In a perfect world, nothing would get in the way of your weekly workouts. But, let’s be real — life sometimes gets in the way. That’s why I designed the workouts in my app to adjust to your time frame, ability, goals, available equipment, and so on. And the techniques I incorporate for my people that are in a hurry are extremely strategic because every minute has to count.

Here are some of my top strategies to accelerate your results by maximizing your training time and igniting the afterburn effect (what happens when your body continues to burn calories post-workout).

Focus on high intensity
If you’re mid-workout and your heart rate’s not up, you’re not doing it right. The most effective way to shed pounds is to train at 85 percent of your maximum heart rate (MHR) – to get this number, simply subtract your age from 220. Then, torch even more calories during your workout by taking your MHR to almost 100 percent for a minute or so with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) exercises like sprinting, jump rope, mountain climber variations, burpee variations, etc.

Lift
I know you’re sick of hearing this, but it’s definitely worth repeating: don’t be afraid to lift weights. I’m a huge proponent of body weight resistance (push-ups, dips, pull-ups, etc.), so utilize free weights and add additional weight to body weight exercises like weighted squats, weighted lunges, and so on. Weight lifting won’t make you “bulky” unless you’re training like a bodybuilder and eating a massive amount of calories daily. In fact, weight lifting is one of the best exercises you can do to burn fat and boost your metabolism as well as maintaining the vitality of your muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments.

Work different muscle groups at the same time
Combo or hybrid exercises aka muscle-group combinations let you kill two birds with one stone. One example is lunge with a curl or a squat to a press. Muscle-group combos are awesome because they work multiple muscle groups at the same time, which burn more calories and is more time efficient.


Keep it going with metabolic circuit training
Metabolic circuit training consists of a series of resistance-training exercises executed with little to no rest in between each exercise (dynamic squat to military press combo). For example, you do 10 push-ups, then go into a set of barbell thrusters, then bust out a 30 second HIIT interval of jumping lunges. Essentially, it’s combining the above techniques into one cohesive workout. Ultimately, the most effective workout is the one you’re going to show up for consistently. So, if the above sounds awful but you love yoga, or kickboxing, or running then so be it. That’s one of the reasons I have all those types of training programs in my app. But when you’re looking to bust out a super effective workout in a quick period of time, be sure to incorporate the above to see incredible results.

xx, Jillian Michaels

Get a 12-month subscription to Jillian Michaels Fitness Training and Meal Plans for only $49.99 (regularly $89.99). Try it for 7 days through the free trial. Cancel anytime. Additional terms and conditions may apply. Sign up at JillianMichaels.com/app and use promo code FFF at checkout to redeem your discounted rate.