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The best workout for women tight on time

Written by Jane

We know ladies, we’re so busy with life these days that it seems impossible to make time to workout.

Things just get in the way or take more time than we’d like, meaning our workouts get forgotten and demoted to the bottom of our to-do lists.

In saying that though, you don’t need endless hours in the gym to achieve your goals. Believe me, we’ve all fallen in the trap thinking that. But times are changing ladies!

If I said to you that you could burn fat and lose weight doing an intensive workout routine and it only needs a short amount of time, you wouldn’t believe me.

Well, get believing, studies have shown that quick, intense work out routines are a winner compared to longer moderately intense exercise.

Get ready and prepare yourself for our quickest results workouts. It’s time to go hard or go home!

Intense workout routine: Why HIIT works

HIIT (High-intensity interval training) is not a new thing and there is a huge reason that people love it and repeat it over and over again.

It can have some serious effects on calorie burn, boost your metabolism and improve your fitness level. Even a short 20 to 30 minute HIIT workout can help significantly with your weight loss goals.

Whilst we all want to look our best and not struggle for breath after climbing stairs, there is so much more to exercise than just burning calories. This type of intensive workout routine can also boost cardiovascular fitness and strength.

No matter how short on time you are, exercise is great for your metabolism and overall health. We’re leaving you with no excuses now, since the quick results workout we’re going to give you is easy to fit into your busy schedule.

We certainly didn’t say this was going to be easy. HIIT routines are damn demanding and they’d need to be to get maximum fat burn, which let’s face it, that’s what we’re all after.

There is no denying it, HIIT workouts do work! They pump up your metabolism which encourages your body to burn more calories, even after you’ve finished exercising. Research suggests that you can reap the benefits of cardio and strength in HIIT in ½ to ⅓ of the time. Who doesn’t want that, am I right?

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Getting ready for intensive exercises

I know we’ve said it before, but this isn’t going to be easy. HIIT workouts involve intensive exercises in a short time period, with a small rest and then straight back to it.

Whilst HIIT workouts are often thought of as a quick results workout, they’re not to be sniffed at. We’ve said that you need to train pretty hard, but you do need to start at a pace comfortable for your body.

At the beginning of your journey, you may not be able to complete our intensive workout routine at a fast pace. Ease yourself in if you’re new to this type of exercise.

If you jump in too quickly and don’t follow the correct fitness level or technique, it can be easy to injure yourself. Don’t worry about starting things slowly, instead use this time to get used to things and then build upon it.

Also Read: 30 day meal plan for weight loss

You could be someone that is fit and exercises regularly! We’d still recommend not jumping in the deep end and instead, ease yourself into this HIIT workout routine. Start at a level that is comfortable and then gradually up the length of the intervals and shorten the rest period.

Still searching for that quick results workout? Well, stop right there because we’ve got just the thing! We’ve combined some of the most intensive exercises around and created the best workout for fast results, meaning you can hit your goals and fit this into your day.

Burpees

This exercise strengthens the muscles in your shoulders, arms, chest, abdomen, hips, legs and butt – they’re a strong contender in our fast results workout.

Method:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, keep your weight in your heels and arms by your sides.
Push your hips back, bend your knees and lower into a squat.
Place your hands on the floor in front so they’re just inside your feet.
Shift the weight onto your hands and jump your feet out behind you, ensuring you land on the balls of your feet (like a plank).
Then jump your feet back up to where they were, reach your arms up above your head and push your body upwards.

Reverse lunges to knee drives

An awesome exercise for building your strength. In a short amount of time you’re going to work your entire lower body.

Method:

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and then step one foot back into a reverse lunge.
Push out by bringing that back knee forward and come to a standing position with your leg lifted to a 90-degree angle

Tip: Add a jump on as you rise to the top of the movement and use your arms to balance.

Up-down plank

A step up from your average plank!

Method:

Start off in a high plank, arms straight, elbows in line with your shoulders and hands below your elbows.
Bend one of your arms so your elbow and forearm are to the floor.
Do the same with the other arm so you’re then in a forearm plank.
With the arm you started with, push up so you’re back in a high plank.

Bear crawls

The perfect exercise to work that core, your quads and shoulders too! It’s no surprise that this is on the list of best workouts for fast results.

Method:

Start on your hands and knees, keep your back flat, head in line with your spine and your core engaged.
Ensure your hands stay below your shoulders and push your weight up so it’s now on your hands and toes, lifting your knees slightly off the ground also.
Then crawl like a bear keeping your butt down and spine flat.

Jump rope

A quick results workout that you can complete on your lunch break!

Get yourself a jump rope and you’re all set. It’s hardly shocking that this is seen in pretty much all intensive workout routines.

