Many people live extraordinarily busy lives. In between work, family, and other commitments, they simply don’t have the time to do the sorts of fitness routines that you typically see advertised online. This is why there are a lot of very popular “get fit quick” fitness routines out there. However, you are constantly told that getting into shape is a difficult, time-consuming process. So, this leads to the question of “is doing 30-minutes even worthwhile?” The answer is yes, provided that you are doing the right kind of workout.

The Key to Making a 30 Minute Workout Successful

People assume that for a workout routine to be successful it has to be extremely long (over an hour at least), but this isn’t the case. It is possible for a short, 30-minute workout to be extremely effective at burning fat and calories, but you have to understand a few things.

Minimal Downtime

One of the keys to making 30 minutes of exercise worthwhile is understanding that downtime has to be kept to a minimum. Typically, people include quite a bit of downtime in their workout routines because they need time to rest. This works for longer exercises, but if you include a lot of downtime in your 30-minute workout, then it isn’t going to be very effective. While the exact amount of downtime in your 30-minute routine will vary, you should make sure it is kept to a minimum.

The Right Ratio of Cardio and Strength Training

Another key to making a 30-minute workout successful is to understand that you need the right ratio of cardio training and strength training. Cardio training is important because that is what gets your heart beating and getting your heart beating is what helps to burn calories. At the same time, strength training is important as well. Strength training is what allows you to target certain areas like your stomach and burn fat a greater rate. A 50 to 50 ratio (15-minutes of cardio and 15-minutes of strength training) is good. You can also tweak the ratio to your liking. Someone trying to build muscle may only want to do 10-minutes of cardio and 20-minutes of strength training).

Intensity Is Important 

Finally, for a 30-minute workout to be successful, it has to be high-intensity. For example, if you are doing cardio, you can’t jog for 10-minute, you need to sprint. If you are lifting weights, you can’t be lifting light ones, you need to go heavy. Intensity is what makes short workouts worth doing.