Three reasons and more why Short workouts ARE worth it!

Until last year, I had a bad habit of ditching a workout if I figured only had 30 minutes or so. This was especially true on the cold mornings when I wanted to sleep in and kept resetting my alarm!

But there are good reasons to do a 30 minute workout, many of them outlined in the Triathlete.com article "Twenty Minute Workouts" at http://triathlon.competitor.com/2012/04/training/20-minute-workouts_24024

I think the most meaningful reason to do a 20-30 minute workout, especially if it's the only thing your going to do for the day. Specifically...

1. CONSISTENCY factor plays a role.

2. Maybe you need to have an active recovery day.

3. Maybe you are just having scheduling problems but want to do something.

In any case, it is indeed worth it to put your gear on and do a 20 - 30 minute workout.

A few additional types of workouts are included in the Triathlete.com article I mentioned.

But what kind of workouts can you do in 20-30 minutes? Here's what  Triathlete.com has to say...

The Filler – Simply swim, ride, or run at an easy tempo for 20 minutes. This is a great workout to do when you want to avoid the guilt of doing nothing but you’re not mentally or physically ready for anything challenging.
Tabata Intervals – Swim, ride, or run at an easy tempo for 16 minutes, then complete 8 x 20-second all-out sprints with 10-second passive recoveries between sprints.
Fartlek Intervals – Sprinkle 5 to 10 fast 30-second efforts throughout an otherwise moderate, steady-pace workout.
Threshold Session – Warm up for five minutes at a comfortable tempo, then go for 15 minutes at anaerobic threshold intensity (the fastest pace you could hold for one hour in a race).
Progression Workout – Swim, ride, or run for 15 minutes at a steady, moderate pace, then blast the last five minutes.
Time Trial – Swimming: Warm up, then swim 800 meters (875 yards) as fast as you can. Cool down as long as necessary to make the total workout 20 minutes. Cycling: Warm up, then ride 5 km as fast as you can. Cool down as long as necessary to make the total workout 20 minutes. Running: Warm up, then run 1 mile as fast as you can. Cool down as long as necessary to make the total workout 20 minutes.

They left out a basic weight-lifting session, which should normally NOT be done on a single-time-only basis, so I can see why it didn't make their list. One 20-minute routine I use the weight-lifting routine the 20-60-40 Weight Training Routine for Olympic and Sprint Triathlon. Full disclosure that I wrote that book. But I really do use that routine for a 20-minute workout at lunch. It is fast and easy and provides consistency during the winter, no matter what the southeast Idaho mountain weather will bring.

Another option is to take a look at some of the Yellowstone Time Trials videos that are about 25 minutes long. I made these specifically for those cold mornings that I didn't want to get up and get on the trainer. I have an additional advantage that I get to relive the awesome warm, sunny days that I did the video capture, but I think anyone will appreciate the beautiful weather I had on at least one day (the other day was quite smoky from fires).