, high-intensity circuits, you’ll use simple supersets for longer periods of time.
Set a timer for ~10 minutes and alternate between both lifts until time expires. Again, track the workout and do more work next time (more sets, more reps, more weight).
Density Supersets:
1A. Dips x 6
1B. Chin Ups x 10
*Use assistance or add resistance as needed.
2A. Front Squat x 8
2B. Rack-Scrape RDLs x 8
KB Weighted Carry Complex
Weighted carries are amazing—for melting fat, for making muscle, for building strength. They make regular appearances in my workout programs, so it’s no surprise they made my list of things to include in these workouts for busy people.
For this weighted carry complex, you’ll simply set a 20-minute timer and perform as many rounds of the following as possible before time expires. Rest as much as you have to, but only as much as you need.
The Complex:
1A. Overhead Press x 6–10
1B. Overhead Carry x 10–20 yds
1C. Front-Rack Squat x 6–10
1D. Racked Carry x 10–20 yds
1E. Bent Over Row x 6–10
1F. Farmer’s Carry x 10–20 yds
Mix and Match to Make Your Own Workouts for Busy People
You don’t have to limit yourself to these six workouts. Honestly, you could—perhaps even should—combine some of these to give yourself more options that’ll fit your schedule. When we have workouts that fit our schedule, we have workouts we’ll actually do. And adherence leads to success.
Ultimately, I want you to succeed even when life gets busy. Especially when life gets busy.
With these simple workouts for busy people, you’ll be able to take full advantage of what you’ve got—however much, or little, time that is.