Personal trainers hear it over and over; "I don't have time to..." No one has the time to take care of their own health, to be fitter, to build their self up. You may even tell yourself that. And believe it too. Everyday people regard their health and fitness as something to be brushed aside and delayed until it is more convenient, because right now it is just too much. But the challenges you face now due to time constraints are only going to compound over time as they begin to physically limit your ability to move and enjoy life. This is the first part of a quick workouts series to help you make strength, mobility, and fitness a part of your life right now. You can also use our Push Ups & Tacos workout guide for a variety of quick workout options.

"Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time,' is like saying, 'I don't want to.'"

-Lao Tzu

We are not all unique snowflakes

That little heading may be hard for you to swallow, but it's true. As much time as I spend personal training clients and exercising with other people, I can very honestly tell you that most people have the same set of common issues. If you spend your day seated, commuting, or just less active than you'd like, I'd be willing to bet you have issues with:

• mobility, particularly around the thoracic spine (upper torso) and hips

• stability throughout the midsection

• general strength, throughout the legs, hips, and upper back

• overall work capacity

That's just normal. You may need to work on one or all of those qualities. Plus you may have a few things that are unique to you. Some people do have little things to work around that aren't as common. But these are the most common things I see and they don't have to be that hard to improve so long as you are consistent.

Consistency is key

My personal training clients have heard me say time and time again that strength and fitness is a lot like learning a new subject. When its fresh and new it can be exciting and even be a bit painful, but if you try to learn it all at once you get confused or burn out. It's often a lot easier to master a subject by breaking it into little bits and practicing it very regularly. Coincidentally, this is also a great way to overcome excuses like time.

When John Berardi of Precision Nutrition starts working with people to improve their eating he often looks for a first step that is small enough to seem like an extremely easy change. Like taking a daily vitamin or drinking water. That's exactly how we're gonna overcome your barriers to exercise like time.

I'm betting that even the busiest of us feels fairly confident they can make time for 10 minutes or less of exercise each day. That's why super high intensity programs like tabata protocols get so much attention. The problem is that type of workout can be extremely taxing and painful, so people don't often repeat it and there is no consistency.

The quick workouts I'm going to be offering you though, will be repeatable and progressive. They will deal with the issues that concern 90% of you that need a little help getting started or maintaining a habit of daily physical activity. Each workout posted will be simple enough that you can perform it at most basic gyms, and some of the workouts will require little to no equipment at all. 

Getting Started

In the coming weeks I will be posting a workout each week that can be done in anywhere from 10-30 minutes. These workouts are scalable and will use a variety of equipment and body weight drills so that you can make them work no matter what your gym situation may be. But with these short workouts you can begin developing the consistency needed to establish your habit and begin feeling better. 

I won't promise you anything stupid like in 10 minutes a day you'll lose 20 pounds in a week and bench press twice your bodyweight. But with quick workouts like the ones I'll be posting, you can:

• become stronger

• move better and improve your posture

• reduce aches and pains

• become more productive

• improve your mental clarity

• enhance your confidence and mood

• begin establishing a positive habit of daily activity

• empower yourself to take more control of your own physical state

So if you're a busy person that has had a hard time getting started with your training program make sure that you're watching this site for the upcoming quick workouts. Begin establishing that daily habit of exercise and activity by following along.

I want to help you do it

I want to help you more than just posting up these quick workouts and leaving you to your own to figure out the questions or issues you may run into. So consider this your invite to send me your questions about each and every workout that I post. You can post them in the comments here or you can post them on the Strong Made Simple Facebook page. If you don't have the right piece of equipment, tell me what you're dealing with and I'll help you change up the workout to fit your setup. Are you having trouble with one of the exercises? Need help scaling the workout to your personal ability? Post It and we'll figure out what will work for you. I'm not asking for anything in return. I am just offering my time and advice as a way to reach out to more people and help make strong simple. If you need more help with your fitness goals ask about our personal training in San Diego or online personal training options.