How long should I go for?

Dear Reader,

One of the most commonly asked questions, by newbies and “seasoned pros” alike is this – how long do I need to go for to get a very good workout.

I always smile when I’m asked this question – because I know the hidden “insinuation” behind said question most of the time.

“I’ll have to work out for a long, long time” the person is likely thinking, and this then tends to (for a lot of people) translate into excuses as to why they can’t workout, why it isn’t “going to work” for them, and so forth.

And my answer is usually always the same.

“It depends … and usually NOT for very long to see results”.

What do I mean?

Well, in terms of the “depends” part – it does really depend upon your goal. If you’re training to run a marathon, for instance (NOT the ideal way to train, but your choice if you so choose) – then you’ll obviously have to go the distance and train a while.

It goes without saying that the more time you put into ANY skill the better you get at it. That is just an inescapable fact of life – and fitness as well.

But here’s the kicker – you do NOT need to go for very long to see results.

I espouse 15-20 minute workouts in the 0 Excuses Fitness System, and with good reason. You can see me wheezing and panting for breath towards the end of the 250 + pushup workout – – but here’s the REAL kicker – – you don’t even have to go for that long.

Jaws will likely drop when I say this, but you can get ball busting, FAT BLASTING workouts in as less as 10 – or even THREE minutes – or even a MINUTE to be honest.

Yes, that’s right.

This evening I was planning on hitting the heavy bag for about an hour. I’ve been sprinting and doing other things the rest of the week, so figured the bag would make for a solid workout as well as a nice “end of the week” interesting workout/break from the usual routines.

There are plenty of things you can do on the heavy bag, and today’s agenda was simple – form – and POWER.

And let me tell you one damn thing – after my initial “warm up” jab round, I dived straight into the heavy duty stuff – and boy oh boy, the sweat started to pour off before I knew it.

I was hitting HARD (and with proper form) without a break (and with my hands up) for the majority of the three minute “rounds”, and let me tell you  – 20 seconds or so is ALL I could handle of this heavy duty, relentless “pounding” (again, in proper form).

And more than the striking power this builds, talk about CARDIO! My heart was hammering nineteen to the dozen ALL throughout the workout pretty much, and I ended up collapsing after 45 minutes – this WITH breaks – and trust me – you DO need ’em if you’re hitting the bag heavy and hard for any duration of time.

Truth be told though, I could have probably ended that workout after 8 minutes or so – and STILL have gotten a lot of the benefits I did from it.

As I lopped off to the shower afterwards, I was STILL sweating. I must have stood in the shower for a good 10 minutes or so – – and right now, as I sit here typing to you? Well, I’m still sweating ever so slightly – talk about an “afterburn” – and fat burning WAY after your actual workout!

And why just the heavy bag?

When I first started doing Hindu squats, a cornerstone exercise in the System, I could barely get 30- 40 in a row in proper form. Took me a while to get up to 50 in about a minute or so, and trust me, it wasn’t easy.

You’ll see me starting to breathe heavily after 50 squats in the video – this from a guy who routinely pounds out 100’s of them on a regular basis.

And when I finally did get to 100 – when I started – 3 minutes or so was how long it took – and my legs and entire upper body was SPANKED. Believe me and trust me later, Hindu squats are an excellent and much overlooked form of cardio – – you can literally get in great workouts with these in FIVE minutes or less.

So that’s a long answer to a short question.

Not for very long at all, if you’re doing things the right way!

OK – that’s today’s tip. I’ll be back again later. In the meantime, don’t forget to have a great – and quick workout in today – and some GREAT, great weekend workouts as well!

Best,

Rahul Mookerjee

P.S. – Yet more “quick’n’dirty” workouts that leave you in a heap in 30 seconds or more are listed right HERE. You’ll want to get your paws on this QUICK, my friend – at least if you’re serious about your health, fitness and burning lard off your frame quicker than you ever imagined possible. Again, here is that link – – http://0excusesfitness.com/advanced-hill-training/

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