by Nia Shanks

If there’s one thing most people have in common when it comes to working out, it’s that they want the best body possible in the least amount of time. Whether it’s losing fat, building muscle, or getting stronger, everyone wants those results yesterday!

When I designed Fat Loss Detour for my clients, the workouts were designed to last about 45 minutes, either three or four days per week — depending on what their schedules allowed and what they wanted to do. The entire program was designed to produce incredible results in a short period of time.

Short on Time?

I absolutely love that program and believe in it 100 percent because it has delivered results time and time again. Having said that, there are people who don’t want to spend even 45 minutes in a gym three days per week! They want to spend the absolute minimum amount of time possible in the gym and still get the best results possible.

Well, the good news is, you absolutely can spend as little as an hour total in the gym, for the whole week, and still get incredible results. Several of my clients could only dedicate 30 minutes to the gym three days per week, and they still got the results they wanted with those time restrictions.

With that said, be warned. The workouts I am going to share with you are tough. If you only want to spend 20 to 30 minutes working out three days per week, you are going to have to push yourself hard the entire time. Yes, it is going to be tough and challenging, you’ll be sweating, you’ll get out of breath — but you will reap the rewards of your effort!

Now that you’ve been warned, it’s time to discover how you can spend the least amount of time working out, but lose the greatest amount of fat possible in that time.

Before we get into the sample workouts, please note that I designed each one so you can perform the exercises in circuit fashion. By far the main complaint people have when performing circuits, is that they can’t take up multiple pieces of equipment at one time. To solve that problem, the following workouts were designed so you can do everything in one place.

Sample 20-Minute Workouts

Workout 1

Rep Range: 8-10 each side
Time Period: 15-20 minutes

• Bulgarian Split Squat (use dumbbells or a barbell for extra resistance)
• Dumbbell Renegade Row
• 1-Arm Dumbbell Floor Press

Have your weights set up and ready to go, and make sure you use a challenging weight for each exercise. I’ve discussed intensity at length in a previous article, so make sure you have it!

After a thorough warm-up, perform those exercises back-to-back and complete as many circuits as possible in 15-20 minutes. Try to keep your rest periods to a minimum and make sure you work as hard as possible during that time. If you’re not breathing hard and sweating after only a couple of minutes, you aren’t working hard enough!

To see what that workout would look like, check out this quick video

Workout 2

Rep Range: 5-6
Time Period: 15-20 minutes

• Deadlift (sumo or traditional)
• Chin-up (if you can’t use your bodyweight, use bands for assistance)
• Dumbbell Push Press

You should be able to perform this circuit in a power rack that has a chin-up bar. Once again, go through a thorough warm-up and get your weights set up; make sure you use a challenging weight for each exercise.

Perform the exercises back-to-back, in circuit fashion, and complete as many circuits as possible within the given time period, resting only as needed.

Workout 3

Rep Range: 12-15
Time Period: 15-20 minutes

• Back Squat or Reverse Lunges
• Inverted Row or 1 Arm Dumbbell Row
• Push-ups (elevate your feet if regular push-ups are too easy)

As with the other workouts, perform the exercises back-to-back in circuit fashion and complete as many circuits as possible within the given time period.

If You Have an Extra 5-10 Minutes After the Workout

I know I said you can be done in 15 to 20 minutes, but if you can spend an extra five to ten minutes after the main circuit, give these finishers a try to boost your rate of fat loss.

• Finisher Option 1 – Jump Rope Intervals: Jump rope for 30 seconds, and then rest for 60 seconds. Complete a total of six to eight rounds.

• Finisher Option 2 – Burpees: Perform 10 burpees, and then rest for 60 seconds. Complete a total of five to six rounds.

• Finisher Option 3 – Dumbbell/Kettlebell Swings: Perform dumbbell swings for 30 seconds, and then rest 60 seconds. Complete a total of five to six rounds.

Success at Last

If you are short on time but don’t want to compromise your results, give this workout a try for about four to five weeks. Make sure you improve your performance consistently, with each of your workouts, by completing more circuits in the same period of time, increasing the weight used, performing more repetitions for each exercise, or increasing the time period.

Fat Loss Detour is a great program that will help you build a strong, functional, and lean body in a fun and enjoyable manner with three to four workouts per week that last about 45 minutes each. However, if you want something that you can get done in half that time, you can’t go wrong with the previous workouts.

About Nia

Nia Shanks is the SPF push/pull world record holder for her division with a bench press of 145 and a 300 pound deadlift at a bodyweight of 122. Nia is the owner of The Fat Solutions.

For more information on workouts you can do at home, check out HomeWorkoutSecrets. Don’t forget to check out her complete transformation program, Fat Loss Detour.