Short and Sharp Workout in 20 Minutes

I was a bit short on time this afternoon and it would have been easy to just not do anything considering it was 45 degrees outside and the third hottest day on record in Adelaide, Australia.

But, I am a personal trainer after all and I should be leading by example right. Thank God for air conditioned gym's though...

A 20 minute workout can be plenty if you keep the intensity up and the rest time between exercises and sets down to a minimum, usually just enough to get your breath back.

Here it is and I have shown the weights I used for illustration purposes and you can see how I have increased the weight on each set

1. Dumbbell Chest Press - 10/12.5/15 kg - 12 Reps

2. Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown - 33/40/40 kg - 12 Reps

3. Dumbbell Deadlifts - 10/12.5/15 kg - 15 Reps

1-3 is done as a small circuit (or Tri-Set) with no rest in between but taking approximately 30 seconds rest between sets/circuits. Repeat for 3 sets in total.

4. One Arm Bridge - 1 Minute (15 seconds per arm and swap x4)

5. Prone Hold (on elbows) - 1 Minute

6. Pushup Bridge - 1 Minute (same as 1 but with both arms for the minute)

Repeat as for 1-3 but only ONCE

7. 1 Arm Alternating Bicep Curls - 10/12.5/12.5 kg - 12/10/10 Reps (each arm)

8. Bench Tricep Dips - 15/15/15 Reps

Repeat as for 1-3 (2 exercises back to back is referred to as a 'Superset')

That's it! Obviously this could be a number of different exercises and the weights will vary from person to person. But what is important here is the short space of time allowed and how much you can get done if you keep the rest period down which really elevates the heart rate.

If you need any further explanations of any of the exercises let me know and I will get onto it.

Tom Venuto's New Book: The Body Fat Solution

Tom Venuto has a new book out called 'The Body Fat Solution: 5 Principles for Burning Fat, Building Lean Muscle, Ending Emotional Eating and Maintaining Your Perfect Weight.'

I have just received my copy and can't wait to start reading it. It is not available from Australian book retailers just yet but can be ordered online from Amazon or Barnes & Noble in the US. Go to his website for the correct links if you would like to order it.

His first publication was an ebook called 'Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle' (BFFM) and has been one of the most popular fitness books on the web for several years. I have used it extensively and can honestly say his information is the best out there.

Tom is a life time natural bodybuilder and BFFM was a little more on the technical side of how to get really lean based on training methods used by bodybuilders and fitness models. The Body Fat Solution was written to deliver the same kinds of training, nutrition and psychology that BFFM contains but in a more everyday language that anyone at any level can use and benefit from.

It comes with my highest recommendation and would make an excellent gift to someone you know who may need it.

Would love to hear your feedback when you get to reading it.

One Of My Favourite Body Weight Leg and Glute Workouts

This is an excellent body weight leg and glute workout from Craig Ballantyne. He is a very highly respected fitness writer and his blog is an excellent source for workouts as is his YouTube channel, cbathletics. You can also find great workouts for any body part just by typing in your chosen exercise. Anything that comes up with Craig's videos or material is highly recommended and very effective.

I actually use something very similar to this in my own workouts sometimes with weights but it can certainly be done as a circuit without weights. Just click on the video below to watch.



If you have a particular exercise that you want to or know more about, leave me a comment and I will post it for you or send you some information directly via email.