We all want to exercise – or at least we say we do – but we don’t always do it. Often we blame our schedules. It’s true. We are busier than ever, and work and family commitments can keep us from the gym. How can we work out despite our lack of time?

Is a short workout as effective as a longer one?

An interesting study published recently in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise suggests that we don’t always need an hour or two every day to get in shape.

Researchers looked at young adults and put them into three groups that each did workouts involving seven exercises. One group did five sets of each exercise, while another group did three sets of each exercise, and the last group did just one set. The groups doing five sets had a workout that lasted over an hour three times a week. The one-set group completed their workouts in 13 minutes.

A short work out can still help you add muscle strength.

What was interesting was that the men in each group gained the same amount of muscle strength. The only difference was that the adults who did more sets got more muscle size, even though strength was the same.

How to work out when you’re busy

Just like high-intensity interval workouts for cardiovascular training, short, intense weightlifting sessions can be beneficial, as this study shows. If you goal is simply to get stronger, you might not need long workouts. And even if your goal is to get more muscular, doing a shorter, intense workout even now and then won’t cost you or set you back.

Also read:
Find time to exercise despite a busy schedule
One easy way to increase your motivation to work out

Recommended Products and Resources
Click here to go to Dr. David Geier’s Amazon Influencer store!
Due to a large number of questions I have received over the years asking about products for health, injuries, performance, and other areas of sports, exercise, work and life, I have created an Amazon Influencer page. While this information and these products are not intended to treat any specific injury or illness you have, they are products I use personally, have used or have tried, or I have recommended to others. THE SITE MAY OFFER HEALTH, FITNESS, NUTRITIONAL AND OTHER SUCH INFORMATION, BUT SUCH INFORMATION IS DESIGNED FOR EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THE CONTENT DOES NOT AND IS NOT INTENDED TO CONVEY MEDICAL ADVICE AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE. YOU SHOULD NOT RELY ON THIS INFORMATION AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR, NOR DOES IT REPLACE, PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT. THE SITE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ACTIONS OR INACTION ON A USER’S PART BASED ON THE INFORMATION THAT IS PRESENTED ON THE SITE. Please note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.