Muscle & Fitness’ latest book 101 High Intensity Workouts For Fast Results has recently hit bookstores (both online bookstores and freestanding ones). Granted, I’m a little biased, but honestly, the book is jam-packed with great workouts (as the name implies), as well as a nutrition chapter, a supplements chapter and a boatload of great training tips.
You can pick up a copy online at Amazon.com.
For a sneak peak into the book, I thought I’d share with you one of my favorite workouts from 101. It comes from an article we published a few years back called “Gone in 30 Minutes” because all of the workouts could be done in 30 minutes or less. If you’re crunched for time but still want to squeeze a great workout in, give this one a try…
30-MINUTE WHOLE-BODY TIMED WORKOUT
What: A full-body workout that has you doing one exercise per bodypart for time (five minutes) instead of for a particular number of sets and reps - it may remind you of doing rest-pauses. You’ll simply do as many reps as you can in five minutes, resting when you need to. When: You’re afraid that doing straight sets will cause you to cut your workout short.
Why: Some people just aren’t able to do 15 straight sets in a half-hour, probably because they’re accustomed to resting too long. This “choose-your-adventure” method requires you to train each bodypart in five-minute increments so you never lose track of time. For safety reasons, all the exercises are done on machines - you’ll probably fatigue quickly and will be working off of limited rest, and machines tend to be safer.
How: For each exercise, select a weight that will cause you to fail at 10 reps. Do 10 reps right off the bat, then rest until you feel ready to go again. Do as many reps as you can, then rest again. Do this for five minutes, which means you’ll have to keep a close eye on the clock or your watch.
| Muscle Group | Exercise | Time |
| Chest | Chest Press Machine | 5 min. |
| Legs | Leg Press | 5 min. |
| Shoulders | Lateral Raise Machine | 5 min. |
| Back | Lat Pulldown or Seated Row | 5 min. |
| Triceps | Cable Pushdown | 5 min. |
| Biceps | Machine Preacher Curl | 5 min. |
* These are sample exercises; feel free to mix in your favorites for each bodypart from week to week.
