Is 20 minutes a day enough to Build muscle?

Is 20 minutes a day enough to Build muscle?

Going to the gym isn’t always a walk in the park. Also, it’s not always necessary! If you love spending time in your cozy home, are too busy to go to the gym, you’re a mother of a cute baby or don’t want to go to a gym for any reason, it’s still possible to lose weight, build muscle, and achieve a fit and contoured body by working out at home. And the good news is, you don’t need to spend much time going to or returning from the gym.

So, you spend less time on your workout routine and can do other daily activities without wasting time, especially if you’re busy. But how many minutes should we work out a day for the same results as going to the gym? Is a 20-minute workout enough to build muscle and lose weight? Continue reading to find the answers to these questions. 

How Do Your Muscles Grow?

Before you know “whether is 20-minute workout enough to build muscle or not”, you should know how your muscles grow. When you work on your muscles by doing intense activities, for example, lifting weights, your muscles get damaged. But don’t worry, this is a good thing because, in response, your body starts to repair them by activating satellite cells around the muscle fibers.

These cells heal the damage by combining with the existing muscle fibers. As a result, your muscles get bigger and stronger. But this is not the only thing. Hormones also help in muscle growth and they can also make new blood vessels, and control muscle size. They govern satellite cell function leading to some processes like:

• Directing satellite cells to damaged muscles post-exercise  
• Forming new blood capillaries  
• Repairing muscle tissue  
• Regulating overall muscle mass  

When you work out regularly, you stimulate the release of a special hormone called growth. The harder you work out, the more of this hormone is released. This hormone boosts your metabolism and turns amino acids into protein. As a result, the muscle growth will be promoted. 

The Role of Diet in Muscle Building 

Foods you eat play a very important role in muscle building in Dubai and the most essential nutrient for muscles is protein. But how much protein do you need for building muscles? Adults over 19 need to eat roughly 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For example, a 150-pound woman requires around 54 grams of protein per day. On the other hand, a 180-pound male needs approximately 66 grams of protein (82 kg x 0.8 g = 65.6 g). Here are some sources of protein you can consume:

• beef
• lamb
• pork
• poultry
• fish
• eggs
• milk
• milk products, like cheese
• soybeans
• beans
• nuts
• seeds

Is 20-Minute Workout Enough to Build Muscle?

YES! A 20-minute muscle-building workout is possible. To build muscles, you don’t need to spend hours at the gym. With proper strength training in just 20 to 30 minutes a day, 3 to 5 times a week, you can see effective results. All you need to do is target all muscle groups and have a balanced diet. To build muscle and have a fit body, all you need is consistency, a nutrient-rich diet, and strong physical activity even 20 minutes a day. There’s no magical number of minutes that guarantees hypertrophy! 

How to Make the Most of a 20-Minute Workout?

Now you know a 20-minute workout is enough for building muscle. But how can we maximize our 20-minute workout time? Here we have some tips for you to work out efficiently in the shortest time. 

1- Set Your Intention

Before anything, you should set your goals. You need a clear focus for 20 minutes of workout. For example, if you want to lose weight, you should do the best weight loss exercises in 20 minutes. Here we identify four common intentions as well as how to structure your workout for each:

HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)!

HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) is the best choice for a short workout. HIIT combines forceful bodyweight movements and it is an effective way to maximize a brief workout. Work for 40 seconds, rest for 20 and repeat for multiple rounds. You can search on YouTube for the best HIIT workouts. Due to the following reasons, HIIT is the best short workout:

1. Time-efficient: As it combines different exercises, it allows you to target full body muscles in a short time. 
2. Cardio and Strength Combo: As the explosive movements elevate your heart rate, it combines cardio and strength benefits.
3. Boosts Metabolism: As it boosts your metabolism, you can burn calories both during and after your workout due to its afterburn effects. 

Lifting Weights 

If you use medium and heavy weights for two compound exercises (e.g., squats and deadlifts) you can build muscles in 20 minutes. You can target different muscles and promote strength. For example, combine the following movements and aim for 8–12 reps:

• Squat + Overhead Press: Full-body.  
• Bent-Over Rows: Back and arms.  
• Deadlifts: Legs and lower back.  
• Push-Ups + Dumbbell Rows: Chest and back.  
• Lunges + Bicep Curls: Legs and arms.  

