Cut back by a third

Ever wondered why even though you do regular exercise, you still seem to struggle with your weight or you just don’t seem to be getting any fitter?

The obvious answer is that you are not doing enough. Many people think this and so they add yet another exercise session to their program or they increase the length of their sessions. Unfortunately, all this is likely to do is make you tired, increase your chance of an injury or increase your frustration as you just can’t seem to fit everything into your busy schedule.

Sound like you?

If so, you will be pleased to hear that for many people, doing less might be the answer. In fact I’m going to challenge you to reduce the length of your workouts for the next week by a third. Your goal is to exercise for 33% less time than you would normally. For example if you walk or run for 30 minutes, I want you to only do 20 minutes.

That sounds easy doesn’t it? And it is, but there is a condition attached.

You have to work harder during that shorter session. In fact, I want you to try to do 75-80% of what you normally would do in the shorter time period.

For example, if you usually run 5 kilometres, try and cover 4 kilometres.

If you apply this to a weights session, reduce the rest between sets and do the exercises quicker. Don’t however, take risks or compromise on form and technique.

Why am I suggesting this?

All the latest research is showing that exercising at a higher intensity is the way to improved fitness and greater fat loss. Shorter sessions also mean your body has more time to rest and recover, which is when the physiological adaptations to exercise happen.

Even if you try this and only get the same results as you would have but in less time, that’s a good result. It means you’ll have more time to do other (more enjoyable) things. I expect however, that you will get better results, as in improved fitness and reduced body fat, by working harder for shorter periods.

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