4 Training Hacks To Get In Shape Quicker

If you're reading my stuff you probably identify as an Everyday Athlete.

Someone who is trying to get in shape, look better, feel better and move better while juggling a bunch of other responsibilities. You don't have unlimited time and energy to invest in your training an nutrition like the latest hot influencer on the gram.

You need to get the maximum return on the appropriate investment to help you get in shape quicker. So I've got 4 simple training hacks that are going to help you get in the best shape of your life. Stronger, leaner, more muscular, more athletic, and more confident than ever before. Whilst getting you in and out of the gym in under an hour with a shower. I'm not into wasting time, and you shouldn't be either. So on that note, let's get into training hack number 1. Strip Back The Warm-Up As an over 30, you'll start to get targeted by movement yogis, holistic health coaches, and trainers that bang on about the orthopaedic cost of exercises and the wear and tear they impart on your joints.

They will all bang the drum for extended warm-ups, mobilisations, soft tissue work and all that other fluffy stuff. And in the process they will waste 10-20 minutes of your training time every single session. If you're not getting started on your first lift of your session with 10 minutes of entering the gym, you're likely wasting some time. Bin off the foam rolling. Bin off the static stretching. Bin off the movement prep. Get into the gym, hop on a piece of full body cardio kit for 2-5 minutes. Ramp up the intensity every 30-60 seconds to finish at around an 8/10 intensity. Pick 2-3 general movement drills maximum, making sure they're relative your your first lift (i.e. if you're back squatting, do worlds greatest stretch and goblet squats), and do 2 sets each. Then get your hands on the bar. Minimal rest between your warm-ups sets (remember, they're all sub-maximal so you don't need 2 minutes rest each time). And get to work. And as long as your training programme is sensible and appropriate, it will look after the vast majority of your movement and mobility issues by intentionally taking your joints through full ranges of motion. If your program is sub-par for an over 30 everyday athlete, sure you may need to spend more time doing flexibility and mobility workout outside of your sessions. But that's a programming issue, not an over 30 lifter issue.

Use Filler Exercises Whenever Possible Got 3 sets of 5 back squats with 3 minutes rest between sets? You want to use those 3 minutes wisely. You don't want to do anything in those 3 minutes that is going to impact your performance on your next heavy set of squats. But you absolutely should use that time for productive training. That means super-setting your big lifts with "filler exercises" that fill out your session with the additional warm-up work you need for the later part of your training sessions. Or you could use these fillers for the joint care and mobilisation work that most coaches will programme at the start of your session as a stand alone section (in the process wasting valuable time).

That means your could superset your heavy back squats with upper body movement drills like swimmers, face pulls and dislocations. Or you could superset your heavy bench presses with 90/90 drills, couch stretches or hip glides. Programming these as "fillers" rather than stand alone exercises or as part of your warm-up will save you so much time, and also reduce the chances of your checking your phone between sets, replying to an email, and taking your 3 minutes rest up to 5 minutes without you noticing.

Smart Super-Setting

Super-set are where you complete 2 exercises together, switching from one to the other for the prescribed sets and reps. Usually you will do these with non-competing muscle groups (i.e. super-setting a chest exercise with a back exercises, or an upper body exercise with a lower body exercise).

The idea being that while one group of muscles are working, the others are resting, and vice versa. This reduces the total rest time needed in your session, helping you get more work done in less time.

But you can take this to the next level of your program smart super-setting practices.

Beyond thinking about which muscle groups you're going to use in your supersets, think about the kit you're going to use, and load you're going to need for each exercise. Incline dumbbell bench presses and chest supported rows are a great example of two non-competing movements that you can do with exactly the same equipment (incline bench set at 30 degrees + 2 dumbbells). Now we're super efficient in our kit as well. No lugging multiple dumbbells around and switching bench inclines up and down. But, most people will be stronger on one of those two movements (for me I'm much stronger on a chest supported row than an incline dumbbell press). So to make our superset even smarter, you can chose your weight relative to your weaker movement (3x10-12 incline dumbbell bench press), and use the same weight for as many reps as possible (3xAMRAP), or 2 reps in reserve (3x2RIR on your chest supported row). Now you're super-setting two excellent exercises, that use exactly the same kit, and getting an excellent training stimulus for both.

That is truly smart super-setting.

Time Restrict Your Sessions

Tasks expand to fill the time allotted to them. That's why your tax return ends up getting started the week before it's due, and gets finished the night before it's due. It's human nature. So when you set yourself the goal of getting a workout in within 45 minutes, you can get that done.

But that could just look like a few sets of squats, some push thingys on the machines and some curls in the mirror.

You got a workout done in 45 minutes sure... but you wasted a bunch of time too.

You need to get more specific on what your workout is, and set time limits on each section.

Here's an example:

Warm-up: 5-10 minutes

Main Lift + Filler: 20 Minutes

Accessories: 15 Minutes

Finisher: 5 Minutes But you can dig in even further if your really serious about maximising your training time and optimising your progress within sub-optimal time demands.

Warm-Up:

2 Minutes - Assault Bike

3 Minutes - Alternating Goblet Squats and Worlds Greatest Stretch.

Main Lift + Filler:

5 Minutes - Barbell Warm-Up (i.e. bar/50/70/90%)

E4MOMx3 - Back Squat + Filler

Accessories:

E3MOMx4 - Incline DB Bench + Chest Supported Row + Hamstring Iso

Finisher:

5 Minutes - Pump AMRAP

Every section has a purpose. Every section has a clear time restriction. Every section includes specific intensive work with relative rest. And as a result, you get epic results without buzzing around the gym like a blue arsed fly because you feel like you need to rush, or staring at your phone as you fell like you have no clear focus.

Get To Work!

I incorporate all of these simple time saving training hacks for all my clients, whether they have a tight time budget or not. The less time we waste in the gym, the more time we can spend being the best version of ourselves without families, friends, colleagues and loved ones.

Whether it's the team on STRONG IN 60, my online group coaching programme designed to turn everyday over 30's into everyday athletes, or my 1-1 Online Coaching Service where I help people achieve their biggest and scariest goals. I value your time as much as you do, so if you need help making sure you maximise your training progress from your limited training time, just hit the links below to join the team. Ian.

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