Short answer: You can cut a workout roughly in half by doing four things: pair exercises in supersets so your rest does double duty, replace the generic warm-up with a lighter version of your first exercise, stop at two hard sets per exercise, and train somewhere you don't have to commute to. Put all four together and you get a complete workout in 20 to 30 minutes.
Lack of time is the barrier people report most often when they stop training. A 2024 paper in the British Journal of Sports Medicine calls it the most reported one in the literature. Most people don't quit because the program is bad. They quit because it asks for more time than their week has.
I'm Sondre Berg, and I've coached bodyweight strength for years. These four strategies started in my own training, then went to a handful of students, then to a bigger group, so I could check that the structure holds up in real life. As a new dad, they've been what keeps me training at all.
The full video is below. Each strategy also has its own short clip further down.
The four strategies at a glance
| Strategy | What you do | Why it saves time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Supersets | Pair exercises that use different muscles and rotate between them | Short rest between exercises, one longer rest per round. Up to about 50% less time than straight sets |
| 2. Progressive warm-up | Do your first exercise at a lighter load, 10 to 15 reps | The warm-up is part of the workout, not extra |
| 3. Volume management | Do two sets of each exercise when you're short on time | The first sets give you the most return |
| 4. Remove the gym | Train at home, in a park or in a hotel room | No commute, changing rooms or waiting for equipment |
Why does lack of time stop people from training?
Clip, 1:28 long. It starts at 0:00 in the full 9:51 video.
Because a workout is never just the workout. It's the commute, the changing, the warm-up, the rest between sets, and the way your day has to bend around all of it. Cut the right pieces and you keep the progress.
I specialize in bodyweight strength, so the examples here lean that way. The strategies work the same with weights. They're just a little more practical without a barbell and a rack.
How do supersets cut your rest time?
Clip, 3:14 long. It starts at 1:29 in the full 9:51 video.
Pair two exercises that don't use the same muscles, and do them back to back. While one muscle group works, the other recovers, so you can compress the sets and still rest enough to perform well. Rotating between dissimilar muscle groups can save up to about 50% of the time compared with straight sets. The research on agonist-antagonist paired sets points the same way: similar training volume in less time.
Here's the difference. A straight-set workout might be three sets of pull-ups with two minutes of rest, then three sets of push-ups with three minutes of rest. As a superset you do pull-ups, a short rest, push-ups, then a longer rest of around two minutes, and repeat. Your push-up muscles rest during the pull-ups, and your pull-up muscles rest during the push-ups.
Good pairings, as long as the main muscles are different:
- Bench press or horizontal push progressions with pull-up variations or pull-downs
- Lower body exercises with core exercises
- Deep variations with rows
- Hamstring curls with knee extensions
- Bicep curls with tricep extensions
You can push it to four exercises. I do a pull, then a push, then a core exercise, then a leg exercise. Pull and push is the agonist-antagonist pairing for the upper body. The core exercise in the middle keeps the work going without a big cardiovascular cost. Legs go last because they're the most demanding on your whole system.
The numbers I use:
- 20 to 30 seconds of rest between exercises, or until your breathing recovers
- 1 to 3 minutes of rest between rounds
- A working intensity of about 4 to 10 rep max, meaning you could do 4 to 10 reps and no more
Bodyweight training suits this well. Switching exercises takes about five seconds, not 30, you don't share equipment in a busy gym, and the whole thing fits in about two square meters with a pull-up bar or gym rings and the floor. For more on pairing and the other set types, read my guide to 6 set types for calisthenics strength training.
What is a progressive warm-up?
Clip, 1:49 long. It starts at 4:43 in the full 9:51 video.
It's a warm-up that is the same exercise as your main work, just easier. In my experience, and with my students, most warm-ups are junk volume and wasted time. The research is mixed. A 2021 systematic review of warm-ups for resistance training found some studies where a specific warm-up beat no warm-up and others where it didn't, with the best results often coming from specific warm-ups at loads closer to the working weight.
How to do it:
- Pick the exercise you'll do first and use a version you can do for 10 to 15 reps (a 10 to 15 rep max).
