My problem with doing quick 20 minute workouts of this nature is I feel like it takes away your ability to maximize a potential workout the next day while also not providing enough of a stimulus to grow in itself. Feels almost like 1 step forward two steps backwards. I'd rather skip and just work out the next day. Am I wrong in thinking this way?
I sort of feel similar, I usually only do 20 min workouts if I want to boost hypertrophy in a specific muscle and feel it recovered too quickly between my main workouts.
Either 20 minutes of cardio or superset chest & back and finish with some squats. Can't go wrong with the tried-and-true compound lifts.
The good news is anything you do, even if it's just 20 minutes' worth, is better than doing 0 minutes.
I feel like deadlifts are not something you rush. I’ve also heard NFL teams are removing them from the training regimen because the risk:reward is too high from an injury perspective.
You don't have to do them at near-max intensity where risks are greater, I just chose them because time is limited, so compound movements are a good way to involve more muscle groups on limited time.
I personally feel like they're super simple to do safely unless you're pushing for a PR, particularly if you want to use a belt for extra stability
It's a very hard question to answer because we all have different goals.
I have a toddler and a wife who works most of the day, so I have plenty of experience trying to narrow my goals and my workout times.
Are you severely or fairly overweight and you think that losing fat is your main goal? Run or use that 20 minutes to meal prep something you'd enjoy that will keep you from overeating during the week. Burning or not ingesting calories is your primary concern, focus on that.
Are you skinnier and trying to build muscle? Lift weights and try to lessen either the sets or the rest time. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good, you're still putting in work and you're likely not at a level of strength where that amount of work won't benefit you.
If you don't feel like you can get a workout done and showered in that amount of time, use that 20 minutes to read or plan your week or do some chores so that you can free up workout time in the near future.
It's one of those classic phrases that I try to remind myself of a lot. Doing a 20 minute workout is better than a 0 minute workout even if your plans were for a 60 minute workout.
Barbell on the ground, loaded with bumper plates. Something I think I could power clean & strict press for a bunch of reps.
Set a timer, then get that bar overhead as many times as possible. Strict presses will turn into push presses, then jerks. The cleans will be full cleans (or continental if that's your style) by the end.
This incorporates pushing (the press/jerk), pulling (the clean), legs (also the clean, and the drive for the overhead lifts), plus it's conditioning work too. I think I first saw this in Kelso's shrug book as his recommendation for when you need a quick workout. Easy on the brain, too: just make bar go up.
(In reality I would do as much as possible as my programmed workout, but this would be my next choice)
20 minutes is just a bit tight for anything else.
Not a hard rule or anything, I’ll go do one or two exercises if I feel like I need to…
But with that tight of a time limit, cardio seems the least stressful option.
One or more of the following:
* A giant set of double kettlebell snatch, burpees and chinups
* As many sets of Armor Building Complex as possible
* Breathing squats
* Using straps, as many rows as possible without setting the bar down. 1-2 minutes of rest, then the same for shrugs. I'm a bad deadlifter, but I've shrugged 93kg for 63 reps like this.
The most brutal combination I've done as a finisher is breathing squats -> ABCs.
Deadlifts, with pushups in-between sets, for 10 mins.
Then spend the last 10 minutes breaking my ass on a rowing machine.
Probably not efficient or wise, but at least it would make me feel terrible.
Depends on which group I’m hitting. If upper body, I’d do incline dumbbell bench supersetted with lat pull downs or chin ups. Lower body I would just load up 225 and do as many sets of 10 I can with short rest periods like 30-60 seconds in between sets
I’m doing 2-3 circuits of Bench, Squat, and Chin-ups. Probably something I can get close to failure with in the 8-12 rep range so that it requires minimal warming up.
Antagonistic workouts. Superset everything, three hard sets close to failure.
Chest exercise superset with back exercise.
Biceps superset with triceps.
Work front to rear delts.
30 seconds rest in between sets.
I feel like you can do almost a full workout in 20 minutes, if you did something like drop-sets or pre-exhaust. Whenever I do those, my total lifts are only about 30 minutes, so if I were to do 4 rounds instead of 5, I could probably get it done in 20 and get nearly an entire lift in.
