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The 15-Minute Strength-Training Workout

Let's get the bad news out of the way first. If you aspire to become Mr. or Ms. Olympia (or even runner-up), 15 minutes of strength training is not enough. Now the good news: A well-conceived quarter hour worth of lifting could help you maintain or even gain strength. (Just for the record: 15 minutes is plenty of time to do a thorough abdominal and lower back routine.) We'll show you several different strategies for using that limited time – using everything from calisthenics to rubber bands to resistance provided by a workout partner.

In addition, for those of you who don't have time to get to the gym but can dedicate a few minutes each day to lifting, we'll lay out a routine that you can do with just a set of dumbbells and a weight bench in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

Band on the Run
In the physical therapist's office they're called TheraBands; in the "toning" class at the gym they're DynaBands; or you can just go by the generic name of resistance bands. Whatever you call them, resistance bands are basically a lot like rubber bands on steroids. And while the name may sound like a subversive group of terrorists, the variety we're talking about are giant rubber bands that comprise a color-coded progressive resistance system. Included are accessories such as exercise handles and door anchors to make the exercises more versatile. These accessories enable you to work out with the bands with greater stability.

Pros of resistance bands:

• Easy to pack
• Variable resistance
• Can be used for a variety of exercises
• Safe

Cons of resistance bands:

• The resistance is not constant throughout the full range of motion (ROM).
• While there are some good exercises to do for the smaller body parts like shoulders and arms, there are not many effective exercises to do for larger body parts like your glutes, quads, and hamstrings.
• There is a limit to their shelf life; the more you use them, the more worn they get, leading to breaks in the band.

The trick to using resistance bands is to use a band with the right amount of resistance, and to have some tension on the band as you start the exercise. Having the proper tension helps you to gain strength at the beginning of the range of motion. If you want to get fancy use more than one resistance band at a time. Doubling up can make an exercise particularly challenging even if you're already strong.

Here are several exercises you can do with resistance bands:

Legs
Seated leg press: Sit on a step or bench with your knee bent. Wrap the resistance band around one foot, and grasp both ends in each hand. Keep your toes pointed slightly downward. Slowly straighten your leg (don't lock your knee). Slowly return to the starting position.

Back
Seated rows: Sit on the floor and wrap the resistance band around the balls of both feet. With elbows bent, pull your arms back while squeezing your shoulder blades together. Slowly return to the starting position.

Chest
Chest press: Wrap the resistance band around your back. Grip the band ends with both hands and press your arms forward. Slowly return to the starting position.

Shoulders
Lateral raises: Stand with feet shoulder width apart and place one end of the resistance band under your foot as you hold the other end in your hand. Slowly raise your arm out to the side until you reach shoulder height. Slowly return to the starting position.

Front raises: Same starting position. Slowly raise your arm upward until you reach shoulder height. Slowly return to the starting position.

Biceps
Biceps curls: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and place one end of the resistance band under your foot as you hold the other end in your hand. Slowly curl your arm by bending your elbow toward your shoulder. Slowly return to the starting position.

Triceps
Triceps extensions: Place a towel around your neck. Place the resistance band along the towel. Grip both ends in each hand so that your elbows are close to your body as you slowly straighten your arms. Make sure to keep your wrists straight. Slowly return to the starting position.

Here's an efficient 15-minute workout that you can do with resistance bands. Try to find a band that will allow you to do between 12 and 15 good repetitions. For the abdominal exercises (where you can't easily adjust the resistance as you would with a band or a weight), that number may vary. Still, don't worry about trying to do a million reps. If you focus on good form, you'll be pressing to do more than 15 or so reps.

Body Part	Exercise
Legs/hips	Leg press
Back	Seated row
Chest	Chest press
Shoulders	Lateral raise
Arms	Biceps curl Triceps extension
Midsection	Reverse crunches Crunches

Since this is the first time we've introduced crunches and reverse crunches into the mix, let's go over proper form for these exercises. While they're gym staples, it doesn't mean that they're always performed properly.

Crunch Time
Crunches are the definitive abdominal exercise – sort of the sit-up of the twenty-first century. This exercise helps you develop the muscles that create the much-sought-after "six-pack." You can vary your hand position to make the exercise harder or easier. The easiest variation is to put your hands straight at your sides with your fingers pointing toward your toes. Crossing your arms over your chest makes it a little more challenging. Lightly lacing your fingers behind your neck makes the exercise harder still. If you really want to make it tough, holding a light weight behind your head will make the exercise extra challenging.

