Week 168 :: What Is The Best 20-Minute Weight Training Workout?

[the_fake_webmaster]

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* Note: How can I win? Answer all questions in the order that they are asked.

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TOPIC: What Is The Best 20-Minute Weight Training Workout?

For the week of: 9/23 - 9/28
Monday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).

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Many of us could be short on time and unable to perform an average length workout. If only there was a faster weight training workout...

What is the best weight training routine 20 minutes or under?

For big gains fast, should one lift a short amount of time and really intense, or a longer time with moderate intensity?

Bonus Question: In your opinion, what is the best length for a weight training workout?

* IMPORTANT: Please make sure your responses are original and not copied from previous topics.

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Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.

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The best response will get $50 in credit, and second place will get $25 in credit to use in our online store!

See Details:
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Thanks,
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[UCIMTHEROCK]

Bodyweight rules! best 20 minute workout
upper body Dips, pullups, for 20 minutes go from one to the other, if it gets easy strap some weight on.
Lower body, squats, lunges from one to the other with as little rest as possible.
you only have 20 minutes. intensity should be through the roof!
This workout will kick your ass.
For big gains you must get stronger! with proper nutrition size will follow. intensity and goals are a main key
I think one hour of training is best for gaining muscle

[grim83]

Lets face it, there is a basic truth to lifting. most of the good routines take time, and training for an hour a day may be out of the question. When time is at a premium the ideas of high intensity training (HIT) become the godsend for fitness and bodybuilding. If you have been training with a higher volume approach for a while then using these types of routines may cause renewed growth. I'm not here to make unrealistic promises of huge gains in muscle in 2 weeks, nor am i here to peddle other such lies. I can honestly say that once i made the switch to HIT my gains came quicker and to a higher degree then when i started training with a higher volume and more frequent style routine. I have also seen it add muscle to people who thought all was lost, take my old training partner for example, when i started training with him he weighed 100 ibs, and nothing seemed to cause him to gain weight of any sort, but after putting him on a HIT routine and increasing his calories to 6000+ per day, he gained 30ibs of muscle in a year.

What is the best weight training routine 20 minutes or under?
The first thing we must do to create a short but productive workout is to understand the ideas of hacking. One of the main rules here is the 80/20 rule, which states that 20% of your training produces 80% of your gains. also to drive up the intensity and lower the time spent you need to start training to concentric failure. what does that mean, it means that you must take the set to the point where one more rep is not physically possible with good form. also the best way to utilize this is with one work set, so as to not over run your recovery abilities. now for the routine, do this 2 or at most 3x a week preferably with a hyper caloric diet. also focus on increasing weight or reps at each workout.

Breathing Squats*- 1x20
-superset with-
DB pullovers^- 1x20

Tri-set
Incline Bench press- 1x8-10
BB row- 1x8-10
Military press- 1x8-10

* to perform breathing squats use your 10 rep max, between each rep take 1 deep breath to start, as the set gets harder take more deep breaths between reps, these sets can take up to 3min

^ this should be done with around 50% of your 1 rep max, and focus on a full stretch of the rib cage.

For big gains fast, should one lift a short amount of time and really intense, or a longer time with moderate intensity?
Short time with a high intensity tends to be the best way to produce gains in a natural trainee. by keeping the volume low you can reduce the amount of catabolic stress on the muscle while increasing the anabolic stimulus. Couple this with a progressive system, and a diet with calories above maintenance and you will grow, but you must put everything you have into each set, it needs to be viewed as a life or death situation, you only have one chance to get it right.

Bonus Question: In your opinion, what is the best length for a weight training workout?
To give a general time limit to a session would be stupid, because i cannot know the variables each person is dealing with.

[moodyweapon]

Q.What is the best 20-Minute Weight Workout?

