It’s impossible to stay fit as a busy professional with a hectic schedule, right? WRONG! “Being busy” is not an excuse for not being in shape. I’ve been a Software Engineer for the past seven years, and some weeks, I worked more than 70 hours. However, I still maintained my fitness and health by using this simple workout hack. Whether you work in a sedentary white-collar office job or are a student with long study hours, this strategy can work for you. The key? Break your workout into small sets and do them throughout the day.
Workout Hack: Do Reps Throughout the Day
Who says you have to finish your workout all at once? It can be pretty daunting when we think about taking an hour out of our day to work out. For instance, many of my clients and friends struggle with the resistance to even start their workout. Committing to an hour can feel overwhelming, but committing to one minute feels easy. There’s very little resistance to committing to something for one minute.
“Resistance is always lying and always full of shit.”
Steven Pressfield, The War of Art
When I was super busy, I split the reps I would’ve done for my workout into small sets that I did throughout the day. For example, if I planned on doing 200 pushups during my workout, I did ten sets of 20 pushups instead. Doing 20 pushups at a time sounds easy, right? This approach can be applied to all exercises, not just pushups. To conclude, set a daily minimum rep range and split them into manageable chunks (even a set of 10 pushups at a time is great).
A Personal Story
I was in South Korea last year for a family wedding, working full time, juggling family obligations, and handling responsibilities for my men’s group. Even though I was averaging 3-5 hours of sleep per night, I didn’t miss a single day of working out or gain any weight because I stuck to this workout hack.
Pick Exercises You Can Do Anywhere
To implement this workout hack, it’s important to pick exercises that are easy to do from anywhere. Exercises like pushups or bodyweight squats are great because you can do them without any equipment – all you need is the floor. You don’t need a gym membership to get in shape – that’s a myth. Yes, added weights can help build more muscle and burn more calories with fewer reps, but you can use bodyweight movements that activate the same muscles.
- Pushups: My favorite upper body workout. Pushups target the chest, triceps, forearms, and even back muscles if you do them slowly and dip low enough. If you want an extra cardio boost or added plyometric element, do clap or jumping pushups.
- Bodyweight Squats: My favorite lower body workout. They target the entire legs – quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves. For an extra challenge, do jump squats for additional cardio and athletic performance.
- Burpees: My favorite full-body workout – burpees combine pushups and jump squats in one motion. As a result, they provide the best yield for the least amount of time.
- Back Exercises: If you have a pull-up bar, do pull-ups. If not, you can replace pull-ups with “W” raises or swimmers.
Example Workouts
Here are some example “workouts throughout the day” that I do:
- Option 1:
- 200 pushups
- 200 jump squats
- 100 “W” raises or swimmers
- Option 2:
- 100 burpees
- 50 “W” raises or swimmers
With these workouts, you’re doing a full-body workout and hitting all your major muscle groups. Of course, you can always modify based on your fitness level. For example, even doing 30 pushups can be challenging if you’re just starting out. Then, break them down into sets of 5 and work your way up.
I like to work in “deep work sessions” or use the “Pomodoro” technique (50 minutes on, 10 minutes off) and do 20 or 10 reps of these exercises in between work sessions. This helps me take better breaks and sustain my energy throughout the day.
Benefits of this Workout Hack
- Save Time ⏰: By breaking down your workouts, you save yourself the commute to the gym and possibly another shower afterward.
- Better Posture and Back Health 🧘: If you have back pain, regular movement helps prevent the negative effects of prolonged sitting.
- Sustained Energy 🔋: If you feel lethargic or sleepy while working, this will wake you up. Instead of taking that 2 PM nap or extra coffee, do pushups or burpees, and you will feel more alert.
- Improved Focus 🧠: Increased blood flow to your brain enhances concentration at work. Exercise releases dopamine and serotonin, which improve mood, attention, and motivation while reducing stress and anxiety.
- Faster Metabolism ⏩: Regular exercise keeps your metabolism high throughout the day.
- Heart Health 🫀: Frequent movement increases your heart rate and improves cardiovascular health.
- Better Hydration 💧: You will naturally crave more water after these small workout sets. Hence, it will prompt you to drink more throughout the day.
- Mental Health Benefits 💭: Mind-muscle connection is great for mental health, promoting present-mindedness. Exercise also releases dopamine, serotonin, and healthy endorphins. As a result, your mood and mental health will be boosted throughout the day.
- Consistency ✅: This approach helps you stay consistent even in seasons of intense work and hectic schedules.
- Strong Muscular Frame 💪: Because you’re targeting your major muscle groups, this method will help you develop a strong muscular frame.
- Respect 🫡: If you do these workouts at your office or in public spaces like cafes, you might worry about people judging you. But if you ignore the opinions of others and remain consistent, eventually it will earn you respect. You might even inspire others to join you, creating a culture of health and exercise in your office.
Watch The Video
Do you prefer to consume your content in video format? If you do, I published a video about this hack on YouTube.
If you enjoyed the video, make sure to:
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- Leave a Comment ⌨️
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Apply This Workout Hack and Let Me Know
I hope you give this little hack a try and that it helps you stay consistent. Try it out, and let me know how it works out for you in the comments section below.
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