The most efficient workout routine for people short on time
Workout split and how to do it without a gym.
Exercise is the most potent intervention we currently have for longevity. If physicians prescribed exercise as freely as they prescribe medication, we’d likely see a tremendous drop in chronic disease rates and improved health outcomes for an extraordinary number of people. Meeting the minimum recommended 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity provides significant longevity benefits, but higher durations and intensities are strongly associated with increased longevity and reduced mortality risk.
When it comes to exercise, the data is so unequivocal, that I will always encourage you to exercise as much as you can. However, since I received questions from people who are in phases of their lives where they cannot dedicate enough time to exercise (new parents, people extremely busy with work, etc.), I have decided to provide a framework for the most efficient types of workouts you can do with limited time and/or limited access to a gym. I will provide workout splits for different amount of time, along with specific exercises to focus on, minimal home equipment you can get, and some free resources for follow-along workouts. But whatever you do, please don’t take this information as permission to exercise less.
If you only have 150 minutes a week (2.5 hours)
If this sounds like a lot, it’s not. This is actually the minimum amount of time needed to start reaping the health benefits from exercise. If you do the math, 150 minutes per week comes down to about 20 minutes per day, which is probably less than most of us spend scrolling on social media or watching Netflix. The good news is that one of the workouts in this protocol will actually allow you to watch Netflix for an hour while doing it.
When you work out, there are always three things you aim to do: improve your cardiovascular fitness, build strength, and maintain mobility. Contrary to what some fitness influencers might encourage you to do, with only 150 minutes per week, the most efficient way to exercise is to split it into three sessions instead of doing a short workout every day. It’s much harder to maximize cardiovascular or strength outputs within a super short timeframe. If you can block two hour-long sessions and another half hour session here’s what you should focus on:
1 hour of strength training
1 hour of Zone 2 cardio
20-30 minutes of VO2 max cardio
If you only have two hours per week, you could condense the Zone 2 cardio and VO2 max work in one session with 40-45 minutes of Zone 2 and 20 minutes of VO2 max. But I really encourage you to push for 2.5 hours in total if you can.
Strength training day
Since you only have one hour to work on building muscle strength, the most efficient way to do that is to focus on full-body compound movements that target multiple muscle groups at once. These include:
Squats: target the quads, hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and core.
Deadlifts: engage the hamstrings, glutes, lower back, traps, and core.
Bench Press: works the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core.
Overhead Press: targets the shoulders, triceps, upper chest, and core.
Pull-Ups/Chin-Ups: engages the back, biceps, shoulders, and core.
Rows: focuses on the back, biceps, and core.
Lunges: target the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core.
Step-ups: work the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and core.
Push-Ups: works the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core.
Dips: target the chest, shoulders, and triceps.
Planks: engage the core, shoulders, and glutes.
Kettlebell Swings: target the hamstrings, glutes, lower back, shoulders, and core.
Dumbbell Snatch: targets the legs, hips, back, core, shoulders, and arms.
At the gym
If you can join a gym, I encourage you to do so. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, just somewhere with all the equipment you need and as close to your home or office as possible. The reason I love working out in a gym is that walking into a space where you have room to move and all the equipment at your fingertips removes a lot of mental effort. Getting motivated by the other people working out is a bonus.
Here’s a full 1-hour workout example that targets all major muscle groups:
You will need to adjust the weights for each exercise based on your fitness level, but always remember that form and technique are more important than adding a ton of weight and potentially injuring yourself. If you have someone who can teach you proper form, that would be ideal. Otherwise, find YouTube videos that breakdown each move so you get a sense of how it’s performed.
At home
If working out in a gym is not an option, you can still get a great workout at home with minimal equipment. To do most of these compound movements, you only need dumbbells, kettlebells, a bench or sturdy chair and some resistance bands. For dumbbells, two sets would be ideal, with one set between 10-15 lbs and the other between 20-25 lbs. For the kettlebell you can go heavier, between 30-40 lbs.
Here’s the same 1-hour workout example adapted to your home “gym”:
Some of the free resources you can use for workout plans and follow-along workouts are the Nike Training app, YouTube and ChatGPT. With GPT, you can create programs for yourself based on these simple compound moves and the various weights you want to work with.