A. 20 minutes supplies a person with enough time to stimulate their muscles for strength and power. Due to the limited time period, and the nature of muscle fiber types, the greatest gains can be achieved if the workout is limited to strength and power. Rest periods should be 2 minutes between sets. Eccentric portions of the lift should be de-emphasized to reduce destruction of type 2 power fibers. (Fred Hatfield, ISSA.) Weight lifted should be between 65% and 85% of the person's 1RM. Reps should be between 3 and 6 per set. Sets should be performed to positive failure. Weight should be adjusted accordingly. If more than 6 reps are possible, the person should raise the weight enough to limit their ability to 3-6 reps. The number of sets in 20 minutes can't really exceed 1 heavy set immediately (less than 30 seconds rest) after a 12 rep lightweight warm-up. Exercises performed should be limited to Squat or Deadlift, Benchpress or Dips, and Rows for the mid back (hand placement will allow a shift in stimulation area).

Q.For big gains fast, should one lift a short amount of time and really intense, or a longer time with moderate intensity?

A.For muscular hypertrophy, a longer time with moderate intensity works best for most people.

Q.Bonus Question: In your opinion, what is the best length for a weight training workout?

A.In my opinion, any workout should fatigue the muscle completely with as little damage as possible, as quickly and completely as possible. Before training a new bodypart, I think you should rest for quite a while so that you can fatigue that bodypart as thoroughly as the other bodyparts. I think 5-7 minutes of work is enough for legs, 3-5 minutes for arms, 5-7 for back muscles. Of course, I didn't include rest periods between sets. Total time in the gym? 25-45 minutes. Or two workouts a day for 12-24 minutes each.

[MJAffliction]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

* Note: How can I win? Answer all questions in the order that they are asked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

TOPIC: What Is The Best 20-Minute Weight Training Workout?

For the week of: 9/23 - 9/28
Monday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many of us could be short on time and unable to perform an average length workout. If only there was a faster weight training workout...

What is the best weight training routine 20 minutes or under?

For big gains fast, should one lift a short amount of time and really intense, or a longer time with moderate intensity?

Bonus Question: In your opinion, what is the best length for a weight training workout?

* IMPORTANT: Please make sure your responses are original and not copied from previous topics.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't discuss any other topic in this section. ONLY discuss the question above.

----------------------------------
NEW PRIZE MONEY!!!!!
----------------------------------

The best response will get $50 in credit, and second place will get $25 in credit to use in our online store!

See Details:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showpo...1&postcount=11

----------------------------------
NEW RULE!!!!!
----------------------------------

* New Rule: Any exercise not listed on our exercise listing (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm) must be accompanied by a full and complete description and pictures (or a link to the exercise(s) where pictures and description are given).

Thanks,
Webmaster
Bodybuilding.com

-What is the best weight training routine 20 minutes or under?

Introduction:

Fitness is a way of life for many. As many fitness enthusiasts can attest, some are more hard-pressed in being more time efficient than others.

The point I would like to get across is that you don't need hours upon hours of time geared solely to a workout in order to be productive. In fact, I'd argue that 20-30 minutes is more than enough time to progress your health to new levels.

First, if you are one of those people struggling to make time for working out or making fitness a priority in your daily schedule, here's how you can go about being healthy and working out in the least amount of time as possible:

1. Show up with a focused mind set. Prepare for your workout before hand so you're ready to go when it is time to do so. Realize what you're in the gym for and don't let anything distract you. Workouts can't be half-assed if you don't have enough time to make up for the lack of intensity.

2. Maintain a high intensity for twenty-thirty minutes. Don't let your intensity climb peaks and valleys; keep it high throughout the duration of the short workout!

These are two of the most essential keys to a short workout. Focus is determination, intensity is how far you push that determination to get the task in front of you done. If you can't follow these two keys, then I'm afraid you might not be able to get the most out of a high intensity, short duration workout.

The Program:

This program is specifically designed to get the heart rate pumping, bring on a good sweat, and oh yeah, still give you the same muscle hyper-trophy effects that a normal workout would.

You're really going to have to push yourself as hard as you possibly can every workout. For some, this will be a much harder routine than for others. This routine is more catered to the intermediate lifter looking for a way to maintain fit and healthy but all will certainly reap the benefits from it.

