You know the plan. Five days a week, an hour each time, written out in a notebook or an app. It looked great on Sunday night. By week three it was a pile of missed sessions and a quiet feeling that you’d failed.
Here’s a different question: what if the plan was the problem, not you?
The Biggest Mistake: Overcommitting
I see it all the time. When new clients start, they’re jumping at the thought of doing three or four sessions a week. Then reality sets in. Kids, family, work, time. Before long, even squeezing in two hours a week feels hard.
So here’s how I look at it. If you’re doing two hours of strength training with me each week, that’s the foundation. Anything on top of that, a 20-minute walk in the morning or the evening, or a 20 to 30 minute weights session at home with whatever weights you’ve got, is an absolute bonus.
Being consistent is better than doing nothing. A plan you can actually keep will beat a perfect plan you quit.
What the Research Actually Says
Here’s the honest picture, not the “20 minutes is all you need” version.
In a study of adults aged 65 to 78, researchers compared doing one set of each exercise with doing three sets, over 20 weeks. Both groups got significantly stronger and improved how they moved. The three-set group got bigger strength gains. So more work does build more strength. But a smaller dose still clearly works, and that matters if a smaller dose is what you’ll actually stick to. It was a small study, though, so treat it as a guide rather than the final word.
At the other end, researchers at the University of Sydney followed more than 25,000 adults in the UK who didn’t exercise regularly. The people who squeezed in one to two minutes of vigorous activity, like a fast stair climb or a brisk uphill walk, about three times a day had a much lower risk of dying over the following years. That study can’t prove cause and effect, and it was in people who were previously inactive. But it fits with a simple idea: some is far better than none.
The Australian guidelines still ask for about 30 minutes of movement on most days and strength training on two or more days a week. Short sessions can help you reach that. They don’t mean you can stop.
What a 20-Minute Session Can’t Do
It’s not magic. My sessions at the studio aren’t 20-minute workouts, and I want my clients doing at least three or four hours of exercise each week, if not more. If you want to build serious strength or fitness over years, you’ll need more total work than one short session here and there.
But when you’re on holiday, or you’re short on time that day, 20 minutes is far better than skipping it.
How to Make 20 Minutes Count
It depends on your goals. If weight loss is the main one, I’d get you out for a 20-minute run.
Most clients I see admit they don’t do enough fitness. Work and family get in the way. So if you’ve committed to two days of strength training with me, your short sessions are the perfect place to get your fitness up. That complements your strength training overall.
If you’d rather keep it simple, a 20-minute walk counts. So does a quick weights session at home. If you have a health condition or an injury, check with your GP or physio first.
Start With the Version You Can Keep
If you’ve been putting it off because you can’t find an hour, forget the hour. Start with 20 minutes. You can always add more once the habit is there. If you’ve had a long break, my post on returning to exercise after time off will help you ease back in. And if you’re new to training, how to walk into a gym with confidence is a good place to start.
If you’d like a plan built around your week, connect with me today and let’s make one you’ll actually keep.
Related reading: a 3-day-a-week training plan for time-poor parents.