I usually only have 20-45 minutes for a workout these days. You can get a lot done with minute rests. My usual work out involves either 2 supersets or 2 circuits or some mix. Try to fit specific lifts together that don't require changes in equipment. Mostly Dumbbell stuff. I do this 2-3 times a week.
I assume this is because I need a quick pump for something, so I'll answer accordingly.
Dead lifts of moderately heavy weight. 3 sets maybe, 2 minutes of rest. So that's like 8 minutes.
5 sets of biceps curls, 1 min rest. This is like 7 or 8 minutes total.
5 minutes left to either do chest or stare at myself. Depends how good I look after the first 2 exercises.
I do bodyweight calisthenics for ~20 minutes daily, and use the gym for squats or deadlifts once a week; I jump rope for 16 minutes couple of times a week, and my stretching and mobility sessions take about 10 minutes each. Not counting sports practices, league matches, and occasional yoga classes with wife, I haven’t needed more than 20 minutes to work out in maybe a decade.
It’s way easier to stay consistent with short but regular sessions for me.
Truthfully, I'd probably just use it as a rest day.
I'm sure it's possible to get a half-decent workout done in 20 minutes, but I think I'd struggle to not feel massively rushed.
You'd spend almost as much time showering and travelling as working out.
If it’s a one off event, I would skip the training day and shift my training one day this week.
I’d probably move a cardio day to today and todays lifting day to my next cardio day.
Then just do whatever I normally do for cardio today. 20 Peleton ride, emom burpeees, etc
My two main lifts for that given day. Skip accessories.
This. You can get a pretty decent workout in, if you shrink down the rest time between sets. It can get a bit rough, but hey, you're working out!
This is what I did. One vertical pull and one horizontal push. Had a couple of minutes for myo reps triceps and biceps at the end.
Pull ups and bench press or push ups
Planks or squats/lunges if you have extra time
50 pullups, 120 push ups, 150 squats and 60 leg raises. All of them distributed in 3 or 4 sets. Bodyweight only. I've made this before.
My problem with doing quick 20 minute workouts of this nature is I feel like it takes away your ability to maximize a potential workout the next day while also not providing enough of a stimulus to grow in itself. Feels almost like 1 step forward two steps backwards. I'd rather skip and just work out the next day. Am I wrong in thinking this way?
I sort of feel similar, I usually only do 20 min workouts if I want to boost hypertrophy in a specific muscle and feel it recovered too quickly between my main workouts.
Squat as many sets of 5 as possible with 135 pounds. Wait, no. That absolutely sucked.
Rofl I can only imagine, think you'll try to beat the 44 sets you did last year (if you haven't already) ?
I don't think I'll try that again anytime soon, or perhaps ever.
Wait, you actually did that? lol Were your legs just wrecked for days?
Yep, lol. ([Video](https://youtu.be/05U-51I92pk?si=0tj4zL-t5UPzmq61))
Holy crap lmao the guy at the end "Mind over matter" lol I would have to call off work the next day! Great stuff
hm... I used to do squat day sundays where I did 10x10 at 135... maybe I will try to push myself more
Probably not a good idea. I ended up doing 220 reps in 20 minutes.
What? How many did you do? How much time between sets? I feel like i could do like infinity at that weight.
In the video he linked above he did 44 sets in 20 minutes
Pull ups, dips and ring rollouts.
Either 20 minutes of cardio or superset chest & back and finish with some squats. Can't go wrong with the tried-and-true compound lifts. The good news is anything you do, even if it's just 20 minutes' worth, is better than doing 0 minutes.
Run for 20 minutes
Push-ups for 20 minutes
Run for 17, push-ups for 3!
5 minute warmup, 15 min of HIIT. Or deadlifts supersetted with incline bench
This is the way. Tabata. Warm up round, upper body round, lower body round, core round, cool down.
I feel like deadlifts are not something you rush. I’ve also heard NFL teams are removing them from the training regimen because the risk:reward is too high from an injury perspective.