Hybrid Workout:
-Run 1 Mile
-100 pushups as fast as possible (don't go to failure, crank them out fashionably in an orderly manner)
-75 squats (like above, do as many body weight squat sets as it requires to complete 75 full squats)
-50 push ups
-75 crunches (as quick as possible with as few sets as possible; try to get them done orderly. scheme out how you want to set up the sets x reps)

This workout above gives you core work, lower body work, upper body work, and cardiovascular work. Make sure to do one task immediately after the one before it, with little to no rest to keep the intensity high!

-For big gains fast, should one lift a short amount of time and really intense, or a longer time with moderate intensity?

Short amount of time with a large amount of intensity would be more beneficial for somebody looking for big gains fast. Perform quality repetitions to the point of temporary muscular failure to stimulate muscle fibers into growth. The more time under tension, the more muscle fiber recruitment. Everything should be brief, infrequent, and intense with a high level of effort to to stimulate an increase in hyper-trophy and strength.

-Bonus Question: In your opinion, what is the best length for a weight training workout?

In accordance with the HIT (High Intensity Training) principle, the best length for a weight training session would be anywhere from thirty-five minutes to an hour duration ideally.

[soundcheck129]

Many of us could be short on time and unable to perform an average length workout. If only there was a faster weight training workout...

Whether you're a college student balancing classes and job-searching, a recent graduate trying to make ends meet with multiple jobs, or a parent trying to spend time with your children but still work enough to put food on their plates, you know that time is the one thing there never seems to be enough of. Today's society is all about speed, because with more activities and obligations, you can't afford to waste any time and finding spare time is a major challenge. There's a reason that our culture is dominated by fast-food, sound-bite news and Twitter feeds - we're always on the go and can't spend any more time than is absolutely necessary to get things done.

Weight training is no exception. Leisure time is at a premium, and sufficiently stimulating your body for maximum growth can difficult to do if you're pressed for time. However, there are many ways you can shave time off of your workouts and still get in an effective session. The key lies in analyzing your old routine and finding ways to make it more efficient. And don't think you have to ditch the weights and go for a body-weight only workout if you're pressed for time - there's plenty of room for hardcore, high intensity training.

What is the best weight training routine 20 minutes or under?

Twenty minutes is not a lot of time - standard workouts tend to be around an hour or longer, and to cut that time so severely might make you think you're going to have to compromise results. Luckily, that's not the case. You just have to focus on compound lifts, which give you more bang for the buck, and utilize techniques such as drop sets and supersets. In addition, you'll probably also want to use more machines than free weights and plates because you can save time by adjusting resistance easily instead of having to walk back and forth to the racks. If possible, you should also attempt to run or bike to the gym instead of driving, as this will give you a great cardio workout during the time in which you'd normally be commuting idly.

For simplicity, I've divided this into upper and lower body sessions.

Monday

Upper

Chest Press: 3x6-8
- Superset With
Seated Row: 3x6-8

Overhead Press: 3x6-8 (Dropsets if desired)

Lat Pulldown: 3x6-8 (Dropsets if desired)

Machine Fly: 3x6-8

Tuesday

Lower

Deadlift: 3x5-7
Leg Press: 3x8-10

Stiff-Legged Deadlift: 3x5-7
- Superset With
Leg Extension: 3x5-7 (Dropsets if desired)

Wednesday

Off or Cardio/Ab Circuit (performed twice; each circuit takes eight to nine minutes)

DB Thrusters x 25
Weighted Russian Twists x 75
Jumping Jacks x 30
Weighted V-Ups x 50
DB Swings x 20 (each arm)
Mountain Climbers x 50
Burpees x 30
Flutter Kicks x 75
BW Squats x 50
Weighted Leg Lifts x 75
Chinups x12
Stair Sprints x 5
Bicycle Crunches x 75

Thursday

Upper

Incline Press: 3x6-8
- Superset With:
High Row: 3x6-8

Dips (Preferably Weighted): 3x8
- Superset With:
Pullups: 3x8

Clean and Press: 3x6

Friday

Lower

Squats: 3x6-10
- Superset With:
Seated Leg Curl: 3x6-8

Walking Lunges to Box Jumps

Deficit Deadlift: 3x6-8


For big gains fast, should one lift a short amount of time and really intense, or a longer time with moderate intensity?

