I wrote a post a while back about the AHA/ACSM Guidelines for Physical Activity (June 3, 2019), but in response to a friend’s request, I am returning there again, today. These guidelines are, of course, minimal guidelines for health. (Put that together and it should be clear that these are for minimal health benefits.) I would suggest that we should all do more to exceed these guidelines, as we are able (i.e., limiting excuses, yet accounting for health and physical limitations). I like to propose a guideline of 2-3 sessions for strength, 2-3 sessions for neuromotor and body composition (e.g., HIIRT), 2-3 sessions for cardiorespiratory fitness, and as much daily physical activity as possible per week.
For many, the questions is one of “how?”. Time is always at a premium. Nevertheless, “opportunity costs”. We all have seven 24-hour days in a week. While we have different constraints and responsibilities, we do have the same opportunity to prioritize exercise. If your think you have to spend hours at the gym, think again. It is true that more time can yield greater benefit, but, other than training for athletic performance, we can greatly benefit with a rather minimal time commitment.
Personally, I find it easier to accomplish more with a high-frequency (e.g., >1 session per day) schedule of shorter goal-specific sessions. So, a minimal guideline of 2-3 sessions for strength, 2-3 sessions for neuromotor and body composition, and 2-3 sessions for cardiorespiratory fitness per week is doable, when one considers that these can be as short as even 20 minutes (30-45 minutes being ideal for high-priority sessions). It just means we have to schedule and eliminate some “waste” time. Preferably, I would recommend 4 sessions per week for priority exercise (e.g., 4 strength training sessions per week). Key is to schedule sufficient sessions, and allow yourself enough grace to miss a session or two occasionally (trying to limit these to low priority sessions).
Start your day (i.e., get your butt up earlier) with your priority exercise. It might not be as productive to lift weights at 5 am (compared to late morning to early afternoon of early evening), but the chances of your plans being derailed are reduced. This might mean getting to bed earlier to get enough sleep.
Plan to exercise before or after dinner. Right after work seems to work best for me. If it is lower priority exercise, it is permissible to miss from time-to-time or to shorten the exercise session a bit.
How long should the sessions be? How much time can you prioritize?? Spitting weight lifting sessions according to the basic-five (squat, deadlift, bench, row, and press) variations into A/B sessions (e.g., A: squat, bench, row; B: squat, deadlift, press) can be done in 30-45 minutes, depending on the number of sets and rest between sets. Super-setting can cut the time “wasted” resting between sets to shorten the workout, as well. Cardiorespiratory benefits can be seen in rather short sessions. Carefully planned interval sessions can be quite time effective (15-20 minutes can be effective—certainly more effective than doing nothing). Time can be added or taken away according to opportunity. Neuromotor training (e.g., for agility, balance, coordination, reaction time, speed and power) and training to improve body composition are also important, but need not require a significant amount of time. As little as 10 minutes can stimulate some adaptation. More is, of course, better.
Increased training frequency may increase the risk of overtraining, but…seriously…few of us are likely to do too much exercise—especially in more frequent and shorter sessions. Overtraining is more a matter of poor exercise management. It is not as likely to be a problem for most of us as is undertraining.
As in as much non-specific physical activity as possible during the day (e.g., take the stairs, walk more, etc.). Avoid sitting too much. Get up and move, but also remember to exercise.
With minimal session durations of 30 minutes (which is quite doable) six to nine is only 180-270 minutes per week. Extend a couple of these to 45 minutes or increase the frequency to 10-12 sessions, and you are likely to see some impressive results.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!