I work out in a public gym: nothing fancy but it’s got all the essentialsfor an effective workout. All you need is your bodyweight, free weights, pull-up bar, and a stability ball and you can create a great workout.Anyway, I was stretching after my workout a few days ago and observed some other people exercising. This caused me to thinkabout how my training is so effective yet very simple. People are either doing way too many exercises in one workout or the exact opposite- not doing nearly enough (intensely) to stimulate any type of change.

So I thought I’d share how my typical workout is set-up, and how I can get an intense full body workout done in less than 45 minutes. I will break each section down explaining the importance and reason behind it. Obviously there are hundreds of different ways to set-up a workout, but hopefully this gives you a good guide.

My Workout Routine

When I walk into the gym I am very focused and ready to dominate the workout. I know this might sound ridiculous, but the mental aspect of training is very important.I don’t stop and talk to the people standing around wasting their time in the gym. My time is valuable and I am there for only one reason-to train hard! Once I have my music on its go time.

Warm-up

I alwaysstart each training session with at least a 10 minute warm-up. I can’t stress enough how important this is for your overall success. And my warm-up is never walking or running on the treadmill. I focus on mobility and stretching exercises that help loosen up my joints and gets the blood circulating through my body.

I spend the rest of the warm-up performing bodyweight exercises.Some staples in my warm-up include jumping jacks, pushups, squats, lunges, and plank. There are a few more that I usually incorporate as well but I will save that for another post.I truly believe that this type of warm-up has saved me from injury. I strongly suggest you spend at least 10 minutes warming up before each workout.

Big Resistance Exercise

After my thorough warm-up is complete I now move on to the first weight exercise. I always perform the most taxing and difficult movements at the beginning of my session. In other words, exercises such as barbell squat, bench press, deadlift, power clean press are always done first.Why you ask? Because these are the most demanding exercises that should be done when you are fresh and not fatigued. They involve a lot of major muscle groups and need to be done with perfect form in order to avoid injuries.

I see people doing the exact opposite of this all the time. They will do squat ordead-liftat the end of their workout when they are mentally and physically drained.They’re setting themselves up for injury. On top of that there’s no way they will get the most out of the exercise at the end of a workout. So always perform these exercises at the beginning of your workout.

Minor Resistance Exercises/Assistant Movements

Once I finish with my major resistant exercises, it’s time for some minor resistance movements. These exercises are still mostly full body but not near as demanding as the major movement exercises discussed above.I often perform 2-3 exercises in a row without any rest between. For example, I might do pull-ups, pushups, and dumbbell lunge back to back to back without any rest.After I complete all three exercises, I will rest for a minute and repeat the sequence over 2 more times.

This is known as a circuit and allows me to get more exercises done in less time.I will normally perform 1-2 supersets or circuits of different exercises (like the sequence above) to finish out my workout. I might only perform a total of 5-8 exercises for my entire workout. That’s all you really need for an effective workout.Don’t follow the people in the gym whom perform 12-15 exercises per workout. That’s far too many exercises for optimal fat loss and overall health. I like to keep it as simple as possible. Don’t over think your workout. Stick to the basics.

Jump Rope

I don’t always end my training session with interval training. But when I do, it’s usually in the form of jump roping. I strongly dislike running so this is my preference of “cardio” training. I normally will jump rope anywhere from 5-10 minutes at a high intensity.The only time I stop is when I need to tie my shoes or when I miss a skip. This gets my heart rate going like you wouldn’t believe. If you don’t like or can’t jump rope, sprinting or biking are other great options.Here’s an actual workout I went through the other day. It took a total of 42 minutes from start to finish.

Big Warm-up for 10 minutes

• Jumping Jacks- 30 reps
• Prisoner Forward Lunge- 10 reps per leg
• Duck Under- 4 per leg
• Bird Dog- 5 per side
• Plank- 30 seconds
• Pushup- 15 reps
• Squat Jump- 8 reps

I went through each exercise without any rest. At the end of the warm-up circuit, I rested 30 seconds and went through it 2 more times.

Set 1:

• Barbell Squat- 8 reps
• Vertical Jump- 6 reps

I did not rest between exercises. Took 1 minute rest after both exercises and repeated 2 more times for a total of 3 sets.

Minor Resistance Exercise

Set 2:

• Dumbbell Reverse Lunge- 8 reps per side
• Decline Pushup- 25 reps
• Pull-up- 6 reps

Did all three exercises in a row without any rest. Took 90 second rest after the circuit and repeated 2 more times for a total of 3 circuits.

Minor/Assistance Exercise

Set 3:

• Stability Ball Leg Curl- 15 reps
• Stability Ball Plank- 60 seconds

Performed both exercises back to back without any rest. Took 45 second rest at end of set and repeated 1 more time for a total of 2 supersets.That was my entire workout. And actually most of the times I don’t even perform that many exercises. I still completed the workout in less than 45 minutes. My training philosophy is 3-4 days a week of high intensity weight training for 30-45 minutes.I love exercising but know how important it is to have proper rest and recovery. I could easily workout 5-6 days a week but know that’s not the best approach for optimal results. I listen to my body and give it the proper rest and recovery it deserves. Hopefully you do or will start doing the same.Train hard-smart-safe and you are well on your way to a lean body.