I prefer to lift intensely for a short period of time, as this elevates your heart rate and provides a great stimulus for your muscles; using dropsets will fatigue your muscles and ensure that both Type I and Type II fibers are recruited. In addition, short, intense workouts can be better for fat loss as they rapidly increase your metabolic rate; concentrating on compound exercises such as the deadlift and squat also increase your metabolism, meaning you can be burning fat even when you're not in the gym. You may not realize it, but a very intense session with short rest times can be a great cardiovascular workout as well, meaning that you're killing two birds with one stone.

Longer workouts may unnecessarily fatigue your muscles, leading to overtraining. Your time in the gym should be spent stimulating, not annihilating, your muscles, so there is no need to be there all day. In addition, spending too much time in the gym can hinder your growth - if you've gone beyond stimulating your muscles and are now merely burning calories, this will make it harder to gain muscle due to a deep caloric deficit.

Bonus Question: In your opinion, what is the best length for a weight training workout?

Personally, I prefer sessions that are 70 minutes in length - but that's including cardio, stretching, and weight lifting. I devote at least 10 minutes to cardio and stretching to warm up my muscles before lifting, and I spend about the same amount of time doing the same to prevent injury and blood pooling afterward. This leaves about 45-50 minutes for an intense workout session. This allows plenty of time for five to seven exercises, depending on the number of sets and repetitions. I try to keep my rest periods short and incorporate supersets and dropsets if I can to provide additional stimulus as well as speed things along. Keeping the tempo high prevents boredom, which can lead to inattentiveness and injury. Maintaining focus on the weights for around 50 minutes is no problem, and the session is not so long that intensity begins to wane at any point. Obviously, personal preferences should be the ultimate guide to workout protocol, but this has worked very well for me.

[TwinIam]

What Is The Best 20-Minute Weight Training Workout?

Many of us could be short on time and unable to perform an average length workout. If only there was a faster weight training workout...

What is the best weight training routine 20 minutes or under?
The best 20-minute weight training routine needs to be sufficiently taxing on your muscles as to produce a growth stimulus in that short amount of time. In short, it needs to be balls-to-the-wall intense. Since the volume needs to be restricted because of the time restraint, several different techniques may be used to enhance the quality of that short time spent in the gym.

Intensity Techniques
? Drop sets: Basically an extended set. Pick a weight that you can lift just barely for the desired number of reps. Once you fail, drop the weight by approximately 30-40% and continue to crank out reps until you fail again. You can stop there, or to crank up the intensity another few notches you can continue this pattern until there are no smaller weights - or until you cough up a lung.
? Partials: Another type of extended set, partials are mini-reps that you pump out after you?ve completed your desired number of reps. If you?re really a masochist, you can pick up a heavier weight to do the partials.
? Supersets/Trisets/Giant sets: I have a feeling that these will be the lifeblood of your 20-minute workout, since these techniques allow you to get the most exercises into the shortest amount of time. A superset is two exercises, performed back-to-back, with a rest coming only after you've completed a set of each exercise. The superset can be a combination of compound-isolation, isolation-isolation, or 2 exercises for different bodyparts - it's up to personal preference (and pain tolerance). A triset is the same as a superset, with 3 exercises performed back-to-back. A giant set consists of 4 exercises.
? Between-sets cardio: While those trying to bulk up might opt out of this technique, doing cardio between sets is a great strategy for ramping up one?s metabolism. You probably won't want to head for the treadmill every time you put down a weight, so perform the basic aerobics exercises; jumping jacks, running in place, jump rope, shadowboxing, etc.

Exercise Selection
Because you're strapped for time, barbell-loaded lifting isn't the best option for a 20-minute workout. You should stick with dumbbells, bodyweight exercises, and machines (although the latter isn't the best choice because the total amount of motor unit recruitment is reduced). That being said, you can make most any exercise work because of the intensity at which you will be performing this workout.

Sample Workouts
I?ll give a workout for each bodypart, but tailor and combine them according to your needs. Rest as little as possible in between sets.

