Light Workout Daily

ciaran_m

I was just thinking if you were to do a light workout every day for, say the next year, what sort of muscle growth could you expect?
I have the Leaving Cert this year and won't have time to spend an hour a day in the gym, so I will be looking to do a light workout every day.

When I say a light workout I mean 15 minutes doing bicep curls or bench press to fail and that would be it for the day.
I just want to know would I be wasting my time only doing 15 minutes a day and then expecting to see growth in muscle size and strength? Is 15 minutes long enough to work the muscles properly?

deadybai

15 minutes would be better then doing nothing. look up sixpackshortcuts videos on youtube. i seen one a few weeks ago where i guy cud only fit 20 minutes into his workout and he told him what to do

deadybai

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N0SzK-h9gE

there you go just found the video for you

ciaran_m

deadybai wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N0SzK-h9gE

there you go just found the video for you

Cheers, maybe 15 minutes is enough. Then again it's still better than nothing.

powerpete

15 min is better than nothing, but if I only had 15 mins I wouldn't be bothering with small movements like bicep curls, you'll get the most out of bigger movements, 15mins of hard squatting lets say would get a lot of work done, if its bigger arms your after chin ups will do more for you than curls especially with not too much time to devote

aaakev

The best advice i could give you is to change the way you are thinking about managing your time for the leaving cert.

if i was you id train every other day for an hour or so, give youself the time. You need breaks from studying or you will be driven mad and if you take an hour or so and do a good workout on say monday, wed, friday and one day at the weekend it will stand to you physically and mentally and can only help with your exams.

Others might not agree but i saw it myself during my leaving, (10 years ago now but still relavent) i was boxing at the time so training 3-4 times a week, it broke up my week and i rarely got stressed about the exams where as others who were all about the books were ready for a meltdown come may...

thegreatiam

A light workout wouldn't do anything, especially just bicep curls. All you would achieve is get good at doing light bicep curls, why would your body respond to that.

If you really only have 15 minutes then squat, deadlift, pull ups etc with as much weight as you can manage. Muscles don't respond to time, they respond to load.

But I think its more to time management and unclear goals. Sort your schedule out so you can find an hour a day, Get up earlier if you really dont have the time. and work out hard 3 times a week

To quote a celeb
"Your body is like dynamite, you can tap it all day with a stick and it wont do anything, hit it hard with a sledgehammer just once and it will explode."

ciaran_m

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I could try and do an hour long workout 3-4 times a week but I don't think I'd be able to keep it up for very long.
When I say a light workout I mean a short workout for like 15 minutes, I don't mean using light weights. If I was to do bicep curls one day, chest press the next day and shoulder flys the next, I'd choose a weight where I would be done after 8-10 reps and then do 3-4 sets for each.
Would that be enough to hit the body with a sledgehammer?

thegreatiam

ciaran_m wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I could try and do an hour long workout 3-4 times a week but I don't think I'd be able to keep it up for very long.
When I say a light workout I mean a short workout for like 15 minutes, I don't mean using light weights. If I was to do bicep curls one day, chest press the next day and shoulder flys the next, I'd choose a weight where I would be done after 8-10 reps and then do 3-4 sets for each.
Would that be enough to hit the body with a sledgehammer?

Yes, but avoid isolation exercises. Youll not be able to get a full body routine doing 1 muscle 7 days a week. so you need to look at big compound movements.

if i was really that limited in time I wouldn't be worrying about muscle growth either, I would be concentrating on building a good solid base of strength, and balance across all muscle groups.

Then work on strictly gaining mass after I can get more time.

With the bigger compound lifts you are working your bigger muscles, which in turn will make you bigger elsewhere. A Pull up will give you a big back, and also help increase your shoulders and arms. A squat will give you big thighs but also help with your abs and back etc.

where as a bicep curl will make your bicep bigger, and very little else. If time is really that short then you need to get more "bang for your buck each exercise"

After a few months you can take an objective look and add in some isolation stuff, but I would start with compounds for now.

Added benefit being that you wont just be getting bigger (if you diet is correct) youll be getting stronger and fitter. So when you do get more free time you can hit the gym harder and have few weak areas to work on.

aaakev

What you described there will do little or nothing for you. Why would you bot be able to keep up training every other day for an hour?

ciaran_m

aaakev wrote: »

What you described there will do little or nothing for you. Why would you bot be able to keep up training every other day for an hour?

With the leaving cert this year I'm going to be studying 9-10 hours a day Monday to Friday. For the first few months I'll be able to do the workouts aswell as studying but with no breaks or time to rest I'm going to be exhausted after a few months. So I'm going to have to make my own breaks and I can't skip school so I'll start to skip workouts.

Thats why I'd prefer to do 15 minutes a day, even if I'm tired I know I'd just have to do a 15 minute workout and then I could relax for the rest of the day.

runawaybishop

ciaran_m wrote: »

With the leaving cert this year I'm going to be studying 9-10 hours a day Monday to Friday. For the first few months I'll be able to do the workouts aswell as studying but with no breaks or time to rest I'm going to be exhausted after a few months. So I'm going to have to make my own breaks and I can't skip school so I'll start to skip workouts.

Thats why I'd prefer to do 15 minutes a day, even if I'm tired I know I'd just have to do a 15 minute workout and then I could relax for the rest of the day.

You'd be better off doing 30 mins every second day than 15 every day. Do you have equipment at home, if so what do you have?

