Making 20 Minute Workouts Matter
I truly believe that we do not need to spend hours in the gym to make progress. As midlifers, juggling families, elderly parents + work means we have limited time! In fact it's the very reason I created Fitness Bites - short but effective workouts. Here are 7 strategies you can consider to ensure a 20 minute workout will get you results.
⭐ Intensity - high intensity has been shown to be super effective for midlife women. There have been a number of research papers on this + an interesting article by physiologist Dr Stacy Sims if you want to read more about this. https://www.drstacysims.com/blog Midlife%20Women%20Can%20and%20Should%20Do%20High%20Intensity%20Exercise
Midlife women should not be afraid of upping the intensities of their workouts (of course please consult your doctor before doing so!)
⭐ Compound Movement - including lots of compound exercises that use multiple muscle groups - these are exercises such as squats, lunges, deadlifts that work the entire body.
⭐ Rest time - reducing rest time can have a optimise the time you are exercising for + make the body work under pressure - this is particularly good if you want to increase your muscular endurance. Muscular endurance is the ability to perform repetitions of an exercise over a period of time usually using a weight of approx 40%-60% of 1 rep max. You typically might see this is a URfit Fitness Bite.
⭐ Equipment - keeping equipment to minimal can save time. Kettle bells + dumb bells are particularly versatile + can be easily switched up during a workout.
⭐ Good Form - ensuring good form will maximise the benefit. Going for a full range of movement will ensure the muscle is worked to its full capacity. Go form over reps ever time!
⭐ Consistency - sticking to shorter workouts is likely to help with consistency. Consistency is the key to progress + results EVERY. SINGLE. TIME!
Next time you are exercising, think of ways you can really make the most out of 20 minutes. All these strategies will help you with progress, build strength + reach your goals.
If you want to get in touch about your fitness please drop me a line!! sarah@findurfit.com
