The #1 reason people give for not being able to exercise is “NOT ENOUGH TIME.“ Here are 3 short, intense workouts that are 30 minutes or less.  30 minutes amounts to only 2% of your day! The key is to bring the focus and intensity to each session and be consistent to see results.

All 3 workouts use only a treadmill and dumbbells.  The first 2 are centered on muscle building and begin with 10 minutes cardio followed by 20 minutes of dumbbell exercises. The last workout is less than 30 minutes and blends cardio with short muscle segments for more of a fat loss emphasis. Give one a try and tell me what you think.

Workout #1: Treadmill & Legs

Treadmill for 10 minutes

• Begin with 10 minutes of cardio on the treadmill. You can also use any other type of cardio equipment, such as the bike, elliptical, or stairs.
• You will need two sets of dumbbells for the muscle segment that follows (one heavy and one light).
• Adjust incline or speed up or down to accommodate your fitness level

 

Exercise	Time	Speed	Incline
Walk	1 minute	4.0	2
Jog	1 minute	5.0	3
Jog	1 minute	5.5	4
Run	1 minute	6.5	5
Run	*45 seconds	7.0	5
Walk	*45 seconds	4.0	5

*Repeat the above 90 second interval (last two 45 second segments) until you have reached 10 minutes total on the treadmill 

Leg Circuit: 20 minutes

• Do the exercises in the order listed below.
• 5 exercises circuited 3 times for 20 minutes
• If you finish too quickly increase weight, sets, or reps. If you are unable to complete all 3 rounds in 20 minutes, decrease weight or reps.

Exercise	Reps	Instructions
Walking Lunges	20 steps (10 ea. leg)	Dumbbells held at your sides (weight is optional)
Bench step ups	10 each leg	Dumbbells held at your sides (weight is optional)
Squat jumps	10 reps	Can do pulsing squats if you don’t want to jump
Sumo Squat	15 reps	Holding 1 single heavy dumbbell between the legs
Glute Bridges	10 full range reps followed by 10 pulsing reps	Holding 1 single dumbbell at the hips

Workout #2: Treadmill & Shoulders

Treadmill for 10 minutes

Exercise	Time	Speed	Incline
Incline walk	1 minute	4.0	6
Incline walk	1 minute	4.0	7
Incline walk	1 minute	4.0	8
Incline walk	1 minute	4.0	9
Incline walk	1 minute	4.0	10
Incline walk	1 minute	3.8	11
Incline walk	1 minute	3.8	12
Incline Walk	1 minute	3.7	13
Incline walk	1 minute	3.5	14
Incline walk	1 minute	3.5	15

Shoulder Circuit: 20 minutes

Exercise	Reps	Instructions
Overhead Shoulder Press	10 reps	Seated palms facing forward
Front Raise	10 reps	Standing, elbows have a slight  micro-bend
Rear delt reverse fly	10 reps	Seated, chest to knees, slight bend in elbows
Lateral Raises	10 reps	Use your heavier weight
Lateral Raises	10 reps	Use your lighter weights

Workout #3: Cardio with Shoulders 24 minutes

• You will need 1 set of moderate dumbbells positioned near your treadmill.
• You will be getting on and off the treadmill

Exercise	Time	Speed	Incline
Incline Walk	1 minute	4.0	5
Incline jog	1 minute	5.0	8
Incline run	1 minute	6.0	8
Incline walk	1 minute	4.0	5
Off Treadmill: Squat to Shoulder Press	1 minute
Off Treadmill: Push-ups	1 minute
Incline walk	1 minute	4.0	6
incline run	1 minute	6.0	8
incline run	1 minute	7.0	8
Incline Walk	1 minute	4.0	6
Squat to Overhead Shoulder Press off the treadmill	1 minute
Push ups off the treadmill	1 minute
*Incline walk	1 minute	4.0	8
*Incline run	1 minute	6.0	8
*Incline run	1 minute	7.0	8
*Incline Walk	1 minute	4.0	8
*Squat to Overhead Shoulder Press off the treadmill	1 minute
*Push ups off the treadmill	1 minute

*Repeat the last 6 minutes of the cardio muscle segment above to conclude with a total of 24 minutes.