No time and you still want to be big? Then try these short but brutal workouts!

One of the problems nowadays is the lack of time... Not everyone has enough time to spend two hours in the gym... So how do you do it to get the best quality workout in the shortest possible time? Well, by using intensive training methods and time management!

Training methods

1) Series with breaks

These work well if you want to build strength and volume at the same time, or as something new to your training:

• Finish the first series with a margin for 1 or 2 reps.
• Rest only 15-30 seconds.
• Continue with 15-30 second breaks until you reach double reps or technical failure.

The result? You lift more weight, more reps, and the workout creates a greater response. With this method, you'll also hit resistant muscle fibers, creating progressive overload that builds volume, strength, and you won't spend half the day in the gym at the same time.

So how do you do it?

Focus on one body part. Let's say the upper half, and your exercise will be the bench press.

Warm up for 3 sets, adding weight for 3-5 reps to get your nervous system going. Then you'll start with a series of intervals.

Load about 85% of your max for 1 rep or a weight you can do 5-7 reps with. It depends on your strength and body composition. If you're all about strength, choose a slightly higher weight. The 85% is ideal for both strength and volume.

Example, if your 1 RM is 140 kg:

Warm up

• 65% x 5 = 90 kg
• 70% x 5 = 100 kg
• 80% x 3 = 115 kg
• 85% = 120 kg

Series with breaks

120 kg x 6 reps, pause 15-30 seconds, then...

• Do 1-3 reps, pause 15-30 seconds.
• Do 1-3 reps, pause 15-30 seconds.
• Repeat until you double the number of reps of the 1st set with breaks. So do 12 reps total = 6 reps in the 1st set, do the rest of the reps, 6, in the remaining sets.

Use a spotter and end the sets early if your rep range or technical failure is in jeopardy. Use the time saved for the remaining components of the workout.

Sample workout:

2) Training as a block of time

You'll need to create a circle, a certain number of reps for each exercise, and do as many sets as you can in the time frame you choose.

Let's say you have 15 minutes left in your workout. Fill them with maximum quality work. You choose the pace. You can lose weight, train at a faster pace, and get more work done overall, or choose the opposite.

You'll have to go by how you feel and how much time you have. Physiologically, more work in less time can mean more metabolic stress and muscle damage. These are both important for building volume.

So how do you do it?

You're done squatting and have 15 minutes before you have to shower. Form a circle and do as much work as you can in those 15 minutes.

Sample workout:

3) Bulk sets

These are similar to the burst series. You take breaks in between reps so you can train at a higher intensity for the same amount of work. The intensity here often goes up to 80-90% of max. With this method, you'll do more work with a given intensity than you could with regular sets.

Let's say you want to do a total of 25 reps per muscle group. You can either do 5x5, or you can do 5 sets of 1-1-1-1 reps each with a 10-15 second rest.

The amount of work is the same either way, but you'll be able to put more weight on it due to the breaks in the bulk series.

Such sets are great for volume and strength because they allow you to train a higher number of reps with very heavy weight.

Here's an example:

• Series/Reps: 5/1-1-1-1-1
• Pause between reps: 15 seconds
• Pause between sets: 2-3 minutes
• Percentage of 1RM: 80-90%

So how to do it?

• Weight: 125-130
• Series and rep scheme: 5x5 (sets of 1's)
  
• Series 1
• 125x1: pause 15 seconds
• 125x1: pause 15 seconds
• 125x1: pause 15 seconds
• 125x1: pause 15 seconds
• 125x1: pause 2-3 minutes
  
• Series 2
• 130x1: pause 15 seconds
• 130x1: pause 15 seconds
• 130x1: pause 15 seconds
• 130x1: pause 15 seconds
• 130x1: pause 2-3 minutes
• etc.
• You could also gradually add weight in each series.

4) Combined training

I coined this term for carefully timed sets in heavy training. You'll be holding muscle and burning fat with a caloric deficit. You will practice useful exercises like push-ups, squats, push-ups and deadlifts.

Since you will be able to do higher repetitions, you will also grow muscles due to the metabolic load.

At this intensity, stored energy is broken down and muscle contractions put more strain on the whole body.

For this reason, the breaks should be so short and the intensity so high that you won't be able to have a conversation without gasping for breath. A byproduct of all this will be the leaching of growth hormone, which further stimulates growth.

So how to do it?

If you work out 4 days a week, choose 2 exercises for the upper body and 2 for the lower body. These will be your heavy exercises for each week. After them, you'll practice time blocks. Time is of the essence, so keep your focus for the entire workout.

• Upper body: overhead presses, overhead curls, bench press, bar push-ups, pull-ups
• Lower body: repositioning, squats, deadlifts, lunges

Sample workout for day one - upper body:

Sample workout for day two - lower body:

Sample workout for day 3 - upper body:

Sample workout for day four - lower body:

Time management

What's the key to progress? Consistency!
And how to be consistent? Make the most of your time and make training a priority, not just something in the corner of your mind. That's how to do it:

Train first thing in the morning.

If something is important to you, do it first. Exercise before other obligations come up. The more obligations you have, the more strongly I recommend starting your day with a workout.

Plan for tomorrow tonight.

Set aside 15 minutes at the end of the day to plan the next one. Try it hour by hour. It won't always be perfect, but it will dramatically increase your consistency, and that includes your workouts.

Train more on the weekends.

Moving your hardest workouts to the weekend often takes the stress out of the work week. You might even become such a hard worker that you deny yourself a few vodkas at the bar on Fridays to recover...

Source: www.t-nation.com -AbbreviatedBrutality - The Workouts
By Eric Bach