30 Minute Full Body Workout

use the time wisely!

Just about everyone has had a day where you want to get to the gym, but 30 minutes is all you got. Many times when I have had a day like this it is easy to use this as an excuse to skip physical activity all together. I mean, some days it feels like it takes me hours to mentally prepare myself to get to the gym; so for only 30 minutes? Yes! Go for 30 minutes. As long as you use the time wisely, you will be so glad that a 30 minute workout got you to sweat, get your heart rate up, and release some endorphins!

Training styles

To say a 30 minute workout has been effective can vary from person to person. It all comes down to what makes you feel accomplished at the end of your gym time. Some people thoroughly enjoy running, so 30 minutes of using the treadmill would leave them feeling accomplished; whereas another person only having time for the treadmill would leave them feeling agitated and wishing for more time. The main concern for this 30 minute workout is to get the best “burn for your buck!” In order to achieve this we will start with “intense” cardio and do 3 trisets* with weights.

30 minute Full Body Burner

1. Cardio (1:00-5:00)
   1. Jumping rope, elliptical, stairclimber, or uphill treadmill are all good options.
   2. Start slow for the first 2 minutes. End with sprinting or as close to it as you can safely.
2. Back & Bi’s Tri-set (5:00-15:00)
   1. 8 Bicep Curls (no rest)
   2. 8 Straight Arm Wide Lat Pulldown (no rest)
   3. 8 Wide Grip Face Pull (no rest)
   4. 1-2 min rest, then repeat for a total of 2 times.
3. Chest & Tri’s Tri-set (15:00 -25:00)
   1. 8 Incline Bench Dumbbell Chest Press (no rest)
   2. 8 Incline Bench Close (Hammer) Grip Dumbbell Chest Press (no rest)
   3. Tricep dips to failure (no rest)
   4. 1-2 min rest, then repeat for a total of 2 times.
4. Legs Tri-set (25:00-30:00)
   1. 8 Weighted Hip Thrusts (no rest)
   2. 8 Dumbbell Lunges
   3. 8 Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts

*Tri-set- 3 exercises performed back-to-back with little/no rest.

The outcome

This little 30 minute workout will accomplish more than you think. It gets your heart rate up and also works several different muscle groups. More importantly, this workout will help you get to the gym when you may have felt you wouldn’t have time. When you make the effort to just get there, it always leads to wanting to go more. Nerdy, but so true and applicable, is Newton’s first law of motion: an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion. The more often you skip going to the gym, the more you will skip going. The more you get to the gym, whether it be for a full workout or just 30 minutes, the more you will get to the gym!

Drop a comment below with how you were feeling the day after this little doozy! 😉