The Five Minute Rescue Workout
MIKE STEFANO
The Firefighters Workout Book
I’ve trained a lot of men and women over the years with a variety of goals and limitations regarding their exercise regimen. Everybody wants something different from a fitness program; fat loss and muscle tone, increased strength and endurance, as well as improved overall health and even emotional wellbeing.
But when it comes to program limitations, the number one problem most of us encounter is the all too common, lack of time. Nothing sabotages the momentum of a new exercise program, and sends you into the dreaded fitness doldrums, more than a few skipped workouts caused by just being too busy to workout.
The List Goes On
Pick up the kids at school, go grocery shopping, and have dinner on the table by 6 PM -- after 8 hours in the office. Does that sound like a typical day? After dinner it’s helping with homework, cleaning up, and putting the kids to bed. Suddenly it’s 10 PM, and you never got to workout.
Whatever your reasons for not being able to squeeze in 30 minutes of exercise on any given day, and I'm sure they're valid, it results in you missing a workout. Whether it’s one busy day, or for an entire week, you need a back up plan --something you can do when you can’t do much.
You Need a "Plan B"
Fortunately, on a short-term basis, you can successfully substitute a five or ten minute routine for your regular 30 minute program, and leave the missed workout blues behind. As a matter of fact, a recent study at Harvard and Columbia Universities concluded that rest and recovery, and the body's natural, variable rythms are more important to fitness conditioning than previously considered.
The study suggests that training in short bouts of intense activity (60 seconds or less), combined with complete rest (back to resting heart rate), works both the active and passive phases of exercise, and achieves many of the strength and cardiovascular health benefits once associated, exclusively, with much longer, and more vigorous workouts.
This is great news for busy people who want to live a long healthy life, but at the same time are bogged down by the day to day chores we call living. Short bursts of intense activity, followed by complete recovery can have a positive impact on health and fitness.
Improvements can be seen in:
- Cardiovascular Fitness
- Strength and Tone
- Fat Loss
- Heart Rate Variability
- Mood
- Immune System Function
- Blood Pressure
How should you handle this information?
By no means should you abandon your long-standing exercise program. However, it's nice to know that when life gets away from you, and there are days, or yes... even weeks, when you can't find time for 30 minutes of exercise, that a few intense sets done with the proper form and adequate rest allows you to train your entire body, and rescues you from those missed workout blues.
Whether you’re too busy, on the road, or just don’t feel up to your full routine, save the day with the 5-minute Rescue Workout.
5-Minute Rescue Workout
On those busy days when your 30-minute workout routine has to take a back seat to picking up the little ones at school, or finishing up some last-minute shopping, you can still squeeze in a short, but rather intense bout of exercise to hold you over. This 5-minute workout features 2 classic resistance exericses that will not only tone, and build muscle, but will indirectly burn more fat due to increased lean muscle mass.
It won't replace a full whole-body workout, but this mini-workout will keep your metabolism moving. And the exercises are simple enough to be performed in a flash at home or on the road.
By putting together two basic, but effective exercises, you can train your body from head to toe with no equipment and without leaving your home. These two simple exercises will work virtually every muscle in your body, leaving you energized and refreshed as you rev up your metabolism, and prepare it for the next, longer session.
Perform two sets of the following exercises. Work to muscle fatigue on each set, and rest approximately one minute, or until your heart and breathing rate return to normal, or near normal before repeating. It's a good idea to warm up before (5 minute walk or stationary bike), as well as cool down, and stretch out after every workout.
Squat
Lower Body / Core
Stand with feet shoulder width apart holding arms at your sides. Head is straight, natural arch maintained in your back. Inhale, swing arms slightly forward for balance, bending at the knees & hips to a sitting position, thighs parallel to the floor. Buttocks stays above the level of the knees, & knees do not extend beyond toes. Exhale, slowly rising to a standing position with knees & hips straight, allow hands to drop back to your sides. Repeat to muscle fatigue.
Intensity Booster: This exercise can be performed with dumbbells to increase resistance (as shown), or with no weights to decrease it.
Goal: 2 sets of 20 repetitions
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Push-Up
Upper Body / Core
Lie face down on the floor or mat, hands on the floor, palms down, slightly wider than shoulder width apart, and toes curled under on the floor. Your back and legs are straight. Exhale as you slowly push your body away from the floor. Inhale, lowering yourself back down to the point where your chest barely touches or comes within a few inches of the floor. Repeat to muscle fatigue.
Intensity Booster: To lessen intensity check out the MODIFED PUSH-UP. To increase intensity perform both the up and down phases of the push-up very slowly (to a count of 4 pushing away from the floor and a count of 8 lowering to the floor, be sure to breathe naturally).
Goal: 2 sets of 20 repetitions
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Routine Sequence
1. SQUAT: Stop at muscle fatigue
2. PUSH-UP: Stop at muscle fatigue
Rest one minute
3. SQUAT: Stop at muscle fatigue
4. PUSH-UP: Stop at muscle fatigue
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Related:
The Firefighter's Workout Book contains over 50 illustrated exercises and routines, including strength, aerobic and stretching programs for every level of fitness.
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