Chest
--Incline dumbbell bench press: 3x8-12
superset with (an adjustable bench is great for this pairing)
--Decline dumbbell bench press: 3x(as many reps as you can crank out with the weight you used for the incline press)
--Dips: 3x6-8 -> partials
--Push-ups: 2 sets to failure

Back
--Pull-ups: 5 sets to failure
--One-arm dumbbell rows: 3x8-12 -> Drop sets until you reach the lightest weight (?run the rack?)

Legs
--Dumbbell lunges: 3x20 steps
superset with
--Bodyweight squats: 3 sets (one after each set of lunges) until you collapse
--Leg extension: 2x15-20 -> partials
superset with
--Leg curl: 2x10-12 -> partials
--Stationary Bike on highest resistance for the remainder of the time

Biceps
--Reverse grip preacher curls: 3x8-12 -> partials
superset with (use the same bar)
--Regular preacher curls: 3x(as many reps as possible with the same weight)
--Seated dumbbell curls: 2x8-12 -> Drop set (run the rack)

Triceps
--Reverse grip triceps pushdown: 3x12-15
superset with (use the same station)
--Triceps pushdown: 3x(as many reps as possible with the same weight)
--Seated dumbbell triceps press: 2x8-12 -> Drop set (run the rack)

Shoulders
Giant set of the following exercises using the same dumbbells
--Bent-over rear delt raise: 3x8-12
--Side lateral raise: 3xfailure
--Front raises: 3xfailure
--Overhead press: 3xfailure

Cardio
Circuit! (to be completed three times)
Bench jumps: 15 reps (over-and-back is one rep)
Jump rope: 100 jumps
Shadow-boxing: 1 minute
Explosive push-ups: 10 reps
Jumping Jacks: 50 reps

Additional Notes
? Warm-ups should be minimal since you're pressed for time. Use little things, like parking your car a longer distance from the gym and jogging to the entrance or running up the stairs to the locker room to get the blood flowing. Of course, use a lighter weight for a set if you're going really heavy on an exercise
? Don't chitchat! If you're a favorite around the gym and everyone wants to greet you, avoid eye contact. Keeping your eyes glued straight in front of you with a determined look on your face should ward off most people. For those stubborn people who won't leave you alone, just tell them nicely that you?re in a hurry and would like to talk to them later if possible.
? Just because this workout lasts 20 minutes doesn't mean that you don't need post-workout nutrition. Drink your normal post-workout cocktail and eat a solid meal 1-2 hours later.


For big gains fast, should one lift a short amount of time and really intense, or a longer time with moderate intensity?
The shorter the workout that can fatigue the muscles sufficiently, the better. The benefits of a short, intense workout are numerous. For one, I fully believe that the high level of concentration and focus (which workouts of this type require) will transfer over into everyday life - making you more disciplined and responsible in day-to-day tasks. Also, working out intensely raises one?s heart rate far more than working out at a modest pace (and the heart is subsequently strengthened). While this consequence should be avoided by some people, the majority of the population can benefit from a lower resting heart rate (a sign of a healthy, fit heart). Finally, extended exercise session have been shown to elevate cortisol, while 20-minute exercise sessions have been shown to lead to peak testosterone release and minimal cortisol release(1). Therefore, short, intense sessions are the best for massive gains.

Bonus Question: In your opinion, what is the best length for a weight training workout?
I think that 45 minutes would be the best length of time for a weight training session. While it would be awesome if everyone could induce an appreciable growth stimulus in 20 minutes or less, I believe that most people cannot muster sufficient intensity, nor can their bodies sustain that amount of mental and physical stress for long periods of time (mine sure can't). 45 minutes allows for a nice balance between volume and intensity, which should be sufficient for most people. The qualification needs to be made, however, is that I'm recommending 45 minutes of training, with short (but adequate) rest periods. Training time should not be wasted with admiring your muscles, the girl in the cute workout suit, or the sports game on the TV! Also, be sure to include a sufficient warm-up period before and stretching period after your workout.

Citation:
(1) Jeff S. Volek, William J. Kraemer, Jill A. Bush, Thomas Incledon and Mark Boetes (1997) Testosterone and cortisol in relationship to dietary nutrients and resistance exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology Volume 82 (1), pages 49-54.