Minimize Your Workout For Maximum Effect

I have been on a quest to get in shape for years. I played basketball in highschool and was in amazing shape when I graduated. I went through college eating junk, chasing women (which wasn't much of an exercise) and sitting around watching Jerry Springer. After college I focused on my career and starting a family. Like many others I tried every piece of workout equipment that came along and every diet I could find. Some worked, some didn't but the ones that worked took a lot of time and effort that I didn't have.

I've been on a quest to find a workout plan that didn't take too long to do every day. It seems like I would never find anything that was simple and quick enough for my busy lifestyle. Finally, I had to say enough is enough and take matters in to my own hands.

The illusion that fitness instructors create is that you have to spend an hour a day in the gym following their workout plan. When you're charging $30/hour you can't have a client come in for 6 minutes and when you create a workout DVD you can't sell someone a DVD that has four or five exercises on it that last 30 seconds each. So the myth lives on that you can't be in shape if you don't spend a lot of time working toward being ripped.

Another myth is the "No pain, no gain" mentality. This is what we're told so we feel like what we're doing is working. Other wise you'd buy a workout DVD, do it one time and then tell your friends you don't think it worked.

The biggest problem is that 80% of the people who buy gym memberships never use it because they don't have time or it's too hard. Working out doesn't have to be too hard to work.

The truth is you can gain muscle and strength and live a healthier lifestyle and only put in a minimum amount of effort. I'm sure you've agreed with everything I said until now. Next time you have one minute to yourself drop down and do five push ups. If you can only do one then do one. If you are unable to do them properly then do them on your knees or up against the wall but don't do more than five. Try to do three sets of five your first day but spread them out. Do five when you wake up, five for lunch or when you get home from work and do five right before bed. It will literally take 20-30 seconds to do them.

You don't want to do them every day. If your muscles feel tired the next day then rest. Shoot for three to four days your first week. By the second week you should be able to increase the amount of push ups you can do. Once you've proven to yourself that you can do this add sit ups or crunches and squats. You will spend five minutes a day and work your whole body.

Tim lives in Orlando, FL with his wonderful wife and three daughters.

Tim Joseph
Minimize Workout

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Max Interval Training Provides Maximum Results In Minimal Time

ByJamie Casello

Everyone has a different pace when it comes to fitness training. Some prefer slow and steady while some enjoy fast and furious. There are benefits to both styles of exercise and new research that shows how different methods produce drastically different physiological effects.

There are people like enjoy reading a book while strolling on the tread mill and there are people who go full force on the AirDyne until they fall off the bike in a heap. Both methods will help with weight loss, improve your cardiovascular health as well as brain function and many other health benefits. People out there who are looking to control their weight, correct their diabetes or just improve their general health will gain from any regular exercise.

Elite athletes have been using interval training for over thirty years, but new sports science shows that mixing up your workout with both very slow and very fast intervals will give you more bang for your buck and in a shorter amount of time than they originally imagined. In fact, interval training can double your endurance in only 2 weeks of training. More surprising is the fact is that it will boost the endurance of people who are already engaged in regular conditioning.

Interval training provides another benefit which many people will be more interested in. Interval training increases the body's ability to burn fat. Recent studies of subjects over a two week period showed over a 35 percent increase in the amount of fat burned.

There has not been an exact number put on the best ratio of fast to slow training but the rest or recovery part of the interval should not allow the heart rate to return to a resting rate before the next high intensity phase begins again. It is believed that the low intensity phase will allow waste products to be removed from the muscle before the next push. This makes it possible for more high intensity training during the workout than one solid high intensity session.

You can apply this training technique to almost any type of cardio exercise. Additionally, any athlete will benefit from adding interval training to their current regimen and see performance improvements across the board. For those of us without elite training resources, there are a few high quality workout programs on the market such as the Insanity workout that make max interval training the foundation of the system and take max interval training to new levels. For those of us who are short on time, max interval training provides the greatest benefits in the shortest amount of time and who doesn't want that?

Want to find out more about Insanity, then visit Jamie Casello's site on how to choose the best Asylum interval training for your needs.

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