People think if they’re working 14 hours a day that they’re getting more done. Wrong. If you work for 11 hours and then do something physical for 3 hours, you’ll be far more productive in those 11 hours than you’d be in 14. It takes energy to make energy. Otherwise you’re just sitting at your desk in a daze, feeling overwhelmed by all the things you think you need to do. And then that goes on for years and it comes time to retire, but you’re so out of shape you still can’t do anything fun. That’s messed up.
So when I hear someone say they don’t have time for fitness—I’m not buying it. That’s a cop-out. How can you not have time for your health and sanity? If you can’t do a 2-hour workout every day, fine. But what about 30 minutes? Or 3 hours once a week to do something physically and mentally challenging, like hiking, biking, or kayaking? It’s all about priorities. If you want to function at the highest possible level, you’ve got to move. Here’s how you can do a lot for your body in a small amount of time.
USE YOUR ENVIRONMENT If you’re in an office, take 10 minutes and run the stairs. And anywhere there’s a wall, you can do wall squats, an energizing exercise that’ll have your legs burning in 5 minutes. Just stand with your back flat against the wall, and lower your body until your legs are bent at a 90-degree angle, as though you were sitting with perfect posture but—sorry—no chair. Now hold that as long as you can. Rest for 15 seconds, and then do it again. Repeat as many times as possible.
USE YOUR BREATH To raise the degree of difficulty on anything—walking down the street, running for the bus, carrying groceries—hold your breath while you’re doing it. Your heart rate will soar.
USE EVERY MINUTE It’s not about how long a workout takes; it’s about how hard you make it. Over any given distance, you can jog—or you can sprint. If you have only 30 minutes at the gym, commit to going hard for every one of those minutes. Plan what you’re going to do before you begin, and then dial up your intensity and keep it on high. And no water breaks. Sip from a bottle if you need to, but do it quickly as you move between exercises.
USE YOUR WHOLE BODY In the Circuit (see page 47), we cycle through 15 exercises six times, adding extra abdominal moves in between. That takes from 2½ to 3 hours to complete. But one of the beautiful things about circuit training is that once you understand its basic principles, you can create endless custom variations. You can vary the exercises, the number of reps, and the number of times you cycle through the set. You can design a circuit in which you change the order of the exercises on each round, or you can reverse the order on alternate cycles by doing it front to back and then back to front. There’s no end to it. Plus, every gym contains different equipment, so you’ll want to adapt your exercises to each new location.
Circuit training is perfect for short workouts. Here are some strategies for a great 30-minute whole-body workout.
Choose five exercises that, done together, work all your major muscle groups. For example:
Squats
Bent-over rows
Pull-ups
Chest flies
Shoulder presses
Or:
Lunges
Bench presses
Clean-and-jerks
Biceps curls
Seated rows
Arrange the order so you’re alternating upper-body exercises with lower-body exercises.
In that order, do 20 reps of each exercise, moving quickly between them with no rest. Use a weight that makes it possible but difficult for you to complete all 20 reps.
Repeat this circuit three times. If your intensity is 90 percent or higher, and your heart rate reflects it, take a 1-minute rest interval between rounds. Otherwise, skip the rest and do the three rounds continuously. The goal is to wring as much effort as possible out of yourself in 30 minutes.
End the workout with a 5-minute superset of three abdominal exercises.*
Alternating-leg bicycle twists (40 on each side)
Side plank (hold for 1 minute on each side)
Front plank (hold for 1 minute; rest 20 seconds; hold for 1 minute)
USE YOUR VACATION Vacations are an opportunity to upgrade your routine. You’re out from behind the desk, and you’ve got time for yourself. I just took a heli-snowboarding trip to Alaska that was the perfect chance to work on my legs. I’d ride all day and then go for hikes through the deep snow before dinner. Try adding more activity than usual into your holidays. Once you sample a more active lifestyle—and see how it affects your mood, energy levels, and even your libido—I’d be surprised if you regressed to your prevacation routine.
*You can select any three abdominal exercises you’d like, but make sure to include at least one that targets your obliques.
