There are many days when I work 12-14 hours. Some of those hours are 1:1 training sessions, some are Boot Camp hours and some are Fit Healthy Moms blogging hours. I know people think trainers have a ton of time to workout, but it’s not always true. Running three businesses leaves me limited time to workout in spite of all the hours I spend in the gym. I actually find myself jealous of my clients at times, when they are all done with their sweat for the day and I’m trying to figure out when I’ll squeeze mine in.
Sounds just like your life, huh?? Being pulled every which way and trying to find just a few moments to yourself. So, I always work really hard to maximize my workout time. You should too! I combine cardio and strength training whenever I can and keep everything pretty fast paced in order to get the best metabolic impact.
You will never find me doing bicep curls. You will never find me doing crunches. You will never find me on those stupid inner/outer thigh machines. Most exercises I do incorporate at least 3 muscle groups. This increases my metabolic rate, allows me to strengthen multiple muscle groups at one time and it’s just like what I do in daily life. In daily life I never stand in one spot and curl my arm over and over again, so why would I do that in my workout?
In my daily life I get on and off the floor with clients (just like you do with kids). I bend over to lift bags of groceries out of my car. Then I lift these items up and reach up to place them in my cabinets. I chase clients around with big weights in my hands. I push my big recycling bin up and down my driveway. I run up and down my stair over and over all day. These daily activities use my entire body, not just one muscle group. So it’s important that I exercise multiple groups together so my body is strong through all these ranges of motion.
Think about how many times a day you get your child in and out of the car or in and out of a crib or on and off a changing table. You use all sorts of muscles each time you do these things. This is how you should train. You should always use exercises that work multiple muscle groups. They give you the most bang for your buck. They have the biggest impact on your metabolism. They help you burn more calories all day and it keeps you strong all over, hopefully preventing injuries. They help you burn more fat! Plus, full body exercises are more fun. Bicep curls are incredibly boring, right?
Last Friday I had 30 minutes to get in a workout. I knew I wanted some cardio, with a little upper body strength. If I’m only going to do a “little” strength work, I want it to really count – all big muscle groups, at maximum intensity for a short period of time. The clear exercises of choice here (with limited equipment) are push ups and pull ups. I know a lot of you ordered pull up bars after reading my post last week about the fantasticness (yes, real word) of pull ups – awesome!! This workout will be perfect for you.
I decided to knock out the cardio first, so I ran for 20 minutes (in the freeeeeezing cold). After my 3 minute jogging warm up, I kept a great clip – never backing off. If you’re only getting in 20 minutes – you gotta make every minute count. From there I ran in the house, turned on the jams (essential) and did two upper body tabatas*, one push up tabata and one pull up tababta. Each tabata is 4 minutes. I rested for one minute in between. So, you see, 30 minute cardio + strength bliss:
20 minute run
4 minute push up tabata
1-2 minute rest
4 minutes pull up tabata
=30 minutes workout
(*Tabata is an interval format where you work for 20 seconds/rest for 10 seconds. You repeat this 8 times for a total of 4 minutes.)
For my push up tabata I did 8 different types of push ups to keep it fun (yes, I really do like push ups, even though they used to make me cry – true story…) For my pull up tabata I did 4 different types of pullups, twice per type. You can see it all in the video. You can also hear my huffing and puffing along.
Now tell me – if you only have 30 minutes to get in a workout what do YOU do???
Comments
Powered by Facebook Comments
3 Comments
Brenda on March 8, 2011 at 5:21 am.
Great video! Will I still get the same benefit if I do all my push-ups on my knees?
p.s. You’re making want a pull-up bar.
Sara Dean on March 8, 2011 at 7:43 pm.
Yes, Brenda!!! The knees work just as well. As you build strength you can start to add in a few on your toes. I tell people to start on their toes and get the first few there and then drop to the knees. You can do that on every set. And, go get a pull up bar – you’ll get addicted!
Brenda on March 8, 2011 at 9:30 pm.
I just double checked with the husband and we’re a go for the pull-up bar. I am determined to get strong and healthy again. Thanks for the inspiration Sara!