Cardio Workout

Choose one of the interval-based cardio workouts that you like most like running, biking, rowing, or elliptical. Alternate between high-intensity bursts (e.g., 40 seconds) and recovery times (20 seconds). If you want to lose weight, try to learn about best cardio exercises for weight loss. 

If you don’t know choose a cardio or strength workout, read our blog post about Cardio vs Strength. 

2- Do a 3–5 Minute Warm-Up

To build muscle in 20 minutes, you need to warm up before your workouts. It prepares your body and maximizes the results. without warming up, you’ll increase the risk of injury as cold muscles are more prone to strains. Also, when your muscles are cold, they’re less efficient and strong for doing strength movements. Here is a warm-up plan based on your goal:

• Cardio Warm-Up: For cardio, it’s better to do dynamic movements for warming up like high knees, lateral lunges, and butt kicks. These movements help loosen muscles and boost blood flow. 
• HIIT Warm-Up: To warm your muscles up for HIIT workouts, do exercises that warm up multiple muscle groups. Something like push-ups or band pull-a parts.  
• Heavy Lifting Warm-Up: If you want to lift weights, you need mobility movements to prevent injuries. Also, lighter versions of your main lifts help activate key muscles. If you’re a beginner, try to know bodybuilding mistakes to prevent injuries. 

3- Maximize the Main Workout (13–15 Minutes)

Warming up and cooling down are key parts of a 20-minute workout to build muscle. But, don’t forget that the longest part should be the main part! Make this portion count by concentrating your attention and effort:

• Cardio: For all aerobic exercises, alternate 40-second sprints and 20-second rest periods. Repeat for about 12 rounds. You can also do 10-second all-out sprints followed by 1-minute pauses for the same number of rounds. 
• HIIT: For HIIT, switch between 3-5 exercises, such as assisted pull-ups, explosive jumps, and planks. You can perform each exercise for 40 seconds at a high intensity, and take a 20-second rest. Complete 3-4 rounds, with short breaks between sets. 
• Lifting Heavy: For weightlifting, use a weight that is at least 80% of your one-rep max. Sets of 6 reps or fewer, with a concentration on heavier lifts such as squats, deadlifts, and bench presses. Rest for 1-3 minutes between sets.

4- Cool Down in 2 Minutes

At last, you need to cool down your muscles to gradually lower your heart rate and prevent dizziness or lightheadedness. If you skip the cool-down part, muscle stiffness and soreness may happen. Cooling down after a workout helps in improving blood flow and flexibility. Here are ways to cool down after each workout:

1. Cardio: To cool down after cardio, you can walk or lightly jog for a minute. After that, you can do static stretches like hamstring or quad stretches.
2. HIIT: For cooling down after a HIIT workout, you can consider a yoga-based static stretch sequence. It helps loosen worked muscles.
3. Lifting Weights: Try static stretches (e.g., pec or lat stretches for upper body). Plus, a light aerobic activity like walking can be helpful.

5- Try a Tabata Workout!

One of the quickest ways to do an intense and effective workout is Tabata! Tabata is an organized interval workout that consists of 20 seconds of intense exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest, with 8 rounds (a total of 4 minutes). During work times, it is done with maximal effort and that’s why it burns lots of calories (up to 15 calories per minute, according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE)).

Attention, it’s different with a HIIT workout. HIIT allows for more flexibility in terms of work and rest durations, activities, and overall workout time. Although Tabata is a type of HIIT, not all HIIT workouts use the Tabata methodology. Examples of Tabata movements are burpees, kettlebell squats, or push-ups. Just search on YouTube and follow a 20-minute workout video. 

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So, it will be easier to tone your body and get a more contoured look. And the best thing about these treatments is: that there’s no surgery, ensuring your comfort and health.  To learn more about how you can benefit from these treatments, visit our muscle toning page. 

Final Words

So, again, you won’t ask “Is a 20-minute workout enough to build muscle or not”, because you know the answer is yes! However, you need to have a proper diet and follow the tips mentioned in this blog post to make it possible and maximize the results. Just aim for a 20-minute workout, 3-5 times a week as well as follow a balanced diet and see how fit you’ll be. Remember, consistency is key in this journey!