As a gym owner in the Covid era, one thing is pretty clear. Many fitness enthusiasts are having a hard time getting the same amounts of exercise and with the intensity they were getting in a pre-covid world. It is also clear that fitness and health has never been more necessary for individuals than it is now.
This is where being an entrepreneur and a small business owner some of the “tricks of the trade” can be super useful to the average gym-goer. One of them in particular, is the secret of the ‘Burst’!
So what is the ‘Burst’? A burst is a quick bout of exercise thrown in at any time of day sometimes even several times a day. Burst are usually 5-20 minute workouts that require little to warm-up and hit a variety of muscle groups. When done correctly, they get you out of your “mid-day funk” or help you start the day off with positivity to go and tackle the day ahead. They are convenient for an entrepreneur since oftentimes our schedules are not easy to navigate.
Here is how a burst typically fits into a day for myself:
It is 5:00PM and I just finished training a member- I haven’t worked out yet today but want to get a sweat in before the afternoon classes come in at 5:30pm. I’ll do 3-5 minutes of a quick mobility routine (stretch the shoulder, foam roll the glutes and low back). Then, I put together a Tabata workout of: Strict Pull-ups, Burpees, Sit-ups, and DB Push-Press. A full tabata of each one, 4mins each a total of a 16 minute workout.
The benefits of working out like this are, that instead of just calling it quits because I was unable to have a full-hour to myself to workout; I did a workout that required minimal warm-up and that I could push the intensity on. This style of workout leaves me breathing heavy and feeling accomplished, a feeling that I can carry with me the rest of the day. I also managed to work my back muscles, chest and shoulders as well as a lot of core development, all in just 16 minutes.
Just because the workout is short, does not mean that there is not a lot to be gained from this style of training. If you keep the intensity high, in just a short amount of time you will find yourself dripping in sweat; the key though is keeping up the intensity. Many studies support that even just 10 minutes a few times a week can improve your endurance over 10 percent! Not to mention you will also build muscle training like this, recover faster than you would from an hour workout, and improve your metabolism to help reduce body fat.
So next time you find yourself in the middle of a hectic day- where you are considering working out a lost cause, take 10 or 20minutes and put together your burst. Stick to mostly body weight or lightweight movements, core movements and you can always add a run, jumprope, or jumping jacks. AMRAPs (as many reps as possible), Tabatas, EMOM and Work/Rest workouts are perfect for making sure you keep your intensity high since you are only working out for a short duration. And if you are feeling good, no one’s gonna stop you from adding another burst or two into your daily routine!
