Get Stronger by Weightlifting Just One Hour Per Week!

I learned in the book, Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity that strength training is as important as cardiovascular exercise. Weightlifting helps support and protect the body, maintains metabolic health, and stimulates the growth of bone. I have wanted to get stronger by weightlifting, but my busy family and work schedule has made it hard to find the time. This post shares the new weightlifting routine I have been tested for the past six months – a routine that has helped me get stronger by weightlifting just one hour per week!

I’ll begin by reviewing a few key principles for weightlifting and for developing a routine. I will also add a general note here to consult with a trainer, doctor, or other professional before beginning a new routine – especially if you have an injury history.

Key Principles for Effective Weightlifting

Here are some general principles to use when weightlifting:

• Form matters! Prioritize correct form over lifting heavy weights, especially when starting. Lift the weight up and put it back down slowly and with control. Consider working with a qualified coach to learn proper technique.
• The only way to grow muscle is to challenge it. You must gradually increase the demands placed on your muscles over time by lifting heavier weights, performing more repetitions or sets, reducing rest times, or increasing the frequency of your workouts.
• Focus on consciously contracting the target muscles during each repetition to improve muscle activation. Visualize the muscles working and feel the movement.
• Your muscles don’t grow during your workouts; they grow during rest. This is why I have grown stronger in just two 30-minute days of weightlifting per week. Whatever you do, develop a regular schedule.
• The other reason muscles grow is proper nutrition. Eat a healthy, balanced diet, with between 0.6 and 1.0 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight.
• Finally, getting hurt will kill your progress. Learn to differentiate between muscle soreness (from growth) and injury. Don’t overdo it during your workout and take breaks from your workouts once in a while.

Designing an Effective Weightlifting Routine

Here is what I considered when designing my weightlifting routine:

• Including exercises that work all major muscle groups, including the abdominals, chest, back, glutes, legs, arms, and hands.
• Compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups early in the routine with targeted (isolation) exercises for specific muscles only at the end.
• The proximity and availability of equipment has a major effect on your routine. I designed my routine based on the layout and equipment in the fitness center I am using at the moment. A trainer can help you design a routine with available equipment. When I used a BowFlex Machine years ago I couldn’t perform all of the exercises in my current routine.
• Machines are typically safer than free weights, especially as you get older. Free weights require you to use stabilizer muscles to balance the weight, making it much easier to get hurt.

My Current 30-Minute Weightlifting Routine

Here is my current weightlifting routine. I always warm up before I begin my routine, at least with 5-10 minutes of jogging. I also include some stretching before and during the workout.

Circuit one (3 sets of 8-12 reps for each exercise):

• Chest press on seated machine

• Seated row

• Leg press

Circuit two (3 sets of 8-12 reps for each exercise):

• Lat pulldown

• Overhead press

• Leg extension

I try to complete both circuits with only 10-15 seconds of rest between sets. That means set one on the Chest Press followed by set one of the Seated Row, etc. I use a local gym so sometimes I need to share machines with others. When that happens, I often add a filler exercise rather than wait. My filler exercise during circuit training is:

• Hyperextensions holding weight (Sets of 10-15 reps while waiting for a machine)

30-Minute Weightlifting Routine – continued

I move to a different part of the gym to complete my 30-minute routine. I focus on exercises I can do without waiting for others beginning with free weights (dumbbells):

• Shoulder shrugs with heavy dumbbells (1 or 2 sets of 10, primarily for grip strength)
• Bicep curls (5 reps at max weight, 5 reps at 5 pounds less each time until 30 reps total)

I try to finish my routine with more targeted arms work and some leg exercises during my rest periods.

• Triceps extensions (2 sets of 12-15 reps)

Between the arm exercises above I will complete my leg exercises and add a few quick bodyweight exercises:

• Leg curls (2 sets of 10-15 reps between other exercises)

• Dips (2 sets of 15 between other exercises)

Wait – Why Didn’t You Include My Favorite Exercise?

The routine I shared above takes about 30 minutes and flows quickly, with minimal gaps between exercises. It is designed for effectiveness in minimal time, as I complete about 330 lifts, or an average of 11 lifts per minute, during the routine. Here are some adjustments you may want to consider:

• The routine above skips some great basic exercises for the full body, including squats, deadlifts, and other lifts using free weights. They are skipped because machines can be safer (see above) and because adding and removing weights to the bar takes way too much time.
• Most of the exercises require a strong, engaged core, but I don’t include exercises that target the abdominal muscles because I tend to do planks and crunches at home.
• My two circuits are designed to work different muscle groups so exercises can flow quickly without rest between sets. I keep the exercises broad to work larger muscle groups.
• The shoulder shrugs are done with heavy weights primarily to increase grip strength. They also make the dumbbells used for arm curls feel much lighter!
• I include the arm workout as an isolation exercise at the end when my arms are already fatigued.

What About a Routine for Women?

The 30-minute routine I shared above is great for a man or a woman. I personally like adding the biceps curls and triceps pulldowns at the end of my routine for bigger arm muscles. Both men and women should consider substituting in other exercises, including squats while holding a dumbbell, dumbbell flies, and/or lateral side raises.

Summary

I don’t expect Personal Kaizen readers to copy my exact routine, but I do hope that you will use this as inspiration. You can make gains and grow stronger in much less time than you think. Remember that the key to developing new habits is to start small. Get started today!