Something's Better than Nothing- Three Reasons Short Workouts Work.

​With increasing demands on our time, our gym time, pool time, or ride time suffers. And while some fitness stalwarts are able to adapt their schedules to still get in that all important workout, there are those who adopt the ‘all or nothing approach,” choosing to forego ANY workout if they can’t get their intended hour of gym time, or 8 mile run, or 20 mi ride in.

For example, I recently learned of the husband of a client, who really needs to get back into shape. A former athlete, he didn’t feel like the ‘time was right’ for him to start working out again because he “couldn’t give it 100%.” While the desire to give everything you have to an exercise routine is noble, at times it’s simply not practical.

If we adopt the “100%” rule 100% of the time, there may not be much exercise going on. Adapting a more measured approach can help us bridge the gap between doing nothing and going all out. That measured approach starts by remembering that something is better than nothing.

I’m not saying that all workouts should be replaced with abbreviated ones; to see results we all have to put in the time. Yet shorter workouts have some particular advantages when time is short. Here’s three reasons ‘something is better than nothing’ when it comes to fitness:

1. Restricted time means sharper focus. Remember back to those college days, pulling all nighters to finish a paper you had procrastinated for the entire term? Interesting how writing focus exponentially improves as the paper due date approaches! The same can hold true with our workouts. Shorter workouts by their very nature must be more precisely focused. There are many times where I can’t get in a 3,000 yd swim because I just don’t have an hour at the pool. So, I shorten it to 20 minutes and do a very focused warm up, then drill progressions, focusing on one very specific aspect of my swim stroke. Finally, I do 5-10 all-out sprints, concentrating on the specific element just practiced. The result is an quality, laser-focused swim in a short amount of time that will yield long-term benefits.
2. Less time equals more intense workouts. Over the last several years, there’s been an emergence of shorter, higher intensity workouts into the mainstream fitness community. Crossfit's "workout of the day" (WOD), Tabata workouts, and HIIT training are now fairly commonplace. The principle behind these and other high-intensity programing is fairly simple: shorter-duration efforts combine near-maximal effort intervals for multiple rounds with short recovery intervals. When done CORRECTLY, these workouts can yield similar (in some cases superior) results than more conventional weight training and cardio sessions in much less time. When time is short, I’ll do a few quick circuits, combining kettlebell swings, TRX rows, dumbbell goblet squats, hopping planks, push ups, and jump lunges with intervals of 45 seconds of work, 15 seconds of rest.
3. Mini workouts help to simply “honor the habit”. Even the best-laid plans can go sideways and we get off track when it comes to our fitness goals. There have been times when “life happens” and it’s 11pm and I haven’t got a workout in. While it’s easy to get discouraged because I didn’t get in a ride, run, swim, or proper lifting session, I’ve got a sure-fire way to keep on track by simply ‘honoring the habit’. For this precise reason, I’ve got a cheap door-jam pull up bar in my closet. I do a set of 10 pull ups, drop down and do 15 push ups, then back up and do 20 air squats, and finally 30 ‘running sit ups’. While it takes less than 90 seconds to complete, it’s effective at simply keeping me on track to get a strength workout in during the day. Many times, it's just one round, which in and of itself isn’t very effective at building muscle or improving VO2 max. However, it IS effective at keeping me motivated and on track. The psychological benefits of ‘honoring the habit’ usually outweighs the physical benefits. We stay motivated and engaged in working towards our fitness goals.

So, the next time time gets away from you, sharpen your focus, up the intensity, or simply just do what you can in the time you have. You’ll work up a good sweat AND check your fitness box for the day- both of which make you feel like you’ve accomplished something… which is always better than nothing!