One of the biggest obstacles stopping many from getting to the gym is that they don’t have enough time. On one hand I think people lean too heavily on this excuse, but on the other I can see where they’re coming from.
When you have a full time job, kids, and a host of other things on your plate the gym is usually the last thing you think about. I get it. But strength training is part of the leanness equation, and you need it if your goal is sustainable fat loss.
You see, one of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to lose weight is not doing any resistance training. They usually end up changing their food, which is great. But eventually they revert to their old eating habits and end up back at square one.
Although food will always play the biggest part in any body composition goal, adding strength work to the equation is one of the keys to maintaining your results. When someone diets but doesn’t lift, some of their weight loss will ultimately come from muscle.
The goal when trying to lose fat should be preserving muscle mass. This is what will give your body shape and definition as you shed unwanted fat. If you’re losing both, you may be happy with what the scale says, but not the way your body looks.
That’s why resistance training is important. But this brings us back to initial problem. How can you get results when you are short on time?
The answer is density training.
Density training is a training method based around doing a pre-determined set of exercises (usually between 2-4) as many times as possible in a specific amount of time. There is no rest until the time limit has been reached.
Two of the biggest benefits of doing this are 1) you will burn a lot of calories during and after exercise and 2) you will maintain and even build lean muscle. Both of these are critical to short and long-term results.
There are two ways I like to use density training with myself and clients.
A. Density Circuit
A density circuit is made up of a minimum of 4 exercises performed for anywhere between 6-10 minutes. These aren’t hard and fast rules, but it’s a good place to start.
This is a perfect way to get in a total body workout in a short amount of time. Here is a template I like to use when I program these:
- Lower body exercise
- Upper body pull exercise
- Upper body push exercise
- Ab exercise
So an example would look like this:
- Dumbbell Reverse Lunge x 6/side
- Inverted Row x 8
- Dumbbell Bench Press x 8
- Ball Rollout x 6
Perform as many rounds as possible in 6-10 minutes. Remember the rest, comes after you have completed the 10 minute time limit. If you have a little more time on your hands, you can either repeat this circuit or do a new one.
B. Density Finisher
A density finisher is something I like to use to end a training session, but you can also use it as a stand alone workout. This will be much shorter than the circuit workout from above but still very effective.
The density finishers I program are 2 exercises done back-to-back for 4-5 minutes. Since there are only 2 total exercises, they need to hit a lot of muscle groups. The template I like to use is:
- Lower body exercise
- Total body exercise
An example would look like this:
- Hip Thrust x 8 (This can be done with a barbell or dumbbell also)
- Inchworm x 6 (Walk your hands out into a push up position then walk your feet up)
You would repeat this for 4-5 minutes without rest. These types of finishers are short but brutal. You may not think 5 minutes is a long time, but it will feel like an eternity when you’re doing it. Having said that, they are still fast, fun, and efficient.
One thing to be aware of when adding density work to your training is the amount of weight you use with each exercise. Since density training is short and intense, you will get fatigued very quickly. Because of this, will not use your normal weight on each exercise.
For example, if you can do reverse lunges with a 30 lb. dumbbell in each hand for 6 reps, you will probably need to knock that down to 15 or 20 lb. when doing a density circuit. If you don’t, you won’t make it to the end. Just be aware of this when selecting your weights.
*****
“Lack of time” will always be everyone’s go-to excuse. It’s an easy way out. But if you really want results you will find time to put forth the effort.
Density training is a perfect way to hit the gym without sacrificing a large chuck of your day. It burns a lot of calories, preserves lean muscle, and takes little time. You will no doubt experience great results when combined with proper nutrition. Give it a try and you’ll be amazed at the quick results you can achieve.
