Like most serious sports athletes, you’ll do whatever it takes to become successful. Because it’s important, you’ll find the time, make time, and commit to practicing specific sports skills, team practice/strategy sessions, conditioning, strength training, and other necessary components. If you’re a non-athlete, but enjoy exercising to get fit, lose fat, gain muscle, become stronger, or achieve another goal, you’ll also find a way to train consistently if you’re committed to achieving your goals.
Both athletes and non-athletes occasionally face the reality of being pressed for time. That hour you thought you had now becomes twenty minutes. Work, school, family obligations, extracurricular events, unexpected emergencies, travel, etc. can get in the way of even the best-designed training schedule, thus Plan B – a shorter session – is employed. Plan B is still a plan, so it shouldn’t render a training session useless. In fact, it can be a better fit in many cases, especially when it comes to conditioning and strength training exercise sessions.
Plenty of legitimate research shows that brief, demanding exercise sessions produce results similar to lengthier, lower-level sessions (Study at McMaster University; National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Japan; Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research; European Journal of Applied Physiology; Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research). In other words, instead of a 45-minute session, a 20-minute session will suffice if you train really hard! Why not? That’s an extra 25 minutes to devote to something else.
Knowing that brief, intense conditioning, and strength training are effective, let’s take a look at some examples. Literally, there are hundreds of exercise, drill, run, workout prescription, and time-to-complete combinations that can be used. That is a good thing because it will allow your specific situation to be addressed and you’ll have plenty of variety to choose from.
Here are a few ideas:
20-Minute Conditioning Workouts
Shuttle Runs
Dynamic warm up – 3:00
20 x 30 yards @ :08; recovery time @ :32
Cool down – 3:00
Versa Climber, Arc Trainer, Assault Bike, or Stair-Stepper
Warm up – 2:00
16 x :30 hard effort/:30 easy
Cool down – 2:00
Bodyweight Circuit
Dynamic warm up – 3:00
As many rounds possible in 15:00: 10 x push ups, 15 x squats, max rep chin ups, 50 x mountain climbers, and 15 x abs
Cool down – 2:00
10-Minute Conditioning Workouts
Versa Climber, Arc Trainer, Assault Bike, or Stair-Stepper
Warm up – 1:00
14 x :20 very hard effort/:10 rest
Cool down – 2:00
Bodyweight
Dynamic warm up – 1:00
Burpees with push up, walking lunges, and body weight ground pull up – each for as many reps possible in 2:30
Cool down – 1:30
Sprints, Shuttle Runs, or Other Running Drill
Dynamic warm up – 1:00
20 x all-out effort @ :05; recovery time @ :15
Cool down – 2:00
20-Minute Total Body Strength Training Workouts
One of Everything
1:00 rest between sets – achieve overload within listed rep ranges – use barbells, dumbbells, plate-load or selectorized machines.
Chest Press x 10-14
Low Row x 10-14
Overhead Press x 8-12
Pulldown x 8-12
Dips or Incline Press x 8-12
Lunges x 6-10 each leg
Leg Press x 12-16
Glute-Hamstring Raise x 8-12
Abdominals x 15-20
Super Set
No rest between exercise pairs – 1:00 rest between segments – achieve overload within listed rep ranges or max reps – use barbells, dumbbells, plate-load or selectorized machines.
Overhead Press x 8-12
Pulldown or Chin Ups x 8-12 or max reps
Overhead Press x 8-12
Pulldown or Chin Ups x 8-12 or max reps
Chest Press or Push Ups x 8-12 or max reps
Face Pulls x 8-12
Chest Press or Push Ups x 8-12 or max reps
Face Pulls x 8-12
Dips x max reps
Upright Row x 8-12
Dips x max reps
Upright Row x 8-12
Squat x 10-14
Leg Curl x 8-12
Squat x 10-14
Leg Curl x 8-12
10-Minute Total Body Strength Training Workouts
1:00 rest between sets – achieve overload within listed rep ranges – use barbells, dumbbells, plate-load or selectorized machines.
Push-Pull-Lower
Incline Press x 6-10
Low Row x 6-10
Leg Press x 10-14
Dips x max reps
High Row x 8-12
Romanian Dead Lift x 10-14
Lower-Pull-Push
Squat x 10-14
Pulldown x 8-12
Chest Press x 8-12
Leg Press x 8-12
Upright Row x 8-12
Overhead Press x 8-12
About Tom Kelso
Tom Kelso is currently an Exercise Physiologist with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. He also trains clients through Pinnacle Personal & Performance Training in Chesterfield, Missouri.
For 23 years he was in the collegiate strength and conditioning profession, serving as the Head Coach for Strength and Conditioning at Saint Louis University (2004-2008), the University of Illinois at Chicago (2001-2004), Southeast Missouri State University (1991-2001), and the University of Florida (1988-1990). He got his start in the strength and conditioning field as an Assistant Strength Coach at Florida in 1984 where he was also a weight training instructor for the Department of Physical Education from 1985 to 1988.
In 2006, Tom was named Master Strength and Conditioning Coach by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association for his years of service in the field. In 1999, he was named NSCA Ohio Valley Conference Strength and Conditioning Professional of the year. In 2001, he received an honorary certification from the International Association of Resistance Trainers (I.A.R.T.).
Tom possesses C.S.C.S. and S.C.C.C. certifications with the NSCA and CSCCA, respectively. Additionally, he is certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board in basic instructor development and as a specialist instructor by the Missouri Department of Public Safety. In 2012, he became certified by the IBNFC as a Certified Nutrition Coach.
Tom has worked with athletes at the Olympic and professional levels, presented at various clinics/seminars, and worked several athletic-related camps. He is a strong advocate of safe, practical, and time-efficient training and has published a collection of periodical articles, book chapters, complete books, and user-friendly downloads promoting such.
Tom received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Iowa in 1981(It’s great to be a Hawkeye!) and a Master’s Degree in Physical Education from Western Illinois University in 1984. He was a member of the Track and Field team at Iowa and served as a Graduate Assistant Track & Field Coach while at Western Illinois.
