Efficiency

I thought this might be a good time to turn back to my fitness journey since I took a small break from it the past week. Too many Bruins games! I want to talk a little bit about time spent working out. Both how many days per week and amount of minutes spent at the gym.

So, real deal. To stay healthy, you should work out 3-5 days per week spending an average of 45-90 minutes at the gym (more in the 45-60 area) with a balance of strength training and cardio. For me this has been a problem. My average workout would last anywhere from 90-120+ minutes. Just way too much. This leads to overtraining and does more harm than good.

I never noticed the time lost too much. I'm single, no girlfriend, no pets, no kids. Nothing major going on after work most weekdays. So instead I spend time at the gym. But lately, I've found myself wanting something...A LIFE! I miss reading and writing, keeping up with different Boston sports teams, trivia nights with friends, cooking and learning how to cook better, things like that. Little did I know, rather than having working out supplement my life as it should, the only thing I had was working out. Need to diversify.

So my goal is to reduce the amount of minutes I'm in the gym. I'm good on days per week only getting in there 4 or 5 days. What I'm looking to do is average 45 minutes strength training and 20-30 cardio. A sample of my old routine looks like this:

Bench Press
Incline Press
Decline Press
Reverse Grip Bench Press
Dips
Overhead Tricep Press
Rope Tricep Push Down
Planks
Side planks
Hanging leg raise
30 minutes running

Just way too much! Average: 2+ hours

Here is what I did yesterday:

Bench Press
Incline Press
Decline Press
Reverse Grip Bench
Dips
One Arm Cable Press
30 minutes running

I was in and out of the gym in about 90 minutes. Using exercises like the One Arm Cable Press for core work (which I'll get into some other time) and focusing on complex multi-joint exercises. For example, 3 isolation tricep exercises are not necessary for even the most fit person. They'll get the work in doing major movements (bench press, incline press, etc.). You really only need 1 isolation movement per workout. I think revamping my routine in this way will not only save time, but will provide better results.

So did it work? I think so! Last night I got home in time to catch the end of the Sox game, make my lunches for the rest of this week, and watch "Chopped"'on Food Network. It's all about balance.

How much time do you spend in the gym?
What are your tricks for an efficient work out?
What would you suggest I add/remove from my workout?