AboutCorey Crane Expertise Any questions regarding strength and conditioning, health and wellness, sports psychology and sports nutrition.
Experience I am a strength and conditioning coach for West Point (Army). I have also been in the health field since 1992 working at all levels (NFL, College & High School). In addition, I was a Corporate Wellness Director for 5 years for Omega Cabinets.
Organizations National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)
Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa)
Level 1 Track and Field Coach (USA Track and Field)
Publications Various online newsletters as well as the local county newspaper in Orange County, NY.
Education/Credentials BA in Community Health Education w/ a minor in Coaching
MA in Exercise Science and Psychomotor Behavior
Awards and Honors Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (CSCS)
Question How many days a week do I need to lift weights, if I work out only for 20 minutes? I'm not interested in bulky muscles, but only basic toning of the body and the abs. So I do basic exercises like bench press & overhead press for 15 mins, followed by ab exercises for another 10-15 minutes. I'm controlling my diet and I walk half an hour daily.
Considering my goal mentioned above, if I want to stick to only basic low intensity lifting, and if I want to spend only 20 minutes lifting weights, how many days a week should I lift? Currently I do it for 6 days a week. I suppose the 3 day workout is for who are heavily into weight training.
Kindly advice.
Answer There are many options to choose from.
The first would be to focus on a circuit style of training. Rotating between upper and lower body exercises. You can use a rep range (10-12 reps) or a time period (i.e. 20 seconds on and 20 seconds off). This can be done three times per week (i.e. Mon, Wed, Fri).
For example:
Dumbbell Squat Press x 15
Push-ups x 15
Stability Ball Crunches x 15
Reverse Lunges x 15
Inverted Rows x 15
Seated Twists x 15
Supermans x 15
Perform three to five cycles.
The second option would be to do an upper and lower body split. Train the upper body on Monday and Thursday and lower body on Tuesday and Friday.
For example:
Upper Body:
Bench Press 2 x 10
Lat Pulldowns 2 x 10
Incline Press 2 x 10
Cable Rows 2 x 10
Shoulder Press 2 x 10
Lower Body:
Barbell Squats 2 x 12
Leg Curls 2 x 12
Leg Extensions 2 x 12
Walking Lunges 2 x 12
Calf Raise 2 x 12
Then perform abs and low back on Wednesday and Saturday.
The third option would be to do one muscle group a day. For example:
Monday - Chest
Tuesday - Back and Abs
Wednesday - Legs
Thursday - Shoulders
Friday - Arms and Abs
I hope this gives you some ideas and options. All three programs are effective and efficient. Let me know if you need more specific examples.
Corey
