What time is it? Time to train!
We sent out a survey at www.Strongerman.com the other week and the results we’re quite interesting.
One of the most insightful questions was “What would you say is the biggest thing holding you back from getting as strong and enduring as you want?”
As this was an open ended question there were many responses but they could be broken down into a number of categories.
You know what the number one answer was? That over one forth of all people attributed to holding them back?
TIME
I must make a distinction. There is a difference between having enough time to get a decent workout in versus having enough time to do all the training you would want.
If you’re in the second group that’s good to be reaching for an ideal. Not everyone’s a professional athlete whose job it is to train. But I think most people fall more towards the first group.
Does it take time to train? Yes. Some people work a full-time job or even more than that. And then you have other responsibilities like family or friends. At that point working out can seem like something you just don’t have time for.
Here’s the thing. Workouts shouldn’t take long. I’m a big proponent of doing short workouts. I’ve done effective workouts shorter than 10 minutes. And if you don’t have ten minutes you need to take a good look at your schedule and find out where you can find that time.
Now not every workout is that short, but to be honest most of my workouts are under 30 or forty minutes. I haven’t done a workout longer than an hour in a long time. Not only are those marathon sessions unnecessary but they can be counter-productive.
As a concrete example, last week I did a kettlebell snatch test. The goal: in ten minutes to do as many snatches as possible. With a 32 kg bell this is an absolute brutal workout. I not only got 160 reps but I did it without setting the bell down (but with multiple hand switches) a new record for myself.
Ten minutes is tough. For beginners even with a lighter bell you won’t be able to last that long. Do eight minutes or even five. Since this is such an effective exercise working the entire body that’s all you need.
Now if you’re after certain goals you’ll have to play around with what you do and the timing in order to reach them. But it can be done.
Don’t tell me you don’t have time to train. That’s the worst excuse there is used by the lazy to mask their laziness. I can guarantee that you have the time somewhere
Stop making excuses and do it. If you train smart and effectively everyone has the time to train.
In strength,
Logan Christopher
Comments
I couldn’t agree more with this one Logan. “I don’t have time” and/or “I can’t make it to the gym” are two of the worst things a person can say to me lol. If you’re that strapped for time, wake up 10 minutes early every morning and do as many pushups as possible for 5 minutes and then as many squats as possible for 5 minutes. Or alternate every minute. Either way that’s not a bad workout.
Todd
I totally agree with your response chris, I used to do traditional body building type training, and would spend hours in the gym. But a wife and two kids later I realized something had to give. I tell you what, I am a police officer, security guard, army national guard officer and Minister, and I still make time to train. I no longer do traditional weight lifting.for the past two years I have done mostly core type excercises, Isometrics (dynamic tension) and Kettle bells. I tell you what, I am stronger and better conditioned now than i ever was doing what I did before and with less time. Like you, it takes me 30 min. or less. I am also focusing more on grip training which fits right in with my regiment. there is always time to train, and you most certainly can accomplish plenty in 10 mins. It starts in the mind and being determined to do the work.
God bless and keep up the good work
G-MAN
Todd, that’s a good workout and even the most beginner person can get started there.
Greg, I use to do the bodybuilding thing too. At one point I even stopped mid-workout to have a shake then go back into the gym for about another hour.
-Logan