20 Minute Physical Fitness

The Theory

The theory behind successful 20 minute physical fitness workouts is based on the recent recommendations by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Their guidelines suggest that physical fitness can be improved from as little as 20 minutes of moderate physical activity, performed 3 times weekly.

Notably, moderate intensity is considered to be physical exercise that raises the heart rate to at least 55% of an individual's maximum heart rate (calculated very easily).

Total Fitness comprises of muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility and agility.

So, twenty minutes isn't a lot of time is it?

How do you impact each of the elements which make up total fitness in such a short time span - without setting foot in a gym?

Well, Ill tell you.

To begin, I must state the obvious, and that is, BEFORE engaging in ANY program of exercise, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS consult your doctor or physician to make sure that they are happy for you to exercise and have a clean bill of health.

Now that the formalities are out of the way, the first thing to do is to understand, there are 20 minute workouts; AND there are 20 minute workouts!

It's time to get real and say that ANY workout that feels easy or comfortable is just not going to cut the mustard when it comes to improving physical fitness.

A 20 minute workout done the Total Fitness Personal Trainer way is 20 minutes of solid work, HARD WORK and YES you WILL sweat!

BUT, the rewards are there to be had!

My preferred tools of the trade are a combination of Kettlebells, Medicine Balls and Body Weight drills.

In designing a routine with the best time/effort reward, it is ESSENTIAL to choose exercises which use large numbers of muscle groups and relatively high repetitions.

In doing so, more calories are burned in an attempt to supply the body with the energy it demands, and works the body as a complete unit - thus promoting balanced functional fitness.

By working using this type of exercise, with little or no rest within the 20 minute period, it is possible to achieve heart rates well in excess of the 55% target stipulated by the ACSM.

During the workout, expect to be breathing fairly hard, with blood pushing through your body as it tries to provide the oxygen it needs to sustain the work rate.

If you work even harder, it may be that you reach a point where your demand for oxygen is so high, that your body cannot deliver oxygen fast enough to the working muscles. This is referred to as anaerobic exercise.

When you dip into this depth of workout intensity, anaerobically, the magic really does begin when it comes to effort/reward.

If your bodies demand for oxygen out strips that of the supply, a temporary disturbance to the metabolic rate can be caused, (The metabolic rate is the rate at which the body burns calories) and continues in the hours after exercise has ceased.

This is commonly known in Sports Science circles as Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC). It is generally accepted in the fitness industry that using resistance exercise in this way, can induce EPOC much more effectively than when compared cardiovascular exercise.

Why is EPOC important?

Well, by inducing a state of EPOC, once your workout has finished, the body tries to regain its metabolic balance and in doing so, requires more energy.

Where does this energy come from?

Yep you guessed it - calories burnt - which only means one thing - greater potential for fat loss!

To back this up - think about the type of training that sprinters do, and then think about what their bodies look like.......lean with good muscle definition.

So in summary, a 20 minute workout can be an incredibly effective tool in improving physical fitness.

The increased heart rate achieved through the use of repetitive full body exercises takes care of cardiovascular fitness and burns a load of calories to boot - assisting fat loss regimes.

The dynamic forces of kettlebell training mean that muscular strength is required and improves as a result of the exercise, while at the same time promoting flexibility, agility, and muscular endurance.

If sufficient intensity is used to induce a state of EPOC, you can also look forward to burning a load more calories in the hours following your workout - even if you're sat still!

So in short, 20 minute workouts can have a huge impact on physical fitness and are incredibly versatile - especially if you have limited time available to train.

I regularly complete super intense 20 minute workouts as a way of increasing Physical Fitness when pushed for time.

The only requirement is some hard work from you - but then 20 minutes isn't forever is it?!

Go back to High Intensity Training

Dash back to the concept of 20 Minute Workouts

Go from Physical Fitness to Total Fitness Personal Trainer Homepage