| ") -- When it comes to multitasking, you've got it down. But if exercise is often bumped off your to-do list by everything else vying for your attention, why not make workout time your me time? " "Now, before you protest that you don't have time to exercise, hear us out. We've got five ways to shave precious minutes off your routine while still getting you the same benefits as a full-length workout. And once you've reaped the rewards, we'll bet you won't hesitate to put it at the top of your list." "Get the same strength results in 50 to 67 percent less time by doing just 1 set of strength moves. Recently revised strength-training guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend a single set of 8 to 12 strength reps (with enough weight that you can't do any more) instead of 2 or 3 sets. "Research shows that this gives similar results in terms of muscle strength and endurance as multiple sets," says Robert M. Otto, PhD, the guidelines' associate editor and director of Adelphi University's Human Performance Laboratory in Garden City, New York. (" " 16 minutes if you normally do 2 sets; 32 minutes if you normally do 3 sets (based on 8 exercises)." "A pyramid approach to your cardio workout will save time over exerting the same effort throughout, says Keli Roberts, an ACSM-certified personal trainer and group fitness manager at Equinox Pasadena. Here's how it works: You gradually move from low intensity for a longer time to high intensity for a shorter time, then back down again. For example, run for 5 minutes at 4 mph, then 3 minutes at 5 mph, 1 minute at 6 mph, 3 more minutes at 5 mph, then finally 5 more minutes at your original speed (4 mph); repeat. (" "Try adding bursts of speed to your cardio routine to save time while burning the same number of calories (or maybe even a little more) and building your speed
... read the whole article |