We all have those weeks where life gets insanely busy and finding time to exercise feels nearly impossible. But it’s better to do something over nothing. So, if you can only carve out a single day for your workout, you better make it count. That's why we asked FASTer Way Pro Trainer Haven Hennessy for her advice on the ideal routine if you're limited to training just once for the week.

What she told us was that if you do one workout this week, do the total body workout. What’s total body, you ask? It’s strength training that targets all of the major muscle groups in a single session. The main benefit of this approach is efficiency - you can effectively train your entire body in just one workout rather than spending multiple days to hit every muscle group. Total body workouts allow you to maximize hormone release like growth hormone and testosterone that drive muscle growth. They also create a significant metabolic disturbance and calorie burn. 

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Here's a Total Body Routine for you:

This is what we call Supersets - two moves back-to-back with minimal rest between moves and about 30-45 seconds between sets. We do each set 3x. 

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Super Set 1 (x3)

Move 1: Goblet Squat - 8 reps

Move 2: Step Up Reverse Lunge - 5 reps each leg

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Super Set 2 (x3)

Move 1: Chest Press (single arm to both arms) - 6 total reps

Move 2: Clap Push Up (against bench) - 8 reps

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Super Set 3 (x3)

Move 1: Dumbbell Upright Row - 8 reps

Move 2: Plie Squat to Narrow Squat (Goblet Hold) - 8 total reps 

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Super Set 4 (x3)

Move 1: Suitcase Squat to Overhead Press - 5 reps each arm

Move 2: Side to Side Banded Walk with Dumbbell - 20 total

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Don’t forget to warm -up and cool down those muscles! 

But seriously, do you see how simple that is! And fast! But it works. By hitting all the major movement patterns and muscle groups, you ensure no body part is being neglected. It's a very efficient and effective way to maintain strength and muscle if you're in a high-stress situation or have to temporarily limit your gym time.

Now, if you happen to have just one more day, you should use it for high intensity interval training (HIIT) to burn extra calories and give your cardiovascular fitness a boost. A quick 20-30 minute HIIT session is the perfect complement to your one weightlifting day to cover all your bases - muscle strengthening and aerobic conditioning.

While one workout per week is far from optimal, getting in at least one total body workout will make the most of things and help you maintain your hard-earned fitness gains. Bottom line: one mega-efficient session beats zero workouts any week!

‍FASTer Way to Fat Loss offers a new workout every day, 365 days per year. I mean, who else does that? Nobody! Plus, you can do the workout with the FASTer Way Community and our trainers conveniently through our clinically proven app, or in our private Facebook group. What’s stopping you?!