Many people want to get stronger, but they feel that they just don’t have enough time to train. What if you only have about 30 to 45 minutes per week to workout?
Marty Gallagher may be the foremost authority in regard to the subject of gaining as much strength as possible in a limited amount of time. He is a seasoned powerlifting coach who was contacted by the military to help those in the Special Forces to get stronger. Part of the challenge was to accomplish this within the context of a minimal amount of weekly training time. Marty’s solution was to develop a schedule consisting two brief workouts per week. This strategy proved to be successful with those he trained and is listed below:
Workout #1: 20 minute workout
Squat: Work up to one heavy set of 5 to 8 reps.
Bench press: Work up to one heavy set of 5 to 8 reps.
Rest three days before doing workout #2 workout
Workout #2: 20 minute workout
Overhead Press: Work up to one heavy set of 5 to 8 reps.
Deadlift: Work up to one heavy set of 5 to 8 reps.
This same workout is discussed when Marty was interviewed on the following video:
Warm-up Sets
Notice that only two exercises are done each workout, and only four exercises are done each week. The four exercises consist of the bench press, squat, deadlift, and overhead press. When working up to a heavy set of an exercise, start with three warm-up sets of the same exercise before doing a single heavy work-set. This is outlined below:
Warm-up set 1: Do 8 reps with 40% of your single rep max
Warm-up set 2: Do 4 reps with 50% of your single rep max
Warm-up set 3: Do 2 reps with 60% of your single rep max
Work-set 1: Do 5 to 8 reps with 70% to 85% of your single rep max
Keep Workouts to 20 Minutes or Less
You don’t need more than a minute of rest between warm-up sets, but after your last warm-up set, rest at least two minutes before doing your heavy work-set. When you stay within these time parameters for rest between sets, it shouldn’t take any more than twenty minutes to do each workout. The amount of workout time per week should be forty minutes or less.
Variations of The Same Exercise
It’s easy to look at this workout and see that you are only doing four exercises per week, which may not seem like enough. However, Marty recommends changing the way each exercise is performed by doing different variations of the same exercise. For example, when doing squats and deadlifts you can change the width of your stance and the amount of uprightness or forward lean with your upper body. When doing the bench press and overhead press, you can change the width of your grip. You can also bring the bar down to various locations on your chest when doing the bench press. This will provide the necessary exercise variation to stimulate your muscles in a variety of ways.
If you have more time or more days available to workout, you can always add to the workout listed. However, if your time is truly limited, the workout listed will help you to get the most from your efforts in the least amount of time. Best of training to you.