Suggestions for effective toning for someone without much free time...

[consolibyte]

So after an extremely stressful spring/summer, fall is here and I'm feeling fat and out of shape. In reality, I'm probably not *that* far out of shape, but I don't feel as good as I used to- currently 140lbs, 5'6" tall.

Ideally, I'd like to lose about 10 lbs (or at least take off my gut/replace with more muscle) and tone up a bit. The problem: I have very, very little free time.

I am currently running once per week, teaching martial arts twice per week (but the teaching is pretty low-key, not super cardio or anything), and trying to get sets of pushups/leg-lifts in once or twice a week. I really don't have too much time for more than that.

What are some effective exercises that I might be able to fit in 15 or 30 minutes sessions before I head to bed/when I first get up in the morning? I'd like to find something better/more varied/more effective than just leg-lifts and pushups every morning. Thoughts? Other suggestions on what I could change?

 

[Kipper]

So after an extremely stressful spring/summer, fall is here and I'm feeling fat and out of shape. In reality, I'm probably not *that* far out of shape, but I don't feel as good as I used to- currently 140lbs, 5'6" tall.

Ideally, I'd like to lose about 10 lbs (or at least take off my gut/replace with more muscle) and tone up a bit. The problem: I have very, very little free time.

I am currently running once per week, teaching martial arts twice per week (but the teaching is pretty low-key, not super cardio or anything), and trying to get sets of pushups/leg-lifts in once or twice a week. I really don't have too much time for more than that.

What are some effective exercises that I might be able to fit in 15 or 30 minutes sessions before I head to bed/when I first get up in the morning? I'd like to find something better/more varied/more effective than just leg-lifts and pushups every morning. Thoughts? Other suggestions on what I could change?

If you don't have much time to work out and want to lose some extra pounds, you'll find looking at what you're eating far more effective...

I could suggest air squats, dips on a chair, perhaps, and pull-ups if you have the facilities, but I'm sure someone else will have better ideas.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

So after an extremely stressful spring/summer, fall is here and I'm feeling fat and out of shape. In reality, I'm probably not *that* far out of shape, but I don't feel as good as I used to- currently 140lbs, 5'6" tall.

Ideally, I'd like to lose about 10 lbs (or at least take off my gut/replace with more muscle) and tone up a bit. The problem: I have very, very little free time.

I am currently running once per week, teaching martial arts twice per week (but the teaching is pretty low-key, not super cardio or anything), and trying to get sets of pushups/leg-lifts in once or twice a week. I really don't have too much time for more than that.

What are some effective exercises that I might be able to fit in 15 or 30 minutes sessions before I head to bed/when I first get up in the morning? I'd like to find something better/more varied/more effective than just leg-lifts and pushups every morning. Thoughts? Other suggestions on what I could change?

No offense, but if you're already saying "I don't have time to workout" at the beginning, then you're setting yourself up for failure. To truly trim up, you've got to lower your body fat percentage. To lower your body fat percentage, you have to be in a caloric deficit. To maintain lean body mass, you need to do some sort of resistance training. If you go into this MAKING time, you're more likely to follow through with your plans. So first of all, can you make time to reach your goals?

 

[superccs]

Hitting the heavy bag for 20 minutes with punches and kicks will work wonders. Good stress relief as well.

 

[brikis98]

Start by reading the fat loss sticky. Weight loss is primarily a matter of getting your diet sorted out, though exercise can play an important role in maintaining weight loss and overall body composition. Few people have time for diet/exercise, but if it's an important goal for you, you make time for it. Just like you make time for your favorite TV show or a doctor's appointment, if you make it a priority, you can fit it into your schedule.

 

[douglasb]

I assume what you want to do is lose some abdominal fat. There is no such thing as "toning up" (i.e., turning fat into muscle) - you have to both lose existing fat and build new muscle. You cannot spot-reduce fat, either. Basically you will need to tighten up your diet, and devote a decent amount of time to training. There is no quick, easy fix for this.

 

[HendrixFan]

I find it hard to believe that out of 168 hours a week, being awake for at least 104 hours a week you cannot find 3 hrs to exercise throughout the week. Sleep 7 1/2 hours a night instead of 8 and you will have freed up the time to workout. Take faster showers, cut out time online, cut out TV time. There are plenty of ways to free up just a few hours a week, which should be enough for you to get "effective toning".

 

[NAC]

I’ve organized my resistance training time in several different ways in the past:
* 20 minutes in the morning routine 3 or 5 days a week.
* working out at a gym once a week.
* working out at the gym during lunch several days a week.
* working out at home with weights 2 evenings and once on the weekend

In my experience, the first three methods were ineffective, didn’t produce solid results, and were therefore hard to stick to.

The 20 minutes in the morning basically limits you to body weight and low weight exercises because you don’t have time to warm up and then do heavy weights. Plus it was hard for me to wake up fully anyway. I didn’t stick long to that method.

The once a week meant I could go heavy – but because it was only once a week I couldn’t make any advances. It was easy to stick to, and allowed me to maintain muscle mass. But not really build any.

Working out at lunch meant I was always rushed for time. Plus the gym was crowded. In theory I could have split my exercises, and gone heavy, and been effective. But I found it was hard to concentrate and push myself and really put weight on the bar and gain muscle.

So 1.5 years ago I bought a power rack and an olympic weight set for my garage. I workout usually twice, sometimes only once during the week. Each session is from 40 minutes to just over an hour including warm up. I do this starting at 8:30 pm, to then getup again at 6 am the next morning. And I’ll find 60-90 minutes during the weekend. I found this to be by far the best for me. I get to do exercises with heavy weights, and always add weight to the bar. I only do a handful of different exercises (from starting strength). That makes it satisfying, and effective, and therefore easy to stick to. I try to have a short nap on days when I workout (I have a long train commute so that is easy to fit in). I usually feel exhausted when I enter the garage to workout on a weeknight, but by the time I’m warmed up and the music is playing, I can concentrate and I really enjoy the stress relief. Unfortunately, it also takes me an hour to calm and cool down before I can get to sleep.

My gains have been slow and steady. I tried to gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously. As others have written – that doesn’t really work. So I now alternate between short bulking and cutting. I think my gains are limited based on my age, stress, and not sleeping enough. But without a doubt, at 36 I look better and am much stronger than at any point in my life. That is, until next week, and the week after…