Not everyone always has time to train. Modern people are so busy that it is not always possible to find a couple of hours to work out in the gym. This is often the biggest obstacle to achieving a beautiful athletic figure.
But the problem is not new, so many famous trainers have developed training systems designed for only 20 minutes. And if you think that it is impossible to accomplish anything during this time, then in this article estet-portal.com will dispel this myth.
The best training programs for those who want to increase strength, build muscles, lose excess weight - you will find all this on this page!
1. The Best Workout Method by Christian Thibado 2. The Best Cardio and Weight Loss Program by Michael Warren 3. The Best Workout Programs: 6 Rules for Effective Training 4. The Best Workout Program by Chris Colucci
The best training method from Christian Thibadeau
If you need to improve your fitness or lose weight , but don’t have time, use the method of minute-by-minute approaches from Christian Thibado , a strength training coach. He claims that twenty minutes is enough to load the body to the maximum. To achieve this, Christian takes a minute-by-minute approach.
Its essence is to start a set every minute and monitor the execution time. The faster you do the repetitions, the more seconds you have to rest.
For example, the program might look like this:
1. First minute – 4 squats.
2. Second – 4 bench presses.
3. Third – 4 deadlifts.
And so - seven approaches. The trainer claims that after such a short workout it will take you a long time to come to your senses and recover.
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If you want to pump up your upper body more, replace the deadlift with pull-ups or barbell cleans.
Recommendations
- The best option is to distribute your workouts evenly so that there are equal intervals between them.
- An athlete must make the most of nighttime sleep; this is an effective way to restore testosterone. Please note that it is important to fall asleep as early as possible, and not to observe the duration of sleep in principle. If you go to bed at three in the morning and sleep until lunch, the regeneration effect will be negligible, since testosterone has not been synthesized to a normal degree.
When training without doping, you should eat heavily an hour and a half before training and close the “protein-carbohydrate window” immediately after it. After the body adapts to the load, the program needs to be changed and complicated.
And also read: How to distinguish a “chemist” from a natural person? 6 bodybuilding myths that are still believed →
Michael Warren's Best Cardio Workout and Weight Loss Program
If your goal is to lose excess weight , then in 20 minutes in the gym you can give your body a good workout. To do this, Michael Warren advises not to run on the track, but to exercise on a rowing machine, alternating it with the so-called sled . The latter not only provide aerobic exercise, but also increase strength and help develop muscles. And all this with a low probability of injury.
The technique has the following order:
• 30 seconds – sled;
• 30 seconds – rest;
• 30 seconds – rowing machine;
• 30 seconds – rest.
This is one approach. After it, perform the same actions, but for 20 seconds, then 10, and then again for 20 and 30. After this, you can take a break for 1.5 minutes and repeat everything again.
The recommended number of repetitions is three. This way you will load your body as much as possible, forcing it to work for endurance and burn extra calories.
The best training programs: 6 rules for effective training
It is not necessary to follow any of the training programs exactly. Andrew Heming has developed rules by applying which you can create an individual exercise system.
So, any 20-minute workout should comply with the following recommendations:
1. It must be hard —really hard—for you to exercise for those 20 minutes. Only in this case will you benefit from a short workout.
2. Choose the most effective exercises that make your muscles burn.
3. Give preference to equipment that does not require long preparation for the exercise.
4. If you work out in the evening , then it’s better to forget about the base, because there’s always a line at the bench and barbell rack at that time.
5. Alternate exercises so that antagonist muscles are involved.
6. Perform short sets , but with heavy weights - this will wake up the muscles and make them grow .
Remember to rest even during a short workout. Instead of a minute or two, give yourself thirty seconds.
Work until your muscles fail. To do this, it is better to take light weights for the last approaches after the main ones or use your own weight.
Always be in the Mood
Your strength program should be tailored to your personality.
Well-known author and athlete Christian Thibadeau wrote a series of landmark texts about how your strength program should be tailored to your character and personality type - and this will be most effective.
Why is your program not working?
