Ninety minute workouts? Ain’t nobody got no time for that.
And since time is an almost universal excuse for people who are failing to meet their fitness goals, it’s important to have some go-to workouts that require very little time but have a very high payoff. You may think that getting a fit, muscular body takes an hour-plus – that if you’re not spending that much time in the gym day in and day out, you’re just spinning your wheels. But that’s just not true.
If you invest 15-20 minutes, three days a week, you can set your metabolism on fire. How? By combining strength and conditioning exercises in a full-body metabolic conditioning circuit. If you combine movements that work a lot of muscle at one time, you maximize your bodies’ ability to increase your fat burning and muscle building hormones, and increase your metabolism.
The Protocol
> Perform the four exercises in a circuit fashion.
> Complete the number of reps designated for all four exercises before you move onto the next designated number of reps.
> Rest as little as possible.
> Time yourself to see how long it takes you to complete the circuit. The next time you perform this circuit try to beat your previous time.
The Workout
> Perform 15, 12, 10, 8, and then 6 reps for each exercise. Make sure to perform 15 reps for each exercise before moving onto the 12 rep round, and so on.
> Make sure to perform a quick dynamic warm-up before you start the workout. Three to five minutes of jumping rope or some dynamic stretching will work well.
Exercise Sets/Reps
Burpee to Jumping Pull-Up 5 / 15,12,10,8,6
Overhead Kettlebell Swing
Goblet Hold Walking Lunge
Push-Up Taps
Perform the exercises as a circuit, performing 15 reps for each move the first time through, then 12 and so on until you are doing six reps for each on the fifth pass through the circuit.
Up Next: How to perform each move
The Exercises
Burpee to Jumping Pull-Up
Start the exercise by first jumping down onto the ground until your chest and hips hit the ground. Jump back up onto your feet and jump up and grab onto the pull-up bar and get your chin above the bar.
Alternative Exercise: Burpee to Pulldown
Overhead Kettlebell Swing
Line the kettlebell up in the midline of your body and step back about 8-12 inches away from the bell. Hinge forward with a flat back and grab onto the bell. Swing the bell in between your legs and thrust your hips and squeeze your glutes. Keep your elbows slightly bent as you power the bell up above your head.
Alternative Exercise: Kettlebell Swing
Goblet Hold Walking Lunge
Grab a kettlebell or dumbbell and hold it by your chest. Take a step forward and drop your knee to the ground, making 90-degree angles with your knees. Explosively step back up and repeat.
Alternative Exercise: Walking Lunges
Push-Up Tap
Assume the standard push-up position and perform a standard push-up. As you come back to the top position of the push-up, take your right hand and touch your left side of your chest and pause to stabilize. Repeat on the other side.
Alternative Exercise: Push-Up
Justin Grinnell, CSCS, is the owner of State of Fitness in East Lansing, Michigan. Justin received his Bachelor of Science in kinesiology from Michigan State University specializing in exercise science, fitness leadership, athletic administration, and health promotion in 2004. He is a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), and the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA). He also holds a certification from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and is CrossFit Level I certified. For more training info from Justin Grinnell, CSCS, you can visit his gym’s website at www.mystateoffitness.com, his Facebook page, or check him out on Twitter
