Fifteen Minutes of Pain

It happens. Once in a while, time is just not on our side.

Let’s say you only have only 20 minutes to bump and grind in the gym. Twenty minutes to do your thing.

Don’t sweat it. There is a way to spark a beneficial workout, if you can successfully translate quantity into quality.

But in order to whiz through a twenty-minute workout – and actually gain from it – you must prepare yourself mentally for a quick bolt of intensity.

First off, your muscle groups are going to be limited. In twenty minutes, you can quickly churn through two muscle groups, preferably two of the smaller ones. Effectively working your chest and legs in 20 minutes, for instance, is quite a stretch.

Let’s say you want to work your biceps and calves.

Start with biceps curls. Take a barbell off the rack, one heavy enough so that you can manage only 3-5 repetitions in your first set. Immediately, without taking a break, downgrade to the next barbell, a weight that you can manage 5-8 reps with.

Once again, the third set should immediately follow the second, with just a few seconds of rest in between. This set should range from 8-10 reps, so again, you’ll need to choose the appropriate weight accordingly. By now, your biceps should be roasting from the burn as the pump is hopefully hitting with immediate impact.

The fourth and final set will hurt the most. You’ll need to shed a few more pounds off the bar for this one, and proceed with 12-16 reps. Be sure to maintain tight, proper form during every set to benefit completely from this workout.

After biceps, it’s time to take on the next mission: calves.

Step up to the calf-raise machine and proceed with the same, intense regimen that you exercised biceps with. Do four sets, starting with the heaviest, and gradually decrease the weight while increasing the number of reps.