Super Duper Effective Tactics…Time Efficient Strength Training Right Now!
Time is always a factor! Whether you’re running a business, robbing a bank, or trying to fit your strength training in at some point during the day time is always the thing that has to be considered. Ok maybe the robbing the bank part was a bad example, but for most folks it’s not easy to fit in an effective strength training session due to time constraints. If it were easy then everybody would do it, right? Well I’m here to ease your mind because time doesn’t have to be the reason for being unproductive and weak! Keep on reading to discover how my friend.
Factors To Consider…
Time to get in an effective strength training session really only revolves around a couple of things. Well, basically only a couple of things. These things are knowledge and resources. That’s right, only knowledge and resources! Who would have thunk it? So what do I mean? Well, if we look at the resources part of it the point is that you have to have some minimum requirement of resources even if it is only floor space or a space conducive for some quality strength training drills. This can be obtained in a number of ways. Your garage, your yard, your driveway, your neighbor’s driveway, or even the park down the street would all suffice. You’ve got to have some space that you can openly and comfortably move around in in order to lift stuff, throw stuff, scream at the stuff , curse at the stuff being thrown and lifted, and sweat because of the stuff for at least 45 minutes without being distracted.
Additional resources for effective strength training don’t have to be sophisticated either. Some kettlebells, dumbbells, medicine balls, cones, hurdles, or even your own body weight would qualify as being effective training tools. The resources that are required for you to take full advantage of your training time should be convenient and effective, period. But Brandon, what about the knowledge part your were talking about? Patience young Jedi, I’m going to address that in 5 seconds. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…
Knowledge…The Other Factor
So what do I mean about knowledge? Umm… I don’t know? Just kidding. I just wanted to make the point that not knowing means nothing happens. If I had said I don’t know and slapped a big ole period on the end of the sentence and ended this blog post you would probably be like What the hell? I wouldn’t blame you either, but that What the hell moment is exactly the thing that is reinforcing my point that knowledge is the other key factor. Effective strength training alone requires knowledge and the application of that knowledge. Without it either nothing will happen or if something does then it probably won’t be all that productive. It would essentially be another What the hell moment! Most folks don’t believe they can get an effective, ball busting, river sweating, fat shedding, lightning fast, effective strength training session in under 20 minutes. Wrong!
If you don’t believe that you can do this then you definitely don’t know what needs to be done in order to get it done! Umm remember that whole knowledge thing? This is where I come in because I have some suggestions for you to put into action. Trust me, these work especially if you are being squeezed by the clock!
Some Of My Simple Suggestions…
Perform A Circuit: Essentially you will want to pick a battery of exercises and blow through them one after the other to the best of your ability. The circuit can be a choice of at least 3 exercises or more and you can run through the circuit as many times as you are capable or as much as your time limit will allow.
Superset Your Drills: If you are not going to engage in a circuit then combine or superset 2 opposing strength training exercises. For instance make one a push oriented drill and the other a pull oriented drill. This way you are hitting opposing movements and giving one set of muscles a rest while you punish the others. What doesn’t get a rest is your cardio. A good example of this would be combining kettlebell swings and burpees.
Pick A Single Total Body Drill And Blister It: For this all you need to do is pick out a single gut wrenching total body strength endurance type of exercise and kill it. When you do this measure your volume by either performing a bunch of repetitions or by doing it for time. Either way you will get an effective strength training bout in with good time. Kettlebell swings, snatches, deadlifts, or medicine ball throws would all qualify for this challenge. Trust me this is effective!
Plain And Simple Time Is VALUABLE!!!
Look the point to all of this is that time is a valuable thing. Even being the coach/trainer on the other side of this coin I understand that variable as well as anybody. Both the trainee and trainer’s time is valuable. This is why I get super pissed whenever I have a student show up late for a training session on more than one occasion. I’m reasonable and I understand everyone has days where the sh*t hits the fan. However if that is happening everyday and affecting my schedule then I don’t have time to adjust to someone else, as I wouldn’t expect them to be happy with me if I were the late one or the no show on a consistent basis. This is how guys and girls in my field get paid. We not only get paid for our expertise in the field, but we are paid for our time.
I’m always saying that time is something that you can’t get back. If you buy a pair of shoes that either don’t fit or you decide you don’t like then you can return them to either get back a pair that does fit or get your money back. You can’t do this with time. If myself or any other trainer/coach has folks that are too time crunched to get in their effective strength training then I lose money. This is why I charge for time. Time is spent on a number of things ranging from equipment, programming, continuing education (that knowledge thing), scheduling, travel, and resources (being that other factor).
We have to be considerate to each others time and find time to chill in the process. Look I’m not one to say that chill time is time wasted. Being able to relax and have fun is part of life which is why smart strength training to me is time well spent. The benefits add to that fun time if you ask me. Now having said this there is a line that has to be drawn somewhere. I mean if we just said the hell with time then we would have a world full of attitudes like that of the DUDE disagreeing with our assessment of his tardiness to show up and train…
The dude abides. I think you get where I’m coming from. Time efficient strength training is essential whether you can fit in 20 minutes or a few hours a week. You have to have the resources and the knowledge to get it done. If you need additional help with these then I’d be glad to help by inviting you to join my emailing list right here for FREE. Upon joining you’ll get some cool stuff for FREE including my strength training guide on how to execute a one arm one legged push up (again covering some of that knowledge factor). Remember that most anyone can train hard, but only the best train smart my friend. Start your smart training today!
