Quinn the Mighty

Many people complain that they do not have enough time to exercise. They say they are busy with work, family, school, sports, etc. Most of the time this is just an excuse.

You do not need to spend countless hours at the gym to transform yourself and get great results. Many great strength training routines only require exercising three times per week for an hour each workout. In this articles, I present five tips to help you make time for exercise.

1. Make an appointment. Schedule your workout each week by adding it to your business calendar just as you would any other meeting.  This way you cannot schedule another meeting or activity at the same time. Making your workout an appointment each week will also provide more motivation to get to the gym.
2. Wake up earlier.  An early morning workout is a great way to wake yourself up and start the day.  All you need to do is wake up half an hour earlier and shower at the gym, and you will free up about an hour of time for working out.
3. Watch less TV and spend less time on the computer.   Many people waste countless hours in front of the television and on the computer.  Limit the amount of time you spend in front of the television by only watching your favorite show each day.  Avoid channel surfing.  Whenever you go on the computer, set a time limit and stick to it.  If you are having trouble, try keeping a timer on your desk next to your computer.



4. Home gym.  A home gym can be a time saver because you do not have to commute to the gym and can workout any time you want.  Additionally, you do not have to wait for or share any equipment.
5. Make your workouts efficient.  Strength training with isolation movements and performing low-intensity steady state cardio–such as long distance running–is inefficient and wastes your time. 
   • When strength training, use mult-joint, compound exercises. Movements such as the squat, deadlift, overhead press, power clean, chin-ups, and bench press work all the major muscles in your body and will give you the most bang for your buck.
   • Perform high intensity cardio. High intensity forms of cardio, such as interval training and Crossfit workouts, will burn more fat and can be performed in less time than traditional low intensity cardio.

Leave a comment and let me know your tips to help make time for exercise.

Advantages.  Jumping rope is a great form of cardio.  There is an endless variety of jumping techniques and you can jump at your own pace.  Jumping rope can be used as a form of low intensity cardio or in higher intensity intervals.  Besides being a great workout, jumping rope can

• Increase cardio-vascular conditioning
• Improve coordination, balance, rhythm, grace
• Give a total body workout including the calves, quads, glutes, and forearms.
• Increase the amount of calories you use and help burn fat. 
  

Jumping rope can be used as its own form of cardio or as part of a circuit.

Equipment.  Jumping rope does not require much equipment.  All you need is a jump rope and large enough area.  If you are just getting started, I recommend a cheap speed rope.  You can pick one up at your local sporting goods store or online for $5-10.  Make sure you get a rope that is adjustable  As you adjust your rope, play around with the length until you get it just right.  Nothing is more frustrating then trying to jump with a rope that is too short or too long. 

Skill set.  Jumping rope is a skill.  Treat the first few sessions as practice.  Do not try to tire yourself out.  Instead focus on the various techniques I list below.  A good starting goal is to try and work up to 20 minutes of jumping at a fast pace. 

Techniques.  There are various jumping techniques.  I list a few of the basics here to get you started.  You should never feel bored jumping rope because of the variety of techniques available. 

• Double foot jump.  Start with the standard two-footed jump.  For some variety try jumping forward and back or side-to-side.
  
• Single foot jump.  Just as it sounds, jump on only one leg.  When your leg gets tired, switch to the other leg.
  
• Boxer shuffle.  As you are jumping in place, alternate each leg forward and back.
• Running in place.  Just as it sounds, continuously jump from foot to foot as if you were running.
• High knees.  This is similar to running in place, but involves lifting your knees as high as possible.
  
• Doubles.  To perform a double, jump up and try to spin the rope twice around before you land.  As you get better, try performing a double at various time throughout your workout for variety.  You can also try performing multiple doubles in a row.

Move around.  As you are jumping, try moving in different directions.  You can also work your way around the lines on a basketball court or move around in a circle.  The options are endless.

A common mistake made by many people who first start a strength training program is not getting enough rest and recovery between workouts.  Some people even attempt training 7 days a week!  After about a week of this, they start to feel sore and fatigued all the time.   Although I admire their enthusiasm, they need to understand what happens to their body when they engage in strength training. 

Strength training actually breaks down and damages your muscle.  You actually will leave the gym weaker than when you went in.  Your body is resilient though, and it repairs and rebuilds itself stronger than before.  If you give your body time to recover, the next time you go back into the gym, you should be a little bit stronger because your body has adapted.

The important part to emphasis here is that your body grows and repairs itself when you are not in the gym.  You need to give yourself sufficient time to recover between workouts.  This articles explores various recovery methods that you can do to decrease recovery time and reduce soreness between workouts.   

Static stretching.  Static stretching after a workout is a great way to aid recovery.  Not only will you feel less sore the next day, but stretching after a workout can also increase flexibility.  You should stretch both the muscles you worked and the antagonist muscles.  So if you worked your hamstrings that day, you should stretch both your hamstrings and your quads. 

Post workout nutrition.  After you workout, you want to get nutrients into your muscles quickly.  Many people drink protein shakes after a workout, but post workout is also a great time to consume carbohydrates.  Good carbohydrate sources after a workout include oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes, yams, and dextrose.  The carbohydrates will replace muscle glycogen, which was used up in the workout.

Soft tissue work.  Foam rolling helps bring blood into the muscles.  This will promote muscle growth and recovery.  I recommend getting a foam roller for the larger muscles and using a tennis or lacrosse ball for the smaller areas. 

Hydrotherapy.  Contrast showers and ice baths can aid recovery by increasing the amount of blood in a region.  This helps bring vital nutrients into the muscles and will help you recovery quickly.

• Ice baths.  If you have access to an ice bath, take advantage of the opportunity.  Get in the ice bath and stay in as long as you can up to 5 minutes.  Then take a long warm shower letting the water hit the muscles you worked. 
  
• Contrast showers.  When you are in the shower, first turn the water as cold as you can stand it for 15 – 30 seconds.  Next turn the water as hot as you can stand it for 15 – 30 seconds.  This is one cycle.  Repeat for 3 – 6 cycles.  Again, let the water hit the muscles you worked.

Low intensity cardio.  Low intensity cardio gets the blood flowing, which allows more nutrients to flow into the muscles.  This also can help pull the lactic acid out of the muscles.  Do not overexert yourself; a brisk walk will work just fine. 

Sleep.  Sleep is the most important tool you have to aid recovery.  When you are sleeping, your body’s repair system goes into overdrive.  You should aim for at least 8 hours of sleep a night.  The quality of sleep is also important.  If you are tossing and turning all night, then you are not going to wake up feeling refreshed and recovered. 

Napping.  Most people do not have the luxury of taking a nap during the day, but a short nap after a workout is a great way to aid recovery.  Even just a 30 minute nap, can help reduce soreness. 

You might not be able to use all these methods, but try adding one or two into your current routine.  If there are any other methods of recovery that you use, let me know about it in the comments.