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More Under-an-Hour Workouts

Killer Combination
Since combo lifts work two body parts at once — either by using both your lower and upper body simultaneously or by moving smoothly from one body part to another — they provide a tough, total-body workout. Many combo lifts also necessarily engage your core and proprioceptive (balancing) muscles, making for an even more efficient use of your time and energy. Below is an example of a combo workout you can do in just half an hour.

0:00–0:05 Warm up with a light activity (walking, biking or running slowly).

0:05–0:30 Three to four combo lifts of 10 to 20 reps; stretch or do ab exercises for 30 seconds to one minute between each set.

• Upright rows to overhead shoulder presses. Start with dumbbells in each hand, arms hanging straight down in front of legs with palms facing body, hands a little closer than shoulder-width apart. Lift dumbbells up to shoulder height, keeping the dumbbells close to your body and drawing elbows outward. Once the dumbbells reach shoulder height, lower only your elbows while rotating your hands so palms face forward, then raise dumbbells overhead until arms are straight. Slowly lower dumbbells to shoulder height, and complete the movement by drawing elbows out and lowering the dumbbells until your hands and arms are back in the starting position.
• Lunge with biceps curl. Start by holding dumbbells down at your sides (palms facing your body), and step forward about three to four feet with the right leg, bending right knee until thigh is parallel with floor (make sure your knee is aligned with your ankle and doesn’t go beyond your toes). Simultaneously, bend your elbows and curl dumbbells toward the shoulder. Lower dumbbells slowly and step back to the start position, then repeat with left leg.
• Squat with side laterals. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells down at sides (palms facing your body), and bend both knees as if you were sitting in a chair. The tops of your thighs should be parallel with the ground. Make sure your knees don’t go beyond your toes. As you bend your knees, bring arms straight out to the sides until your arms are parallel with floor.

Fat Burner
If you’ve deemed it a cardio day, you can burn fat in 30 minutes flat with this approach:

0:00–0:05 Warm up for five minutes with a low-intensity activity.

0:05–0:20 Alternate between one minute at just above your anaerobic threshold (more on how to find yours in “The A.T. Factor,” available in the May 2005 archives) and two minutes at a moderate intensity, for 15 minutes total.

0:20 – 0:25 Cool down; low-intensity activity.

0:25 – 0:30 Stretch.