Has it ever happened to you that a good training program gave almost no results, even if it was compiled by an experienced trainer? At the same time, your friends progressed well on the same training program, but you did not?
Or, for example, have you ever had to force yourself to go to the gym because you didn’t like the upcoming workout at all? Maybe this even made you feel guilty, or, not seeing any improvement, you blamed your “hopeless” genetics.
It is not the program, the lack of discipline, or “bad” genetics that is to blame. The problem is that the technique did not match your psychological and neurological profile. Just don’t think that this is a text about pop psychology - your personal type is determined by a genetically determined balance of neurotransmitters. And they control everything.
Everything is decided by the nervous system
It is the nervous system that is responsible for the recruitment of muscle fibers, as well as for coordination and results in “large” strength exercises. Everyone knows this, but not everyone understands that the nervous system is also the control center of motivation. It determines your response to stress, the amount of energy, the quality of concentration and the overall amount of work that you are able to handle in training.
The secret to training success is extremely simple: work hard in the right direction. And you simply cannot do this for long enough if there is no motivation. And for motivation to always be present, the program must match your neurological profile.
If not, there will be problems not only with motivation: you will be more tired, less able to tolerate stress, and even, possibly, get injured more often. And, of course, progress will be far from optimal. This is why you can train with the “best program in the world” and achieve almost nothing.
3 neurotypes
I experimented with different psychological tests for years to find the best one, and also consulted with psychologists and other specialists. As a result, I settled on the Cloninger Temperament and Character Inventory - it is well accepted in the scientific community and tested on hundreds of athletes.
In short, our psychological type depends on the levels of certain neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine (norepinephrine).
Depending on the deficiency of one of them, there are three main personality types:
• Type #1: Low dopamine levels. Such people constantly need new sensations to stimulate the production of dopamine. In psychobiology they are called “novelty seekers.”
• Type #2: Low norepinephrine levels. Since it is associated with confidence and a sense of well-being, such people need rewards for all actions - from everyday behavior to achieving sports goals. In science, they are defined as “reward-dependent.”
• Type #3: Low serotonin levels. Such people do not need shocks; they act best according to a pattern, repeating the same thing. In psychobiology they are called “harm avoiders.”
We assume that you will be able to independently determine which type is dominant in this classification.
Consider stimulating dopamine before your main workout to increase motivation and performance. Activation exercises are best suited for this purpose: jumps, throws, sprints and the like. The emphasis is on maximum speed, but without the accumulation of fatigue. For example, 3 sets of 5 high jumps. Or hitting a tire with a sledgehammer - 3 sets of 12 seconds.
Warm-up for the main strength movement should also consist of short sets with accentuated acceleration in the concentric phase (lifting the apparatus). Start with 60% of the working weight and perform about 5 warm-up sets with a low number of repetitions, gradually increasing the load. Just don’t overdo it – fatigue will lower dopamine again.
Variation in training is necessary. It is difficult for you to work according to an unchanged program; you always want something new. If, for example, you take on Wendler’s 5/3/1 training program, you will quickly become demotivated and achieve nothing.
Of course, we always write that to achieve success you need to follow a program, but in your case it doesn’t really work. But variations, thanks to which you will train more passionately and intensely, will definitely help. In fact, lack of variety is a stressor for you.
Oddly enough, many powerlifters belong to this psychological type. The system of Louis Simmons from Westside Barbell is ideal: the main exercise changes after one or two weeks, three different workouts per week, the “auxiliary” also varies. And CrossFit is quite suitable, especially short complexes of 8-15 minutes.
Short but frequent workouts are better; they increase dopamine without causing fatigue. And a light, recovery workout is better than just a rest day. And two days of rest in a row even have a negative effect.
The optimal schedule for the week (with alternation): 2 workouts with high load, 2 with medium load and 2 with recovery.
Type 1 has excellent strength and power, but fatigue quickly accumulates. In a workout lasting 45-60 minutes (after preparatory work), it is more effective to include one main exercise and a couple of auxiliary supersets (the less monotony, the better). A total of 16-18 working approaches, in especially severe cases – up to 9-12.