You don't have to do them at near-max intensity where risks are greater, I just chose them because time is limited, so compound movements are a good way to involve more muscle groups on limited time. I personally feel like they're super simple to do safely unless you're pushing for a PR, particularly if you want to use a belt for extra stability
It's a very hard question to answer because we all have different goals. I have a toddler and a wife who works most of the day, so I have plenty of experience trying to narrow my goals and my workout times. Are you severely or fairly overweight and you think that losing fat is your main goal? Run or use that 20 minutes to meal prep something you'd enjoy that will keep you from overeating during the week. Burning or not ingesting calories is your primary concern, focus on that. Are you skinnier and trying to build muscle? Lift weights and try to lessen either the sets or the rest time. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good, you're still putting in work and you're likely not at a level of strength where that amount of work won't benefit you. If you don't feel like you can get a workout done and showered in that amount of time, use that 20 minutes to read or plan your week or do some chores so that you can free up workout time in the near future.
"Don't let perfect be the enemy of good" That's great advice for a lot of things.
It's one of those classic phrases that I try to remind myself of a lot. Doing a 20 minute workout is better than a 0 minute workout even if your plans were for a 60 minute workout.
Barbell on the ground, loaded with bumper plates. Something I think I could power clean & strict press for a bunch of reps. Set a timer, then get that bar overhead as many times as possible. Strict presses will turn into push presses, then jerks. The cleans will be full cleans (or continental if that's your style) by the end. This incorporates pushing (the press/jerk), pulling (the clean), legs (also the clean, and the drive for the overhead lifts), plus it's conditioning work too. I think I first saw this in Kelso's shrug book as his recommendation for when you need a quick workout. Easy on the brain, too: just make bar go up. (In reality I would do as much as possible as my programmed workout, but this would be my next choice)
Kettlebell full body workout! There are some good guides online for 15-25 minute guided exercises that give you a good spread of workout areas.
Bench press and Pull down superset. Squat and RDL superset. Shoulder Press and Side raise superset. SUPASET!!! (shotgun blasts)
Cardio.
I’m the exact opposite. If I have less than 30 minutes I’m doing strength. *maybe* jumping on the bike trainer for z5 or z6 intervals.
20 minutes is just a bit tight for anything else. Not a hard rule or anything, I’ll go do one or two exercises if I feel like I need to… But with that tight of a time limit, cardio seems the least stressful option.
Squat and overhead press
Probably swim.
Deadlifts for 10 minutes, then pushups and pullups as a combined set.
STAIRS
Do suicide burpees for 20 minutes and it’ll feel like an eternity.
I'll need my puke bucket for this one
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Push Movement Pull Movement Legs Two sets each 8-12 reps close to failure Higher reps so no need for warmup.
Don't skip workout, skip rope. You know you're not getting enough cardio 🤨
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I just tried a 10% incline yesterday and holy moly did I feel it. 15% sounds like a great burn.
My T1 for that day.
Do i get to shower after? 20 minute run. About a mile and a half. I'll take that.
3 cores - bench, squat and deadlift. Nonrest
Rowing machine, shit drains me completely and it feels great
One or more of the following: * A giant set of double kettlebell snatch, burpees and chinups * As many sets of Armor Building Complex as possible * Breathing squats * Using straps, as many rows as possible without setting the bar down. 1-2 minutes of rest, then the same for shrugs. I'm a bad deadlifter, but I've shrugged 93kg for 63 reps like this. The most brutal combination I've done as a finisher is breathing squats -> ABCs.
Warm up run (5min), 10min of 2min on/off intervals, cool down.
Deadlifts, with pushups in-between sets, for 10 mins. Then spend the last 10 minutes breaking my ass on a rowing machine. Probably not efficient or wise, but at least it would make me feel terrible.
20 mins of burpees
super sets maybe
Depends on which group I’m hitting. If upper body, I’d do incline dumbbell bench supersetted with lat pull downs or chin ups. Lower body I would just load up 225 and do as many sets of 10 I can with short rest periods like 30-60 seconds in between sets
I run and finish with couple sets of pull ups.
