I think that having children has unlocked some kind of inner, previously dormant, master level negotiator, taskmaster, scheduling ninja! I look back at my “pre-child” days and wonder what the heck I felt so stressed about? All I had to worry about was ME and for some reason, I remember feeling like I had SO MUCH to do. I chuckle as my former self, thinking “oh girl you don’t even know what a full schedule looks like”
Now with a family of 4, including two 4-year olds, I have learned to channel my taskmaster scheduling SKILLZ! And trust me, I know it could be so much more chaotic. I mean I only have two kiddos that are the same age doing all the activities together. I know many of you have multiple kids, varying in age with many different activities to schedule and get them to on time.
With these added responsibilities we now have, TIME is our most precious commodity! I also know that so often we feel like we need to shelf our workout for the day when it starts to look too full and slightly overwhelming. Well, I am here to tell you that doesn’t always need to be the case. We can still fit in that workout we just need to be really strategic about it. You want to show up and get the most bang for your buck and I promise it can be done! Today I’m sharing with you two easy time-saving ways to get a great workout in even when time is not on your side…cause really…when is it every on your side?
1. Lift Heavy
I tend to harp on this a lot but only because I feel it’s so important when it comes to reaching your fitness goals. Not long ago I wrote a post about progressive overloading. I talked about muscle growth and how they need to have the proper stimulus or load. The heavy load creates muscle fiber disruption and damage which in turn then stimulates growth through the repair process. Muscle growth is important because the more muscle you have the more calories will actually be able to burn while you are exercising!
Lifting heavy also improves your overall muscle recruitment during the movement. Meaning more muscle fibers are engaged within a specific muscle. In addition, lifting heavy also increases intramuscular coordination. Your muscle fibers will fire and work together instead of at slightly different times. This all helps muscle fibers become thicker and more capable of generating higher levels of force. Meaning you are better able to create a good strong muscular contraction with each repetition. Again, helping those muscles to grow.
If you’re wondering how heavy is heavy enough, you want to be lifting around a 7 to 8 and sometimes 9 on the RPE scale. Remember, this means that after you complete your set it felt heavy enough that you could only have done 2-3 (or 1) more reps if you had to. Don’t feel like it all has to be done with the barbell either. It is easier, and my personal preference, to lift heavy using the barbell but that doesn’t mean it’s the only way. You can always use kettlebells, dumbbells, or pre-loaded bars. As long as it’s heavy enough to create the response you want in your muscle then it’s good.
2. Do Compound Lifts
Let’s start by defining what I mean by a compound lift. This is really just any movement that involves moving multiple joints using multiple muscles both large and small. Most typically we think of the traditional squat, deadlift, and bench press movements using the barbell. While these movements should be a part of your overall program you can also perform other movements such as lunges, hip thrusters, and push presses. Again, these can be performed with the barbell or without just as long as you are lifting heavy enough to produce the desired muscular response.
Performing these compound movements give you the MOST bang for your buck regarding your workout and time efficiency. Because compound lifts involve multiple muscles working within one movement you are able to burn more calories than if you were to perform a movement involving only one primary muscle. Remember that the more muscles you are using the more calories you are burning. In addition, lifting heavy allows you to recruit more muscles to work within a certain movement. With that, compound movements allow you to lift heavier because they involve more muscle groups to successfully perform the movement.
Compound movements also help you burn more calories even after you are done with your workout! This is known as your post workout energy expenditure. Heavy compound lifts have been shown to elevate your post workout energy expenditure significantly more as compared to just performing steady state cardio.
Don’t think you aren’t getting any cardiovascular benefits from performing heavy compound movements though. Because compound lifts recruit multiple muscle groups this helps to elevate your heart rate while you are performing the movement. Lifting heavy compound lifts are just a win-win for everyone!
BONUS
I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention this little personal bonus to performing heavy compound lifts. You just plain feel like a badass! There is something really motivating, empowering, and sort of liberating to performing these lifts. At first, you might feel a little silly or clumsy and just plain out of place. As with any new movement you have to practice to become proficient. So while you might not feel like Wonder Woman the first time you do them you will, in time start to feel like a strong ass mother who don’t take no S#*t off of nobody.
As a mother, it can sometimes feel like we carry the weight of the world right on top of our shoulders. It seems that everyone we are close to relies on us in some way and we have to come through for them. We don’t have the option of saying no many times. This can make us feel like much of our day we are constantly giving to others, mainly our children. Allowing yourself some time in your day to focus on YOU can make all the difference in the world. Give yourself something that you do for YOU. I understand completely that TIME is precious and it’s hard to carve out some for yourself. Skipping your workout can seem like a logical thing to do but DON’T! Even in a time crunch you can do some compound movements with some heavy weight and get in a killer workout. You’ll be refreshed and come back feeling like the dag gone SUPERHERO that you ARE!
Until next time my friends!
Xx
Allison