- If you plan on bodyweight pull-ups, use banded pull-ups. If you plan on banded pull-ups, use a thicker band. If you plan on weighted pull-ups, use less weight or bodyweight.
- Track it. Try to get more reps each workout, and keep one to two reps in the tank.
- When you reach 15 reps, make it harder. That's the progression.
You can run the same thing inside a superset, as long as you adjust each exercise.
If you're like I was when I started, you may think a workout doesn't count unless you wreck your muscles, and that the last sets are the ones that matter. That's not how it works, as the next strategy shows.
How many sets do you need when time is short?
Clip, 0:48 long. It starts at 6:32 in the full 9:51 video.
Two per exercise. Diminishing returns apply to strength and muscle building the same way they apply to most things: the first hard set gives you the most for your time, the second still gives you a lot, and every set after adds less.
The research agrees on the shape of it. A 2010 meta-analysis found multiple sets beat a single set for muscle size, with no significant difference between 2 to 3 sets and 4 to 6 sets per exercise. A 2018 study of trained men found that more weekly volume gave more muscle growth but not more strength. So if you have the time, more sets are fine. If you don't, two sets is enough.
Before you skip a workout because you don't have time for four sets, do the short two-set version. That can be the difference between consistent progress and consistent stagnation.
Can you save time by training without a gym?
Clip, 1:09 long. It starts at 7:20 in the full 9:51 video.
Yes, and it's the biggest saving, because most of the time isn't inside the session. Remove the gym and you remove:
- The commute
- Changing in the locker room and showering
- Waiting for machines or equipment
- Setup and breakdown time
- Having to organize your life around the gym
It's easiest with bodyweight training. With a pull-up bar or a set of gym rings you can train at home, while traveling, in the park with your kids, or in a hotel room. If you prefer lifting weights, I'd still keep a bodyweight backup, so there's always something familiar to fall back on when life gets in the way.
What does a 20 to 30 minute workout look like?
Clip, 0:39 long. It starts at 8:29 in the full 9:51 video.
You don't need all four strategies. Pick one, two or three. Use all four and you get a very time-efficient workout:
- Choose four exercises for a superset: a pull, a push, a core exercise and a leg exercise.
- Round one is the warm-up, at reduced intensity (the 10 to 15 rep max version).
- Rounds two and three are the hard ones, typically at a 5 to 10 rep max.
- Rest 20 to 30 seconds between exercises and 1 to 3 minutes between rounds.
That's a 20 to 30 minute workout, and it's a good one. Change the exercises, use weights or bodyweight. I use this myself all the time.
Frequently asked questions
How can I cut my workout time in half without losing results?
Combine four changes: superset exercises that use different muscles, replace the long warm-up with a lighter version of your first exercise, do two hard sets per exercise, and train somewhere that removes the commute. You don't need to use all four, but each one removes a different chunk of time.
How long should a time-efficient workout be?
About 20 to 30 minutes. Four exercises in a superset, three rounds, with the first round at lower intensity as your warm-up.
How many sets do I need per exercise?
Two hard sets is enough when you're short on time. The first sets give the biggest return, and each extra set adds less. If you have more time, extra sets can add more muscle.
Are supersets as effective as straight sets?
Close, and much faster. Pair exercises that use different muscles so each one gets rest while the other works, and take 1 to 3 minutes between rounds.
Do I need a gym to train efficiently?
No. A pull-up bar or a set of gym rings and the floor is enough for a four-exercise superset, in about two square meters.
What is a progressive warm-up in a short workout?
It's the same exercise as your first main exercise, done at a lighter load for 10 to 15 reps, keeping one to two reps in reserve. When you reach 15 reps, you make it harder.
Where to go from here
Want this written into a plan?
I've built these structures into the programs in the Berg Movement app, including specific skill programs for every level, so you don't have to design the exercises yourself.
Need something to train on?
I designed the minimalist gym rings at Movement Made, my equipment brand. With a pull-up bar or a set of rings you can run the whole workout above anywhere.
Keep reading
Which methods are worth your time? See my training methods tier list, where supersets landed in S tier. If you want ring exercises to start with, read the only 5 gym ring exercises you need or follow the full body gym ring workout.
Tell me in the comments which strategy saves you the most time.
