Build strength, muscle, endurance while burning fat in only 20 minutes? Possible?

How in heavens name can you get a good workout that does all of the above in only 20 minutes? Its all in choosing the right tools and then doing them at specific points of the workout, with the right amount of intensity. Nonono, this has nothing to do with the grunting and screaming types of so-called ‘intensity’ you see in commercial gyms – a lot of that is just ego building and attention seeking. What I mean is doing the chosen exercises with enough effort to make them worth your while. Hey, we’re mortal and have only so much time on this planet, so why just go through the motions with anything? Especially when doing something that could very well improve the quality (and maybe the length) of your time here?

How is it possible?

You want the afterburn effect. Exercise scientists call it excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). All it means is that with certain types of exercise, you burn extra calories long after you’ve finished – as much as 16 hours after! But that’s not all, you can also use exercise to manipulate what your body does with nutrients, so that it feeds muscle and starves the fat (nutrient partitioning). Do that and you have it made – especially if you’re already using your diet to do that do the same (check out my article ‘Carbs are not the enemy! Just get the timing right…‘).

Tool selection

I’m not even going to enter into the weights versus ’sprint-cardio’ versus ‘long-slow-distance’ cardio debate at all. I’ll just make a statement instead.

Done correctly:

• weight training is the undisputed champion since it builds a bigger fat-burning furnace
• bodyweight exercises and sprint training are the number one contenders – just look at some photos of gymnasts and sprinters (running, swimming, skating, cycling, it doesn’t matter..)
• slow cardio is only good as a ‘break-in’ or as an add-on. Sure, advanced marathoners and other distance athletes are lean, but the average person just does not have the amount of time needed to get to the elite level and thus that level of bodyfat. Also, distance athletes have much less muscle mass than strength or sprint athletes. I would go so far as to say that some are ’skinny-fat’ – they’re thin, but with a high bodyfat percentage. If we already lose muscle as we age, why help it along with long, slow training methods?

So to get back to the point, the tools we’ll use are:

• weight training for strength + muscle development
• bodyweight training or sprint training for ‘cardio’ + muscle development
• slow cardio as a cooldown

Yes, all of that in a single short, but powerful workout.

The Routines

Option A

Warmup

Warmup with bodyweight exercises – all done back to back with no rest. The aim here is to raise the core temperature slightly, which makes muscles and connective tissue more elastic. Moving the body, as opposed to lying on a bench or using a machine, also activates the neuromuscular pathways needed to do the weight training safely.

• Jumping jacks (20 reps)
• Bodyweight squat (20 reps)
• Pushup – do them from your knees if necessary (20 reps)
• Situp – 10 reps
• Jumping jacks – 20 reps

Strength/muscle building

Now choose one ‘big-money’ exercise – something that works the body as a whole. Suggested exercises:

• Barbell/dumbell/kettlebell clean and press (the barbell version is my personal favorite and tool of choice on this routine)
• Barbell/dumbell/kettlebell snatch
• Deadlift
• Barbell squat

You’ll either do 5 sets of 5 reps (heavy), or 10 sets of 2 reps (heavier still). I like the latter, purely because its tougher and because I have done these exercises for several years so they feel very natural.

Do a single light warmup set of 8-10 reps just to get into a ‘groove’. Rest 45 seconds between sets on the 5 sets of 5, and 30 seconds on the 10 sets of 2. Move explosively! The strength component of the workout should take about 7-10 minutes. The short rest intervals, combined with the explosive movements will create a good muscle building situation, and produce a hormone response that will stimulate the afterburn and nutrient partitioning.

Cardio/muscle building

This option uses sprint intervals to burn a lot of calories quickly, but more importantly to really stimulate the afterburn. Speed training speeds up the metabolism too! This section is simple – just go as hard as you can for 45 seconds and then go slow for 45 seconds Do that 5 times.

Suggested exercises:

• Running (track/field/etc)
• Swimming. Not always possible, but a fantastic workout. I tie myself to the side of my pool (its easy to make a DIY version of this) and then swim on one place – it can get very rough when you’re sprinting all out!
• Elliptical machine (set the resistance up just enough to prevent you from going so fast that you feel nothing in the muscles – they must feel like they’re working too – not only the cardiovascular system!)
• Rowing machine – ditto for resistance settings
• Stationary (or real) bike – ditto for resistance settings
• Treadmill – its OK, but not easy to take breaks on the motorized treadmills.

Cooldown (you can skip this if you are really pushed for time)

Pick a ‘cardio’ exercise, and do it at a somewhat brisk pace for 3 minutes. It’ll help get your heartrate down slowly, and burn a few more calories.

There you go. A decent workout in 20 minutes, and it hits your muscles, your cardiovascular system and your fat stores.

Option B

The warmup and weight training outlines are identical to Option A, but the cardio component is 8 minutes of bodyweight exercises. It uses the Tabata protocol, which in a nutshell is:

• one exercise (can be anything really)
• 20 seconds effort interspersed with 10 seconds of rest
• repeated 8 times = 4 minutes of hell (on some exercises)

However, we want more calories burnt in the workout + more afterburn + make it more doable, so we do it differently:

• 2 exercises – bodyweight squats (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDh1Cspl0jI) + pushups (do them from your knees if you have to – its perfectly OK)
• 20 seconds of exercise 1
• 10 seconds of rest
• 20 seconds of exercise 2
• 10 seconds of rest
• repeat for a total of 8 sets per exercise = 8 minutes

Bodyweight-only squats, Crossfit style

Pushups, Crossfit style

Notes:

• move explosively – try to squeeze as many reps into 20 seconds as you can
• do your cooldown if you wish – or if you are able to

Important Notes

• I use this myself when I am pressed for time. Its not just a theoretical workout. It works! And its much better than doing nothing when you have little time!
• Its not for those of us who are just starting out
  • you can tackle it after about a 3 week breakin-period where you do more ‘traditional’ workouts.
  • I recommend getting a medical examination even before that…
• This should not be a staple workout (Option B could be though) but you can easily make it so by adding a few extra weight exercises, and 5 extra sprints. Then you have a killer fat burner!
• Use this short version when you have little time, or feel really drained
• However, if you do a version of this 6 days a week, you’ll get the benefit of longer less-frequent workouts, but in much less time per day! Also, much smaller risk of overtraining. Just change the exercises each day.
• Its fantastic on low calorie or fasting days. The hormone cocktail produced preserves muscle, and really targets the stubborn fat!
• Keep your ego in check when selecting a weight to use. The short rests will cause your form to break down if you go too heavy.

TIP:

If life gets in the way or something comes along that prevents you doing a scheduled workout, just drop your calories a bit (keep protein high) and do the cardio (Tabata) portion of option B before you go to bed (or first thing in the morning if you are given enough warning). Its only 8 minutes, but your heart and muscles will still benefit.

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