Super Quick Workouts

Work and home responsibilities have severely limited my available workout time since August. I COULD tak the time to train on weekends when I've been off; but if I did, I'd sacrifice something else important. Been working straight day shift since 8/13. That might sound like a good thing, except that shifts are 12-1/2 hours long and start at 0530. So I get up at 3:30am; home around 6:45pm; and after a day like that I'm in bed by 8. No time or energy ro train after work.

Instead, I've been getting up at 3:10 or 3:15 and doing a super-quick workout in the morning before work. Like 20 or so minutes. Very short rests between sets; intense; and leaves my heart rate elevated and me breathing heavy for a good 10 or 15 minutes after I'm done.

An example is a chest workout:
Couple warmup sets, empty bar, the 135; jump up to 225 for 10 reps; 275 5 or 6 reps; then jump up to 295 for 3 or 4 reps; 285 same; 275 whatever I can get, done. Incline dumbbells: 80 lb db's, 3 sets of however many reps I can get each set. Usually that's 7. Can do thisbin 15 to 20 minutes.

Legs is another example, though this takes more lije 25 miinutes:

Squats: warmup 135 x 10; 225 x 10; then the work: 315 x 8 or 10; 365 x 5 or 6. Done. Leg press 8 plates each side 3 x 8 or 10. Or however many I can get, sometimes 7. If I'm feeling strong, toss another plate on each side. Then superset leg extensions and leg curls.

That one leaves me VERY winded and sweating profusely halfway to work! Defroster bladting and windows open to clear the fog from the inside of the windows!

My gym is in my basement, so it's an easy commute down the stairs. Only down side to that is trying not to crash the iron plates and wake my sleeping wife.

Arms and shoulders I can do in about 10 minutes if I have to, suoerset everything. Back is a 20 or so minute job, including a few sets of deadlift. That will leave me gasping for breath, too, especially if I superset pull ups in with deadlifts, which I usually do or else I run out of time before I get everything in.

I'm certainly not making any gains like this, but I'm not losing either. And, I just started playing ice hockey again on Saturday afternoons, and have been surprised at how good my endurance is. No doubt because of the elevated heart rate during these suoer quick workouts! It's not ideal, but it's working, at least for mainrenance.

I start my regukar shift rotation this week, which should result in more days off. Hooefully I cannget back on a more 'normal' training schedule. But I'll jeep these super quick workouts in the lineup for sure!

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I like these kind of WOs. It is what I do all the time. Rarely does the weight portion of my WO go more than 30 minutes.

Hell like you said, gasping for breath. that is a good thing. Get your cardio while you lift. I stopped caring about size. Just fitness and this is a good way to be fit.

I do the same.

Yesterday's leg workout had to be cut short, so I was only able to fit in squats and leg press, but I did my empty bar warmup set; 135 x 12 warmup; 225 x 10 (also sort of a warmup, I guess); 315 x 10 - that one's a "work" set! Breathing heavy after that! Then 365 x 5. The short rest between each set was spent loading a couple plates on the keg press, 8 per side total, so I kept the heart rate up that way (sliding 2 plates at a ti.e off the bottom peg of the tree, so some light but deep squats just getting plates). Then 2 sets of 8 reps leg press, unload it and put the plates away. Done in 20 minutes. No time for leg extensions or leg curls, but I squatted and leg pressed deep enough, plus keep my feet high on the leg press platform, I damn sure worked my hams as well as quads. And definitely sweating and gasping for breath!

I wished I had 5 more minutes, but it was still an awesome workout!

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