“One Lift Workouts for the Time-Strapped Trainee”

Limited time to train? Learn how one lift workouts lead to BIG results!

One Lift Workouts

If you were to nail down the number one training mistake, it would likely be this: most folks should be taking exercises OUT of their routines rather than adding more into them.

It has been shown you can only focus on a few things successfully at any given time, so whenever you find yourself in doubt, simply boot it out! 

So which exercises should you select to go into an ultra-abbreviated training routine?

Dan John is a fan of the Clean and Press and for good reason: this total body exercise works the legs, core, back, shoulders and triceps. 

An old-time strongman favourite, Dan had this to say about this monster of mass: "If all you did was Clean and Press, you could be awesome."

Now pair this exercise with the Squat, and suddenly you have a stripped-down, back-to-basics workout guaranteed to supercharge your strength and get you growing again.

Run this program for one month — while working hard to push up your weights — then switch to Deadlifts and the Bench Press for some variety.

And the icing on the cake? Add in some Farmers Walks for your cardio and you're good to go!

One Lift Workouts for the Time-Strapped Trainee

But what if you're like a lot of busy folks and only have a limited time to train?

Well, here's the good news for the time-strapped trainee: it's possible to achieve BIG results performing just one lift a day!

One Lift a Day

Here is what you do. Unlike traditional muscle building splits where you trash your chosen body part from every conceivable angle, you'll instead be focussing on one single exercise for your workout. 

This means you'll find yourself saving gym time while increasing valuable recovery time. 

And that's not all... another benefit you get to enjoy is the simplicity. Forget the puzzling routine you recently printed off the web. You are performing just one lift a day, leading to less confusion and improved focus.

So which exercises should you select and what does a training week look like?

We have a handful of options available to us, but the following is a terrific place to start... 

• One lift a day workouts call for compound exercises. This gives us a pressing move for Monday followed by a pulling move on Tuesday (dips and chin-ups are fine choices).
• On Wednesday, you do legs (for this, perform some type of squat).
• Thursday? It's a day off.
• Friday is for overhead presses — use dumbbells, kettlebells or a barbell.
• Saturday is reserved for deadlifts.
• What about Sunday? Hey, that's another rest day!

This easy-to-follow routine targets all your major muscle groups in the minimum time. 

To build strength, a basic 5x5 is a solid way to go.

And if hypertrophy is your goal? Ramp up your reps with 4 sets of 8 — a surefire solution when you find yourself time-strapped!