Celebrities and fitness influencers may casually brag about spending three hours in the gym every day (it is part of their job after all), but for most of us, that kind of time is a fantasy. Add in work, family responsibilities, chores and the demands of everyday life, and trudging to the gym for even an hour-long strength training workout just isn’t possible sometimes. Luckily, a short and sweet gym session could be all you need.
Despite 15 years of experience in the fitness industry, PT and fitness instructor Karen Owen is all too familiar with how exercise can often slip down the to-do list – which is why she tells clients that “you can really make a difference in less than 30 minutes”.
“Even short periods of movement give you a big boost of energy, which helps when you have a hectic schedule. And when it seems like a chore to find time to exercise, remember that you will never regret the feeling afterwards.”
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Karen’s full-body routine will place you in the free weights area of your gym for less than 30 minutes. With a set of dumbbells, you’ll be doing a mix of time-saving compound moves and functional exercises with the biggest impact. You could also do this workout at home.
30-minute gym workout1. Narrow squat with weights
This compound exercise targets the glutes, quads and adductors. “Quads and glutes are big muscles, so go heavy on the weights. However, the quality of the move is more important here. Go deeper into the squat and move with control before upping the weight,” advises Karen, who demonstrates the exercise above.
Here’s how to do it:
Hold a dumbbell in each hand, either by your sides or resting on your shoulders.With feet hip-width apart, keep your chest lifted and slowly squat down (as if sitting in a chair).Go as low as you can, before pushing back up from your heels.Aim for two sets of 8 to 10 reps.
If this feels too challenging, Karen recommends adding a plate under your heels to help mobility around the hip and ankle joints. This also helps keep your torso upright and reduces pressure on the back.
On some days, you can swap the narrow squat (which is more of a quadricep exercise) for a wide squat (which works more of the glutes). In a wide squat, keep the knees out in line with the toes.
HOMCOM
Rubber Hex Dumbbell Set
Doing this workout at home? You’ll need a set of weights. Find your favourites in our best dumbbells guide, or Digital Health Editor Grace Walsh recommends getting a set of hex dumbbells like these from HOMCOM. The hexagonal shape makes them easier to store and stops them from rolling away mid-workout.
Whether to protect your wooden floors or give your joints a break, a thick yoga mat is an excellent addition to any home workout set-up. The Gaiam Premium Yoga Mat (6mm) is our overall favourite, offering enough cushioning without putting you off.
Fokky
Resistance Bands Set With Handles
It might sound too good to be true, but you can save money and space with this workout if you do it at home, too. As well as ditching the membership fee for a gym, you could use a set of resistance bands as weights. For less than £20, you can pick up a set that goes up to 56kg and comes with handles.
2. Lunges with weights
A lunge is a functional exercise that challenges your balance, stabilising your core and hips. It also targets your quads, glutes and hamstrings. “Once you’ve got stability, add heavier weights to increase the challenge,” says Karen. “You can also progress this with variations such as reverse lunges and walking lunges.”
Here’s how to do it:
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Hold a dumbbell in each hand, resting by your sides.With feet hip-width apart, step your right foot forward and bend your knee in line with your middle toes, keeping your back upright. Drop your back knee close to the ground.Step back to standing, before repeating.Aim for three sets of 8-10 reps on each side.3. Deadlifts with bent-over rows
Combining these two moves in your 30-minute gym workout saves time while working a range of muscles, including your glutes, hamstrings, back and core (from the deadlift), and your lats, rhomboids and trapezius (from the bent over rows).
Karen recommends focusing on the range of motion before going heavier. “Working one arm at a time allows you to isolate the lats and lift the arm higher,” she says.
Here’s how to do it:
Hold a pair of dumbbells against the front of your thighs with palms facing inwards. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart.Keeping your back straight and bending the knees slightly, slowly hinge at the hips and fold forward, pushing your hips back and keeping the weights close to your thighs.With the weights just below the knees, lift one weight towards the side of your ribcage, and pull your shoulder blades back and down.Push through your heels to return to standing. Repeat with the other arm for one complete rep.Aim for three sets of 8-10 reps.4. Bicep curls with shoulder press
Another time-saving combination, this is a great way to build strength and coordination. “It works your biceps, delts and triceps, plus it targets your core as a bonus,” says Karen.
Here’s how to do it:
Stand with feet hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand close to your sides.Lift the weights towards your shoulders with control.Turn the weights so palms are facing out, before pressing up over your head.With control, bring the weights down to your shoulders, turn the palms in, and reverse the bicep curl.Aim for three sets of 8 to 10 reps.5. Deadbugs
This core exercise finisher, which includes three moves of eight reps each, will work your deep core muscles and side obliques. “I’m a firm believer in deep core exercises. They play a crucial role in supporting the pelvic floor, which is particularly important for women,” says Karen. “If you have time, increase the number of reps on each of these exercises to maximise the impact.”
How to do deadbugs:
Lie on your back in a reverse tabletop position (knees bent at 90 degrees, arms straight up)Simultaneously, straighten your right leg while sweeping your left arm over your head.Bring it back to your original position and repeat on the other side to complete one rep.Aim for 8 reps.How often should you do this routine?
If you can, Karen recommends completing this workout three or four times every week. However, don’t beat yourself up about it if you can’t find the time. This is ideally how long you should lift weights. Any movement is good for you.
“After a couple of weeks, you should start to feel different. By doing this consistently, in six to eight weeks you will really start to see a difference,” she adds.
Research proves that short workouts (like this 30-minute gym workout) can deliver big fitness gains. A recent study reported in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that doing just 30 minutes of lifting weights twice a week was enough to build muscle mass, even for those already fit and strong.
Tips on finding time for the gymPick the right gym in the right location: Do you often skip a gym session because getting there is a hassle? “Choose a gym [either next to or] between your home and your workplace so it’s easy to get to on the way to or from work,” Karen suggests. Also, make sure it’s a gym where you feel comfortable and enjoy spending time.Go with friends: Sometimes we need someone else to motivate us to go. “Working out together makes you accountable, and it feels less scary if you’re new to the gym,” she adds.Schedule a workout like a meeting: Karen warns that if you never prioritise your 30-minute gym workout and just assume you’ll fit it in later, that often means it never happens. Pull out your workout leggings and put them on first thing, add your workout to your diary, as you would a work meeting or dentist appointment, and stick to it.