Fitness Under Extreme Time Constraints
Context
Unfortunately, due to some recent (positive) life events, I now have very little time to perform physical exercise. We're talking, sub-three mins twice a day**. Under normal time constraints I would perform some sort of body weight sequence about 4-6 times a week for about 20-30 min each session, followed by 15 mins of indoor biking. And some sort of combination of dead lift, back squat, power clean, overhead squat, push-press, or bench-press 2-4 times per week.
Goals
Diminish lose of strength and work capacity, maintain health.
Current Routine
AM: 10 Handstand Push-ups, 10 Pull-ups
PM: 10 Chin-ups, 10 Hanging Leg Lifts (hang from bar, with stiff straight knees, hinge at waist, with stationary upper body, pulling legs from perpendicular to the floor to parallel with the floor). In addition, I will randomly get the opportunity to wear a 50 lb weighted vest and do air squats or perform thrusters with the vest and two 25 lb dumbells etc.
Question
Given the conditions, and the desired outcome, how should I modify what I am doing? Should I be doing something totally different?
Available Equipment
Stationary Bike
Pull-up bar
Dumbells: 25lb x2, 15lb x2
Kettle Bells: 35lb, 20lb
Weighted Vest, adjustable up to 50lbs
Stairs
Thanks!
**Oopse, what I should have said is that the current activities that I perform take about three minutes twice a day. I realize that there is in fact more than that available in my daily schedule, a little more than three times that I'd say. Also, I should have stated that this period has a known end date. It should be about four more weeks.
(3)3 Comments
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Consider this: Even the pope (previous pope I think, this is actually a anekdote from arnold schwarzenegger from his autobiography total recall) has time to exercise more than an hour daily.
Do you really not have time for your health
Less than three minutes twice a day isn't even enough time to warm up to do any form of strength training. If you can't even warmup, you shouldn't do anything. Spend less time on the toilet, in the shower, and wherever else. If it's a priority, make the time.
If you just want to move around for those three minutes, use the kettlebell and do one handed snatches for a minute, then swings, then pullups. But you're joking yourself if you think you can accomplish anything remotely effective in less than six minutes a day.
Since you're saying you have less than 3 minutes per session, I'm going to firmly state that you are not going to reach any significant fitness goals. And I would very much welcome being proven wrong here.
For your muscles to grow, you need to run them through a catabolic state, and an anabolic state. The catabolic state is acquired when you tear down muscle fibers significantly through lifting. 3 minutes is sadly not enough time to accomplish this.
I am very certain that you have the opportunity to re-prioritize your time. Health should always be near, if not at, the top of your list.
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