How To Design Your Own 20-Minute Fitness Program
When life picks up speed, even the best among us are guilty of sacrificing our fitness regime for what we deem to be more important tasks. We decide that since we cannot block out an hour to work out, we may as well skip it rather than attempt a shorter session.
But according to co-founder of Fitaz Functional Kinetics, Georgio Batsinilas, a 28-minute workout is all you need to stay in a shape. This includes four minutes warm up and cool down so you are effectively only working out for 18 minutes.
“Studies show that fitness programs with just one set of five exercises performed at the right intensity can significantly increase a person’s strength and cardio,” Georgio said. “The reason most people take an hour to complete a gym workout is because they spend 30 minutes of it talking to other people.”
The former professional athlete, who counts the co-founders of Sabo Skirt among his clients, recently launched a fitness program called Fitaz In 28 Days that encompasses an eating plan and a 28-minute daily workout.
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“Most our clients are time poor and love that they can do the program at home or while travelling,” he said. “And because they know exactly what to do and for how long, they are focused and done in exactly 28 minutes.”
But not all of us have even 28 minutes to spare so woman with drive asked Georgio to break down his program into 10, 15 and 20 minutes, and share his pointers for designing a well-rounded fitness program.
If you only have 10 minutes
One minute of cardio warm up like brisk walking or star jumps.
Pick four different exercises and do two sets of 15 repetitions for each. Georgio recommends squats, sit-ups, push-ups and towel rows.
Start your first set at the top of the minute. Once you finish the 15 repetitions, rest for the remainder of that minute. Then start with the second set at the start of the next minute.
One minute of cool down consisting of a calf, hamstring, quad or chest stretch.
If you only have 15 minutes
One minute of cardio warm up like brisk walking or star jumps.
Stick to the above four exercises and add in a five-minute cardio workout. Georgio recommends skipping.
If you are fairly fit, alternate between a normal and slow pace for each minute. If you are fitter, alternate between a fast and normal pace for each minute.
One minute of cool down consisting of a calf, hamstring, quad or chest stretch.
If you only have 20 minutes
One minute of cardio warm up like brisk walking or star jumps.
Add one more set to the previous four exercises OR add two additional exercises and two minutes of your preferred cardio. Georgio recommends side lunges and mountain climbers.
One minute of cool down consisting of a calf, hamstring, quad or chest stretch.
Georgio’s Top 4 Criteria For A Holistic Fitness Program
Balance. Make sure you have an even number of push and pull, upper and lower body, and core exercises so you are never fully fatigued in just one area.
Impact. Avoid a high-impact workout that could cause stress-based injuries like shin splints and stress fractures after six to eight weeks. A totally low-impact workout however will impact your bone density. An ideal workout would be one where you run today, swim tomorrow, do weights the next day and then run again on the fourth day. Spread it out.
Flexibility. This is a huge part of fitness, both physically and mentally. To be able to sustain any kind of physical activity for a long period of time, you have to be injury free. A practice like yoga increases your flexibility and lowers your risk of injury. I strongly encourage adding a yoga class to your home workout if you can. It is great for your headspace too since you cannot talk to anyone or look at your phone in class. You are just focused on yourself.
Diet. Many women mistakenly believe that a diet means not eating any food. A real diet consists of balancing your macronutrients. It means having an even amount of carbs and protein instead of cutting them out completely. If you do not eat carbs for a few weeks, for instance, your body adapts to this new eating plan. When you start eating normally again, it has no idea how to break down the carbs and ends up storing it as fat.
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