Zone 2 cardio day
Zone 2 cardio is typically defined as exercise performed at 60-70% of your maximum heart rate, where you can maintain a conversation but are breathing more heavily than at rest. Zone 2 cardio has a ton of benefits including: helps you build a strong aerobic foundation, enhances overall cardiovascular health, and improves endurance. It also burns fat, promotes metabolic health by improving insulin sensitivity, and aids in recovery between more intense workouts.
My preferred way to do Zone 2 is walking on a treadmill at an incline of 12 and a speed of 3mph. I usually listen to a podcast/ audiobook or watch a TV series while doing this. Based on your fitness level you can also do Zone 2 on a bike, rowing machine, swimming, hiking, jogging or stair climbing. Whatever you choose, don’t skip Zone 2 and measure your heart rate/ do a talk test to make sure you are exerting enough effort.
There are two ways to measure if you are in zone 2 while exercising:
Talk Test: A simple, non-technical method is the talk test. During zone 2 exercise, you should be able to maintain a conversation but not necessarily want to talk. If you can speak in full sentences without gasping for air, you are likely in zone 2.
Wearable Devices: The most accurate way to measure if you are in Zone 2 is by using a heart rate monitor. Zone 2 corresponds to 60-70% of your maximum heart rate. To calculate your maximum heart rate, you can use the formula: 220−your age. For example, if you are 30 years old, your estimated maximum heart rate is 190 beats per minute (bpm), and Zone 2 would be 114-133 bpm. A chest strap would be the best way to measure your heart rate in real time, but I find the Apple watch to be somewhat accurate too.
VO2 max cardio day
VO2 max represents the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during intense exercise, and increasing it through targeted training enhances your heart's efficiency in pumping blood, improves lung capacity, and boosts the body's ability to deliver oxygen to working muscles. A higher VO2 max is associated with lower mortality rates and improved quality of life. Some if its numerous benefits include: reduced risk of heart disease, improved blood pressure regulation, better blood sugar control, enhanced fat burning, and increased overall energy levels.
The simplest way to incorporate VO2 max training is the Norwegian 4x4 protocol, a high-intensity interval training method that only takes 20-30 minutes. It consists of four 4-minute intervals performed at 85-95% of maximum heart rate, with each interval separated by 3 minutes of active recovery at a low intensity.
Here’s how to do it:
Warm up for about 5 minutes (walk or light jog)
Perform the first 4-minute interval at 85-95% max heart rate (as hard as you can sustain for 4 minutes without going all out)
Recover actively for 3 minutes at low intensity (walk or very light jog)
Repeat for a total of 4 intervals
Cool down for 5-10 minutes
As with Zone 2, this can also be done with various cardio exercises like running, cycling, swimming, or rowing. I find it easiest on a treadmill, but you can also do it outside, on a track, or in a park.
If you (truly) only have 20-minute slots
For those situations where you really cannot set aside an hour-long session to workout, supersets and circuit workouts are the most efficacious solution. I love Kirsty Godso’s HIIT workouts on the Nike app, but here are a few examples you can do on your own:
Supersets
A superset is a circuit where you perform two exercises back-to-back with minimal to no rest in between. Ideally, you want to combine exercises that target different muscle groups.
Example:
Density circuits
A density circuit is a high-intensity workout method designed to maximize the amount of work you do in a set period. The goal is to complete as many rounds of a given set of exercises as possible within a specified time frame.
Example:
Tabata
A Tabata workout is a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) method that consists of 20 seconds of all-out intense exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated for a total of 8 rounds, making one Tabata cycle last 4 minutes.
Example:
Add more movement throughout the day
Irrespective of whether you have two or seven hours of dedicated exercise time, adding more spontaneous movement throughout the day will help you be healthier. This can be:
Walking more. Walk your baby/ kid, do calls or meetings while walking, invite friends for a walk instead of a drink, take the stairs.
Standing instead of sitting. Get a standing desk or set an alarm to stand for a few minutes every hour.
“Exercise snacks”: Get up from your desk and do 10 push-ups, 20 squats, or one minute of mountain climbers multiple times throughout the day.
Stretching and mobility: do 5-10 minutes of dynamic stretching when you wake up and before you go to bed and this will also help your nervous system reset.
Finally, if your circumstances change and you can add more workouts to your routine, start by adding one more strength training session. Over time, the goal is to progress to 2-3 strength training sessions and 2-3 cardio sessions per week.