Thud

ciaran_m wrote: »

With the leaving cert this year I'm going to be studying 9-10 hours a day Monday to Friday. For the first few months I'll be able to do the workouts aswell as studying but with no breaks or time to rest I'm going to be exhausted after a few months. So I'm going to have to make my own breaks and I can't skip school so I'll start to skip workouts.

Thats why I'd prefer to do 15 minutes a day, even if I'm tired I know I'd just have to do a 15 minute workout and then I could relax for the rest of the day.

9-10hours studay a day after school is crazy, you'll burn out and get sick after a few weeks/months. Look for some balance, a healthy body is a healthy mind. Exerice will also healp you mentally, you'll be less stressed and get better quality study done.

Out of interest how much study were you planning for the weekends?

aaakev

I dont think he ment 9 hours study after school, ar least i seriously hope not! A good 1.5-2 hours extra study after school is plenty for anyone!

ciaran_m

runawaybishop wrote: »

You'd be better off doing 30 mins every second day than 15 every day. Do you have equipment at home, if so what do you have?

I got a bench which I can do flat/incline bench press on and I can do leg curls at the end of it. Some dumbells, an E-Z curl bar, lifeline resistance bands and a treadmill. I also got a good selection of weights for the bars.

ciaran_m

Thud wrote: »

9-10hours studay a day after school is crazy, you'll burn out and get sick after a few weeks/months. Look for some balance, a healthy body is a healthy mind. Exerice will also healp you mentally, you'll be less stressed and get better quality study done.

Out of interest how much study were you planning for the weekends?

Ha no I'm not doing 9-10 hours after school, that would be mad! I do 7 hours in school and then 3 hours after school every day Monday to Friday. I'll probably to very little study at the weekends if I do anything at all.
I'll be spending my weekends playing golf and I'll make sure I do a good workout every weekend too.

runawaybishop

ciaran_m wrote: »

I got a bench which I can do flat/incline bench press on and I can do leg curls at the end of it. Some dumbells, an E-Z curl bar, lifeline resistance bands and a treadmill. I also got a good selection of weights for the bars.

30 mins with that equipment should be enough for a decent beginner workout 3 times a week. Try Starting Strength or Stronglifts.

Thud

ciaran_m wrote: »

Ha no I'm not doing 9-10 hours after school, that would be mad! I do 7 hours in school and then 3 hours after school every day Monday to Friday. I'll probably to very little study at the weekends if I do anything at all.
I'll be spending my weekends playing golf and I'll make sure I do a good workout every weekend too.

We the you should be able to find an hour every second night, you finish school at 4 right?

thegreatiam

runawaybishop wrote: »

30 mins with that equipment should be enough for a decent beginner workout 3 times a week. Try Starting Strength or Stronglifts.

Including warm up a beginner can do these in under an hour

ciaran_m

Thud wrote: »

We the you should be able to find an hour every second night, you finish school at 4 right?

Ye, but I stay after school for 3 hours to study, so I won't get home until 8 o'clock.

thegreatiam

ciaran_m wrote: »

Ye, but I stay after school for 3 hours to study, so I won't get home until 8 o'clock.

And what are your intended goals. What does this exercise hope to achieve?

You have listed muscle growth in the OP but I don't think that you are clear enough.

Tell us your current stats, and where you want to be in a year.

different goals will result in different answers. and different exercise.

Do it as clear as possible like this:
Im am 17, 180 cm, 90kgs. in one year I would like to be able to lift 2.5x my own bodyweight in a deadlift + squat and bench press 100kgs

Or I am 17, 180 cm an 90 kgs, I would like to build muscles and size til I am 100kgs.

Or I wish to maintain a good level of fitness etc
lose 5kgs of fat etc.

ciaran_m

thegreatiam wrote: »

And what are your intended goals. What does this exercise hope to achieve?

You have listed muscle growth in the OP but I don't think that you are clear enough.

Tell us your current stats, and where you want to be in a year.

different goals will result in different answers. and different exercise.

Do it as clear as possible like this:
Im am 17, 180 cm, 90kgs. in one year I would like to be able to lift 2.5x my own bodyweight in a deadlift + squat and bench press 100kgs

Or I am 17, 180 cm an 90 kgs, I would like to build muscles and size til I am 100kgs.

Or I wish to maintain a good level of fitness etc
lose 5kgs of fat etc.

Well I'm 17, 189cm and weight 74kg. I'm a skinny guy and my main goal is to build size, a big chest, broad shoulders and big arms. I'm a fit person having been playing sports all my life and I scored over 16 in the bleep test a few months ago, so I have a high stamina level.

As for my goals, I can't say anything specific as I don't know what kind of progression to expect. But my broad goal would be to build size. In the long term, I'm not looking to be massive like a bodybuilder, just reasonably build like football players or golfers are.

Hope this is specific enough. I can add more to it if you want me to.

thegreatiam

this is fine enough as a goal. it's best be be clear as many people say build muscle they mean develop tone, they say tone up they mean lose bodyfat.

A lot of what you want to do is going to be accomplished by your diet. To gain size you need to eat more then you burn.

To make that size muscle you need to give your body a reason to develop the muscle by lifting up heavy things. To do this you need protein to make the muscle from and time off to build it.

Basically for size you need:
Lots of food, lots of it being protein,
Lots of heavy weights,
and lots of rest

This is why beginner programs are 3 days a week with compound lifts.

Do your best to find 1.5 hours 3 days a week and you will be able to get to your goal. Couple it with the right diet.

In the 15 minute workouts on off days work on mobility and rehab.