The 31.5 Minute Workout

They say Roger Banister, the first man to break the 4 minute mile in 1954, used to train hard 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week while in medical school. While training methods have advanced in the last 50 years, the one thing remains constant: time.

Some of us can only train 1 hour a day at lunch or 45 minutes before work. And some of us say “we have no time”, which is a pathetic excuse.

This workout is not to replace running if you want to be a good runner. In order to run well, you have to run. If you want to be a good high jumper, you need to train to jump 7 feet once. Not 7 times 1 foot jumps.

However, looking at energy systems, we see:

0-1 sec – ATP/CP (i.e. shot put)
1-7 sec – Anaerobic (i.e. 60 meters)
7-40 sec – Anaerobic Alactic (i.e. 100-200m)
40 sec – 2 min – Anaerobic Lactic (i.e. 400-800m)
2 min – 4 min – Anaerobic Aerobic (i.e. 800-mile)
4min + – Aerobic (i.e. mile, 5K and up)

Since I was training for the 400m, about 48 seconds in my prime, I needed to improve my “lactate tolerance” (actually, acidosis). That is, the ability to handle large amounts of lactic acid in the body, and the ability to flush it out after a race.

So this workout is not to replace track workouts but acts a good complementary training 2-3 times a week.

SET NUMBER	ABS	LEGS	UPPER BODY
1	60 crunches	50 squats	40 push ups
2	60 cross crunches	40 lunges	15 chin ups*
3	60 med ball twist	25 squat jumps	40 dips on bench
4	60 crunches	50 squats	40 push ups
5	60 cross crunches	40 lunges	15 chin ups*
6	60 med ball twist	25 squat jumps	40 dips on bench
7	60 crunches	50 squats	40 push ups

Every station is 90 seconds. A bell or buzzer should go off every 90 seconds so if you complete one station in 40 sec, you get 50 sec rest before the next station begins. The faster you go, the more recovery you get. As you can see, this workout takes 31.5 minutes long.

You can have 3 people working out at the same time, with person A starting on Abs, person B on Legs, and person C on Upper Body.

This workout is great in a hotel room while traveling, as all you need is a towel on a carpet for padding. You can even do it barefoot if you forget your gym shoes. The grunting and heavy breathing may leave your next door neighbour wondering what you are doing.

Another variance is 4 to 6 sets of 5 minute stations. 2.5 minutes on (fast and alternating body parts), followed by 2.5 minutes off. However, you could do one complete station in 3 minutes, followed by 2 minutes recovery every 5 minutes.

Exercises described on this article and website can be strenuous. Before you take on any new exercise program please consult with a physician. Speedendurance.com and myself are not responsible for any injuries incurred while attempting the exercises on this website.

*UPDATE: if you are interested in increasing your maximum repetitions in chin ups, read this post.

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Jimson Lee

Coach & Founder at SpeedEndurance.com

I am a Masters Athlete and Coach currently based in London UK. My other projects include the Bud Winter Foundation, writer for the IAAF New Studies in Athletics Journal (NSA) and a member of the Track & Field Writers of America.