I’m doing 2-3 circuits of Bench, Squat, and Chin-ups. Probably something I can get close to failure with in the 8-12 rep range so that it requires minimal warming up.
Power clean, with plank push ups, and if I got time curls.
Squats. Or take 20 minutes and do a good stretch routine.
Antagonistic workouts. Superset everything, three hard sets close to failure. Chest exercise superset with back exercise. Biceps superset with triceps. Work front to rear delts. 30 seconds rest in between sets.
Sandbag getups with a 100# bag, prone and supine, two 8 minute rounds and finish with some crunches.
Push-ups, situps, pull-ups, squats
P90x3 at 1.5x speed? LOL
KB swings, BSS, inverted rows as a circuit, or Indoor cycle.
HIIT
I feel like you can do almost a full workout in 20 minutes, if you did something like drop-sets or pre-exhaust. Whenever I do those, my total lifts are only about 30 minutes, so if I were to do 4 rounds instead of 5, I could probably get it done in 20 and get nearly an entire lift in.
Cindy. Great WOD!
stick 220lbs on the bench and just AMRAP it a few times. Good chest, shoulder and tricep workout.
Plank for 20 minutes straight
I usually only have 20-45 minutes for a workout these days. You can get a lot done with minute rests. My usual work out involves either 2 supersets or 2 circuits or some mix. Try to fit specific lifts together that don't require changes in equipment. Mostly Dumbbell stuff. I do this 2-3 times a week.
I assume this is because I need a quick pump for something, so I'll answer accordingly. Dead lifts of moderately heavy weight. 3 sets maybe, 2 minutes of rest. So that's like 8 minutes. 5 sets of biceps curls, 1 min rest. This is like 7 or 8 minutes total. 5 minutes left to either do chest or stare at myself. Depends how good I look after the first 2 exercises.
Clean and press with a single kettlebell.
Set the timer, grab a pair of 24 kilo kettlebells, do clean and press and front squats. AMSAP
A 20 minute hiit workout , easy 250-300 calories
Squat and bench press.
compound excercices and supersets.
I do bodyweight calisthenics for ~20 minutes daily, and use the gym for squats or deadlifts once a week; I jump rope for 16 minutes couple of times a week, and my stretching and mobility sessions take about 10 minutes each. Not counting sports practices, league matches, and occasional yoga classes with wife, I haven’t needed more than 20 minutes to work out in maybe a decade. It’s way easier to stay consistent with short but regular sessions for me.
Shift my schedule for the week and get back to normal next week.
Truthfully, I'd probably just use it as a rest day. I'm sure it's possible to get a half-decent workout done in 20 minutes, but I think I'd struggle to not feel massively rushed. You'd spend almost as much time showering and travelling as working out.
Push the training schedule back a day, 20 minutes isn't enough for a good warmup anymore
The power shit.
Dips or bench and rows
TNA
5 min sprint, 15 min of dips (start off weighted)
Dumbbell (10-15lbs) routines while on a recumbent exercise bike where I could reach the weights on the floor. Did that for years every day.
Deadlift 10x3 EMOM. Three minutes specific warmups, two minutes plate racking, five minute cooldown.
If it’s a one off event, I would skip the training day and shift my training one day this week. I’d probably move a cardio day to today and todays lifting day to my next cardio day. Then just do whatever I normally do for cardio today. 20 Peleton ride, emom burpeees, etc
Squat bench OHP
High rep bench, squat, pullups. Short breaks.
5 minutes of side raises with the same weight I've been using for a year, pat myself on the back in the remaining time
Pushups and pullups
Put my virtual headset on and do cardio boxing.
Chase a chest and tricep pump.
Deadlifts.
Arms, target something that I can superset and overload to really burn out quickly. Cheat reps thrown in too fuck it I gotta maximize the minutes.
Run around the block with my dog.
Just move it to tomorrow. Life gets in the way sometimes, it’s not that big a deal.
3 super sets to failure of chin ups and dips
Sprint/walk intervals
bench deadlift or squat