Micro-Workouts: the best tool you've never heard of

One of the main reasons entrepreneurs struggle to stay consistent with their fitness and thrive in a body they're proud of is that they try to do too much too quickly. They set unrealistic expectations, go from 0 to 100, and try to follow a plan that is clearly not manageable. They do the same thing over and over again and hope for a better result. Whatever you call it, it doesn't work, not because of you but because of the approach.

In today's article, I'll cover one of the key components of building consistency: micro-workouts. Why are they so powerful, and why should you absolutely have a few of them in your toolbox?

Firstly, what's a micro-workout?

It's a short and more intense workout you can do in case you don’t have time, energy or motivation to do your full planned workout. It can take anywhere from 5-20-min.

Why are they so powerful?

Certainly not because of burning calories...

Say you work very hard and burn 50kCal in those 15-min. Not only will you eat them back with two bites, but also, to lose 1kg of body fat you need a calorie deficit of around 8000kCal. That's the equivalent of 160 micro-workouts. Not a good deal.

The (real) benefits of micro-workouts are:

1 - better food choices - when you hit a workout, especially in the morning, you'll way more likely to eat better for the rest of your day. If you train in the evening, you're more likely to prepare food for tomorrow.

2 - more energy - just a few minutes of moving will raise your energy levels and sharpen your focus.

3 - They're great to help you change your identity. To become a person that trains. Especially if you're at the beginning of this journey and your self-discipline is low, micro-workouts are amazing to build you up!

4 - better sleep - moving and expending energy will help you to fall to sleep faster, sleep better and wake up more fresh, which will further help you with controlling your appetite and maintaining focus and energy.

5 - better posture - if you're sedentary, micro-workouts can be build in a way that helps you with posture, painful back or stiff hips, while you're getting all the benefits above.

Biggest benefit is that they give you the ability to stay consistent.

Say, Oliver, has three gym workouts every week, 60-min each. But this week, his son has a football tournament, and he needs to submit an important business proposal to a potential investor. Oliver is short on time and high on stress.

Oliver can do a few micro-workouts at home or in the gym instead of having a week off and then feeling like he lost the momentum. By doing something instead of nothing, he also decreases stress levels and improves his focus so he can deliver his proposal and enjoy time with his son. Over the year this could be the difference between consistent Oliver and Oliver who starts and stops over and over again.

Examples of micro-workouts specific for entrepreneurs:

Chances are you sit a lot, you get stressed, work under pressure and have minimum time, so the way you train absolutely has to consider those factors and help you balance it all out.

This means doing simple exercises to help with posture and stiffness, increase strength & muscle, strengthen your core and raise your heart rate,

Here are four examples with four different styles, combining specific exercises to take the most important boxes.

No-equipment, HIIT - Do the whole round of6 exercises for 30-sec each exercise, then rest 60-sec at the end of the round. Repeat 3-6 rounds:

1. Prisoner squat
2. Kneeled press-up
3. Leg raise
4. Superman
5. Jumping Jacks
6. Dead-hang

Dumbbells example: AMRAP (as many rounds as possible). Set the timer to 10-20 minutes and keep doing those exercises as they come, with minimal rests in between:

1. Arnold Press 10x
2. Bent over row 10x
3. Goblet squat 10x
4. Dead-hang 20-sec
5. Reverse fly 10x
6. Windshield wipers 10x

Cardio example: SPRINTS

1. 3-min slow pace
2. 6x 30-sec SPRINT followed by 30-sec slow pace (bike, run, elliptical, rowing, etc)
3. 3-min slow pace
4. Dead-hang 3x 20-sec

Gym example: SUPERSETS. Repeat each superset 3x

1. Assisted Pull-Up 10x + Assisted Dip Machine 10x, rest 30-sec
2. Squat To Shoulder Press 10x + Dead-Hang 20-sec
3. Rowing Machine 300m sprint + Plank 30-sec

21/15/9 BONUS:

Choose your favourite 3 exercises, and do 21 reps from each, then 15 reps from each, and then 9 reps. Keep the rest on minimum. If you use weights, they should be challenging enough so you can't do the whole 21 reps in one go. This is personally my favourite way how to get a quick workout in.

Example:

1. Pull-up
2. Push-up
3. Squat Jump

10-min, done ✔️

Thank you for reading, I hope you found it helpful and let me know which one you're going to try at your next session!