Regardless of your hand position, here's the drill:

1. Lie on a mat with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Tighten your abdominal muscles and slowly curl your torso up for a three-second count until your shoulder blades are off the mat.
3. Pause for a second and slowly lower yourself to your starting position for three seconds.

Crunch Tips
Imagine a tennis ball between your chin and your chest. Maintain that space rather than tucking your chin as you curl up. Focusing your eyes on a point on the ceiling makes it easier to do this.

If you choose the hands-behind-the-head method, keep your elbows back, rather than flapping them forward.

Come up to about a 30° angle. There's no reason to come higher.

Keep your lower back pressed into the mat at all times. This will help protect your back and make the exercise more effective.

Exhale forcefully on the way up and inhale as you return to the starting position.

Reverse Crunches
Reverse crunches, which work the lower section of your abdominals (the bottom two of the six-pack), are not nearly as impressive looking as other so-called lower abdominal exercises such as leg raises and "bicycles," but they are safer and more effective.

Here's the skinny on the reverse crunch:

1. Lie on a mat with your legs up in the air with a slight bend in your knees. Think of yourself as a giant letter L.
2. Rest your arms at your sides.
3. Keep your head on the mat and tighten your abdominal muscles.
4. Lift your butt off the floor so that your legs go up and slightly back toward your head for a count of three. Exhale forcefully as you rise.
5. Pause at the top and slowly return to the starting position while inhaling.

A Helping Hand
Good old manual resistance is a solid tactic to work your muscles when there's no equipment around. To do these exercises, however, requires another human being. Manual resistance exercises, or manuals, involve your workout partner creating the resistance by applying force against you. While equipment isn't needed to get a good manual workout, you might want to add high-tech, state-of-the-art tools such as a towel or a broomstick to help you make some of these exercises more effective.

In 1997 Jonathan, a near-professional skeptic, took a workshop with John Philbin, an assistant strength coach for the NFL's Washington Redskins and president of the National Sports Performance Association (NSPA). Philbin demonstrated how strength coaches and personal trainers can employ manual resistance with a wide variety of clients. After demonstrating exercises for every body part on a variety of people, Philbin had convinced Jonathan.

According to the NSPA, here are the advantages of manual resistance exercises:

• No equipment is needed.
• You can do it anywhere.
• It's an effective substitute for normal routines.
• The speed of exercise can be controlled.

Their list of disadvantages includes:

• You need two people.
• It requires skill to be a good spotter.
• The spotter must be aware of the lifter's capability.
• You can't measure strength gains.
• The lifter may be significantly stronger than the spotter.

Here are a few manual resistance exercises you can do in 15 minutes:

Body Part	Exercise
Legs/hips	Leg extension Leg curl
Back	Lat pull down
Chest	Chest press
Shoulders	Lateral raise
Arms	Biceps curl Triceps extension
Midsection	Crunches

For the manual resistance leg extension, the spotter presses down on the lifter's ankle, while her upper leg is supported on the bench.

When performing a manual resistance leg curl, the lifter curls back as the spotter pushes against her.

For the manual resistance lat pull down, the spotter pushes up on a broomstick as the lifter pulls down.

Here, the spotter pushes down on the broomstick as the lifter pushes up.

For the manual resistance lateral raise, the spotter presses down on the lifter's ben elbows.

The spotter pulls down on a towel as the lifter curls it up.

In the triceps extension, the spotter presses against the lifter's wrist.

Following the NSPA guidelines, here are the responsibilities of the lifter:

• Tension must be kept on the muscle.
• Must pause in contracted position.
• Must perform slow, smooth contractions.
• Must use full range of motion.

In the triceps extension, the spotter presses against the lifter's wrist. Here's the spotter's job:

• Must control smooth contractions and provide appropriate amount of resistance.
• Must control resistance so fatigue is reached within 10 to 15 repetitions.
• Must push in both the positive and the negative phase of the exercise.

When working as a spotter for the first time, err on the side of caution. Don't create too much resistance until you see what your partner can do. As the lifter, you have to give an honest effort on each rep; otherwise you won't get the results you're looking for.

Done properly, manual resistance exercises are a great, equipment-free way to get a challenging workout in a modest amount of time.

