Intense Workouts in an Intense Schedule

Intense Workouts in an Intense Schedule

Written by: Jesse Langley

Most people long for the days of their body returning to the fitness level they had in high school and college. Mixing school, a lack of sleep and time with friends while eating out often and having a less than stellar diet didn’t seem to harm your body back then. Now, your busy schedule and lack of sleep has reverse effects on your body, stamina and overall health. Keeping up with your job at the office, finishing your MBA and managing a family leaves you with little time to take care of yourself.

Staying fit with a hectic lifestyle is a choice, however, and maximizing the workout time you do have can keep you in peak physical condition.

Supersetting is a way to combine and boost your workout in the gym to new levels. Supersetting is performing two workouts back to back with no rest. Examples would be doing biceps and triceps or chest and back. With this workout, you save time, and you are presented with a new challenge to help encourage new muscle growth. If you want to go to the gym but can’t stay for too long, this is an excellent way to hit the weights.

P90X recently swept the nation as a way to get ripped in just 90 days. Unfortunately, you struggle to find an hour or so every day to fit in the workouts. However, Ab Ripper X, just 15 minutes in length, is a great workout for your abs in quick time. There are no bands or weights needed—just a laptop or TV, so it can be done at home or even in the office during your lunch hour or after work. All you need is a mat, and you are ready. Perform this workout three times a week as recommended by the program.

Another option to burn fat quicker and get more out of your workout is an interval cardio program. This can consist with cardio and a target area, such as legs, arms or abs in about 15 minutes. Running, jumping rope or riding the bike paired with mat exercises or using exercise machines can produce some quick results by burning fat, reducing calories and improving your overall fitness level.
To get the most out of these workouts, a warm-up is a necessity. If you want to burn fat, follow these guidelines.

• Warm-up for 3-8 minutes, such as stretching or running a few laps. This will increase the blood flow to your muscles for endurance and less injuries. It also prepares you for your workout, and increases your heart rate, meaning you will burn more calories.
• Short high intensity training is more effective in busting body fat as opposed to long low intensity training.
• Try to be at 85-95 percent of your target heart rate for more endurance.
• Push yourself. Go harder than you think you can for short bursts. If you are comfortable where you are in your workout, then you aren’t doing enough.
• Set goals. Training to just be in shape isn’t enough. You need goals for the week or month to help keep you motivated and track your progress.

Your body has likely been neglected in favor of reports, phone calls, emails and your education. Get back on track with the time you do have with short, high intensity workouts. If you put in the effort now to maintain your body, the benefits will last far into the future.

About the Author:
This is a guest post was written Jesse Langley is a freelance writer and fitness enthusiast. He lives near Chicago with his family and home gym. He also writes at Dose of My Own.