In multi-joint exercises, it is better to do heavy sets of 4-6 repetitions for mass and 1-3 for strength. In isolation - 8-10 for the masses, 6-8 - in the utility room for the strength ones.
The second type needs to be sure that the exercises are performed with the correct technique and work the target muscle groups. Therefore, in the warm-up, practice the motor pattern of the main strength exercise of the workout and add activation movements to activate the necessary muscles (for example, activating the glutes before squats).
You can spend less time (as opposed to other types) doing dynamic stretching and myofascial release on a foam roller. Don’t go overboard with the warm-up in the main exercise: you subconsciously feel that it will take away your strength, and your motivation decreases.
Frequent changes are not required, you want to first see a noticeable increase in the result in a particular exercise before changing it. In “large” exercises, work for 4 weeks (or even 6), isolation can be varied more often. Remember, what's most important to you is confidence in the correct execution, so master the power movements properly.
Workouts that focus on specific movements or muscle groups are best for you. By concentrating on one thing at a time, you progress better. You also tolerate high frequency normally (it even helps by increasing norepinephrine). So a split of 5-6 workouts per week is suitable for you: by type of movement (press and assist, squat and assist, etc.), by body part (quadriceps, chest and deltoids, etc.) or bench presses. -legs. Just watch your recovery: lack of strength will lead to poor quality training, and this will upset you.
You easily become dependent on the training stimulus (both to increase norepinephrine and to gain the respect of others). Lack of self-esteem forces you to increase your workload, producing excess cortisol and preventing real progress. So it's good for you to feel noticeably tired at the end of your workout, but not to overdo it. Work out for up to 75-90 minutes, performing 20-25 working sets.
Feeling good is important to you, so either increase the weights in your favorite exercises (with proper technique), or use traditional bodybuilding pumping. You want to show off strength and look great, so train for those goals.
For hypertrophy, focus on the mid range of 6-12 reps; for strength, focus on sets of 3-5 reps. “Singles” (sets of one repetition) cause you increased mental stress.
You may be afraid of injury or simply pain from the exercise. Before the main workout, you don’t need to inflate yourself further; warming up should increase control over the body and relieve unnecessary anxiety. Try Dr. Racine's warm-up routine, especially focusing on steps 1 and 2.
You also need more myofascial release (foam rolling, balls, etc.) as well as mobility exercises. When warming up for a strength exercise, perform each light set with increased tension in the working muscles, as if you were lifting the maximum weight. This will better prepare you for working approaches.
2. Variability
Frequent variations are stressful for you. You can not change the main exercises for a long time (up to 12 weeks). If progress stops, vary other parameters: rest intervals, pace of execution, order of exercises, scheme of approaches/repetitions. Just don't change everything at once. In general, stability is more beneficial for you: training on the same days, at the same time.
You tend to overproduce cortisol and suffer more post-workout pain (due to cortisol). A full day of rest (and two in a row) will only benefit you. The highest effective frequency can be achieved on the following split: Mon - bottom, Tue - top, Wed - rest, Thu - bottom, Fri - rest, Sat - top, Sun - rest.
It is especially harmful for you to go overboard with volume (again due to cortisol). For hypertrophy, it is better to do few sets, but with approaching failure (without breaking the technique): 2-3 warm-up sets and 1-2 work sets.
For strength, the volume is also reduced, for example, 6 sets of 2-3 repetitions with a load of 75-85%. Weights under 90% will have a negative effect, increasing anxiety. It’s better to increase general physical fitness (increasing the ratio of dopamine and serotonin), but also don’t overdo it. Any overload harms you more than other types.
The weight should be such that you can perform the exercise confidently - anxiety will demotivate you. For hypertrophy, it’s better to do a little more repetitions - 8-15, for strength - sets of 4-6. Also, discomfort in the joints or loss of weight control sharply reduces motivation. So perform all "big" exercises with perfect form and a clean, controlled eccentric phase (lowering the implement). published econet.ru
@ Christian Thibado, translation by Alexey Republicommando