Also Read: How to get a peachy bum and tone your glutes

Method:

Grab your jump rope or pretend you have one.
Engage that core and rotate your wrists to turn the rope and then jump

Drop squat

You’re going to want to sit down after this one, your legs will be crying! This intense workout routine is not easy, and we told you it wouldn’t be!

Method:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands out in front of you.
Let your hips drop towards the floor as you jump your feet slightly wider.
Hold it at the bottom of the squat and tap the floor, alternating your hands.
Push your body back to the start and repeat.

Broad jumps

Ready to feel stronger and strengthen that upper body?

This is a personal favorite of ours so it’s no surprise that it made it onto our quick results workout.

Method:

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Begin by swinging your arms behind you, bend your knees and push your hips back.
When swinging your arms forwards, push your feet into the ground and hips forward, then leap forwards off the ground.

Plank jacks

This is going to add a little cardio to those planks!

Method:

Begin in a plank position with your arms extended, keep your feet together and ensure your hands are in line with your shoulders.
In the correct form, your body will be in a straight line.
Engage your core to prevent a lower-back injury.
Jump both feet out to the sides, like you’re doing a horizontal jumping jack.

Jump lunges

This exercise has to be considered royalty in intensive workout routines, since these jump lunges will leave you breathless.

If you’re still looking for a fast results workout to fit into your busy life, you’ll be feeling the burn in no time with jump lunges!

Method:

Begin in a standard forward lunge, your feet hip-width apart.
Take a big step forward and lower yourself so your knees are at a 90-degree angle, keeping your core engaged.
Push yourself off the ground and switch legs whilst in the air, this leads you into another lunge with the opposite leg.

Tip: land back down as gently as you can to avoid injuring yourself or losing balance.

Plank

Now we’ve seen some variations, it’s time for the real deal! Planks are an exercise that doesn’t have much movement, but that definitely doesn’t mean it won’t have you feeling the burn!

An awesome workout to strengthen your entire core and upper body.

Method:

Lie on your front with your elbows under your shoulders and hands flat to the floor.
Engage your core and whilst keeping your knees and forearms on the floor, slowly raise your whole body up until it’s in a straight line. Your weight will be spread over your forearms and toes
Don’t forget to squeeze those glutes and then hold yourself in position for as long as you can before returning to the floor.

High knees

Want to really get your heart going? High knees are an intensive exercise that will build lower body and core strength, improve endurance and improve hip mobility.

Method:

Start with your feet hip-width apart.
Lift your right knee up to your chest.
Switch by lifting your left knee to your chest.
Continue switching legs and move at a running or sprinting pace.

Push ups

Working your shoulders, triceps and pectoral muscles, push ups are great for building upper body strength. Following this exercise correctly can also strengthen your lower back and when engaging your abs, your core too.

Method:

Begin on hand and knees, place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width.
Straighten your legs out behind you, level your weight on your hands and toes.
Lower yourself down until your chest almost touches the floor, hold it for a moment and then push yourself back up to the starting position.

Mountain climbers

An awesome workout that will boost your fitness level, increase stability and strength as well as burn fat. Mountain climbers work your whole body including your shoulders, core, triceps, hamstrings and quads.

Also Read: How to tone up and shed thigh fat

Method:

Start in a position as if you’re doing a push up.
Don’t allow your hands to wander, keep them in line with your shoulders.
Alternating legs, drive your knee forward towards your hands, below your chest in quick succession.
Avoid letting your butt rise up or drop down, keep that core engaged and your back even.

Squats

Squats are a key exercise in your intensive workout routine. They’re perfect for stretching and strengthening your core and lower body.

Method:

Keep your toes forward and legs slightly wider than hip-width apart.
Force your hips back as if you’re going to sit down and push your arms forward.
Bend at the knees until they’re at a 90-degree angle, keeping your back straight.
Once at the bottom of the movement, hold it for a moment before tensing your glutes and forcing through your heels to push you back to the start.

Tip: Ensure to push your knees outwards as it is easy to allow them to come together. To intensify this exercise, add in a resistance band.

Low impact HIIT workout (23 minutes)

If you’re new to exercise – and HIIT workouts in particular – you might want to kick off with a low impact exercise regime. With no jumping and a moderate level of intensity, here’s how to get started:

You will need:

A medicine ball (4 to 10lbs)

How to get started:

Start this workout with a 5-minute cardio warm-up, before completing each exercise for 60 seconds. If you want to increase the intensity, gradually increase the weight of the medicine ball, your range of motion or add a jump into the exercises.

Knee lifts with medicine ball

Hold the ball overhead, lift one knee and swing the ball down to touch your knee. Repeat, alternating sides for 60 seconds.