Remember Calisthenics?
If all else fails, there's always good old-fashioned calisthenics (cals). No bands, no manual resistance, and certainly no machines or weights. Just you and your body weight. Cals are as pure a strength training as we know. They are tough and efficient and effective; maybe the best way you can use your valuable 15 minutes of exercise time.

Advantages of calisthenics:

• They can be done anywhere.
• They require virtually no equipment.
• They provide a very efficient workout.

Disadvantages of calisthenics:

• Resistance can't be varied.
• Limited number of exercises.
• Exercises may be too hard for some and too easy for others.

Let's talk about several of our favorite body weight exercises that you can do: push-ups (great for developing your chest, shoulders, and triceps), pull-ups and chin-ups (great exercises for your lats), and lunges (for your quads, hamstrings, and glutes).

Proper Push-Ups
Push-ups can be done with a variety of hand positions. Each hand position isolates a different part of your pecs. The standard, military variety uses a shoulder-width hand placement and works your pecs, shoulders, and triceps. Elevating your feet onto a chair, bed, or couch will shift the emphasis to the upper pecs and provide a little variety and far more difficulty. To place extra emphasis on your triceps, bring your hands together in a narrow position. To try the most difficult version of this push-up, form a triangle with your thumbs and index finger touching.

Once you've done your push-ups, it's time to work the opposing muscles.

Chin-Ups and Pull-Ups
These exercises against gravity remind us a bit of eating vegetables when you were a kid: You knew they were good for you, but you just couldn't bear to eat them. Similarly, these simple exercises are the toughest and most "cost effective" of any calisthenic exercise. For that reason, they are also two of the most neglected strength-training exercises. We know a handful of athletes who after adding pull-ups and/or chin-ups to their workout regimen made dramatic improvements in strength. In the beginning you will struggle to do even three or four good repetitions. Don't despair. If you stick with it and don't get discouraged, you will improve quickly and notice dramatic results.

Just as with push-ups, variations in hand positions provide some variety and shift the emphasis to different muscles. Regardless of hand position, you're using the muscles of your back on biceps exercises.

• The standard, military pull-up is performed with an overhand grip, with the hands slightly wider than shoulder width.
• The wide-grip pull-up – in case you can't figure it out – is a variation done with a wider grip. It's especially tough on your lats and the other muscles of your mid- and lower back.
• The chin-up is performed with a shoulder-width, underhand grip. It places extra emphasis on your biceps.

Learn to Lunge
Lunges are basically just one-legged squats. They work your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. You can use your body weight as resistance or, in a pinch, you can hold light dumbbells or anything else you have around (jugs of water work well). If you use weight, be sure to hold an equal amount in each hand. When you perform the lunge be sure to keep your torso upright and keep your front knee from passing forward of your big toe. Note how Jonathan's back is straight and his knees are behind his toes as he finishes his lunge.

Creative Calisthenics
With just these three exercises and a couple of ab exercises, you can give your muscles a good workout. Try this routine:

• Lunges
• Push-ups (standard shoulder width hand placement)
• Push-ups (feet elevated, shoulder-width hand placement)
• Push-ups (narrow-width hand placement)
• Pull-ups (military grip)
• Pull-ups (wide grip)
• Chin-ups
• Crunches

Because you're moving your body weight (and not an adjustable stack of weights), you can't adjust the resistance – unless you have a spotter who can help give you a nudge on the way up. As a result, some people will do two or three pull-ups while others will be able to do 15 or 20. Your concern should be to gradually improve – don't worry about how many reps you can do. The key is maintaining good form and pushing yourself to failure.

Clearly, 15 minutes isn't a lot of time, but it is enough to give your muscles a good pump. Any of these routines – bands, manuals, or calisthenics – can be done in your office, living room, or hotel room. Remember that while 15 minutes isn't the same as a full workout in the gym, it's far better than a day without exercise. Think about that the next time you're lounging on the couching watching ESPN.

The Least You Need to Know

• While 15 minutes of strength training isn't enough time to enable you to be in the next Mr. or Ms. Olympia contest, it is enough time for you to get a basic foundation of strength.
• Though not our favorite choice, resistance bands can give you an effective workout when you have no alternative.
• Manuals can be a fun way to work out with a buddy and they are killer routines to boot.
• Forget all the fancy stuff; some of the best athletes sculpt their fabulous bodies by doing good old calisthenics.