Short on Time, Big on Results: Quick Workouts for Busy Schedules

Workouts

The demands of school, work and life at large can have you burning the candle at both ends. So much so that you hardly have enough time left to go to a gym in San Diego. However, a tight schedule doesn’t mean that you have to give up your fitness. There are a ton of simple and highly effective exercises at your fingertips, some of which you can even perform on the go, that will help you get the fitness results you want without having to give up significant chunks of your time. Are you ready to get fit with time-efficient exercise options? Then check these out: 

Resistance band workouts 

Resistance bands are a lifesaver when you desire a dinner time-efficient strength training routine that you can take with you whenever you travel for work. In fact, we talked to an experienced personal trainer near me, and he vouched for their excellence at making the most out of small spaces when you travel. 

In terms of what particular resistance band workouts we recommend, here’s the full scoop: 

  • Front squat. – With one end of the resistance band underneath both your shoes -with both feet shoulder-width apart- and the other end over your shoulders, perform squats.
  • Leg extensions- Secure the resistance band firmly around a chair. While sitting, place one foot inside one end of the resistance band and raise your foot up straight and back down to complete a rep.
  • Clamshell – This involves looping a band just above your knees while prone on your back, and pushing your legs apart and back.

Of course, there are many other ways to rock it with a resistance band, and your personal trainer may have even more exciting ideas. 

Push-ups

Your workout options don’t get any more time-efficient than this, as you can do workouts without any equipment and from any place. To spruce things up, however, you want to add more variety and dimension to ordinary pushups: 

Here’s how a San Diego fitness expert says to do that: 

  • Go for inclined pushups – This involves performing pushups on a raised surface, such as a table, with your hands on the surface and the tips of your feet on the floor. 
  • Consider reserve pushups: Put your hands behind you on a strong surface with your legs resting on the floor. Lower your body using just your upper arms until the latter are parallel to the floor and then reverse the movement to finish one rep.
  • Go for Spiderman pushups: Perform a standard push up but lift one knee toward your arm as you lower your body and back when you raise it, then switch knees for the other rep.

For pushups, you want to do between 2-3 sets, with each set not exceeding 20 repetitions. However, you might want to shoot for just 1 set with the Spiderman pushup until you’ve built up enough upper body strength. 

Stair workouts 

Do you have stairs at your place of work or school? Then you have what you need to perform this next simple and fast workout.  Stair running can help you build power and speed to help improve your quality of life.

In terms of how to go about it, we talked to a personal trainer San Diego who had the following to say: 

  • Start with 3 minutes of running up and down a flight of stairs non-step at moderate speed
  • Rest for about 1 minute
  • Perform a single-leg hop, preferably 10 times, up the stairs, then walk back down.
  • Switch your foot and do the same for the other side then rest for another minute
  • Perform a double-leg hop back up the stairs to finish the set

The great thing about stair workouts is that you can perform them in between breaks at work so you don’t have to go out of your way to exercise. 

Exercise bikes

So what is the best exercise for busy people? Well, exercise bikes are certainly a great option. They can help you burn belly fat and work multiple muscle groups at the same time. If you don’t have a stationary bike at home, work, or school, you can pay a visit to the gyms in San Diego that have great gear. 

However, another time-efficient option is to get an actual bicycle that you can ride to and from work or school. Use this instead of taking the bus or car, so that you can get your fitness in for the day while still ticking off an important task off your to-do list. 

Overall, cycling has tremendous health benefits and will provide protection from chronic illnesses like: 

  • Arthritis 
  • Diabetes
  • Depression
  • Heart diseases
  • Cancer

According to the advice of an experienced personal trainer San Diego, you should cycle for at least 1 to 2 days a week. Alternatively, aim to ride 25 miles or get in 90 minutes of cycling within the same period.

Horse stance

You may have seen this in a Bruce Lee flick but it wasn’t just action movie flair for the cameras. The horse stance, a common feature of various martial arts, has practical fitness purposes. 

The best thing about it is that it’s simple enough to do at home when you’re cooking dinner or brushing your teeth or at work/school when you step out to get some fresh air.  

So how does the horse stance work? Here’s a recommendation from the best personal trainer in San Diego: 

  • Spread your feet as far apart as you can to a position where you can still bend your knees
  • Now, lower your upper body slowly and stop when your thighs are parallel to the floor
  • Hold this position for at least 1 minute- but try to hold for as long as you can – to complete the rep

For the horse stance, you want to go for 2-3 sets of 10 reps each. 

Conclusion

Did you know that 42% of Americans don’t work out often simply because they don’t have time? This is according to a report by the New York Post, which ranks it as the top reason why many people fail to exercise. But with these simple, quick, and effective workout options, you can beat a busy schedule and still maintain excellent mental and physical health. That said, we strongly advise working with gyms in San Diego so you can get a personal trainer who can craft personalized workout programs to match your fitness goals and schedule. Visit the IronOrrFitness website to get started. 

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