30-Minute Lunch Break Workout

Whether you’re a gym regular, just beginning to hit the gym, or simply considering starting a workout plan, the ability to vary your exercise routine and length is an important consideration. Some days, it’s easy to spend an hour or two at the gym, with plenty of time to work on toning or bulking up, but other days, life itself can sideline even the best workout schedule.

Busy days sometimes require shorter workouts, and there might even be days you consider foregoing your self-care routine, but there’s no need to sacrifice, even with the busiest of schedules.

EōS Fitness has you covered with a 30-minute lunch break workout to help you stay fit and healthy. If you can’t squeeze in 30 minutes during lunch, find time where you can. You will thank yourself afterward.

Can a 30-Minute Workout Be Effective?

The short answer is yes, 30 minutes of exercise can certainly be effective. A few of the benefits of regular, half-hour workouts include increased energy, a firmer body, and a stronger immune system. Many more can be measured by your doctor, including your reduced risk of disease and increased bone density.

A study published in the American Journal of Physiology actually found that 30 minutes of daily exercise is “just as effective for losing weight as 60 minutes.” One explanation is that the participants who exercised for half an hour found it so easy to work into their schedules that they could commit to it regularly and had the desire and energy for more physical activity beyond that.

If you’re just getting started with regular exercise or you’re still deciding whether going to the gym can fit into your lifestyle and schedule, know this: 30 minutes of exercise can make a difference. 

Can You Hit Every Muscle in 30 Minutes?

A shorter workout time frame means increased focus during that time. It may come naturally to you if you already have a regular workout routine, or you may need an extra degree of focus to maximize your results during the half hour. The answer is, yes, you can hit every muscle in 30 minutes.

Sometimes you’re in the mood for a strictly cardio workout session and other days you may need to hit the weights to feel accomplished. Either way, you can work all the major muscles during your lunch break workout.

How Can You Burn the Most Fat in 30 Minutes?

Working every muscle in your body during your lunch break workout is not the same as burning the most fat or calories during that same time. Consider your priorities—is it more important to get a full-body workout? Or would you rather burn the most fat possible in the short amount of time you have available?

Running has proven to be one of the top fat-burning workouts, with the most calories burned per hour. Behind it come bicycling, circuit training, jumping rope, rowing, swimming (casual), and jogging. The number of calories burned depends on several factors, including the duration of time, pace, intensity, and your individual physical characteristics like height and weight.

If you only have 30 minutes and want to burn the most fat possible, running is recommended; however, if running isn’t your favorite or you like more variation, try one of the other calorie-scorchers mentioned above. 

You can also read more about ways to vary your treadmill workouts no matter what level of gym-goer you may be.

Strength or Cardio?

It’s a long-debated question: should you focus more on strength or cardio? While a varied mix of strength training and cardio is great for getting the most out of your 30-minute lunch break workout, ultimately choosing the type of exercise that you like, or are willing to complete, is most of the battle. Forcing someone to do a workout they hate is both counterintuitive and unproductive, so choose what you enjoy. (But also, don’t be afraid to try something new.)

Depending on if you’re at home or taking advantage of all the amenities in-person at an EōS, try one of these ideas for your next lunch break workout.

Lunch Break Workouts at Home

You’re working from home and have back-to-back meetings all day, with barely any time to get any actual work done… understandable. Your half hour break may not include time to get to the gym, so you’re handling it at home today. Even though you’re at home, you’re not alone… EōS Fitness still has you covered.

With the EōS Fitness mobile app, gym-goers with an EōS Will Power Membership have unlimited access to over one hundred on-demand workouts across BODYPUMP™, BODYCOMBAT™, BODYBALANCE™, BODYATTACK™, LES MILLS GRIT™, and LES MILLS CORE™. The on-demand workout library gets updated every few months with new classes and music, keeping you motivated while enabling you to workout anytime, from anywhere. The virtual classes come in various lengths, including 30, 45, or 60-minute options, so getting a great workout during your lunch break is always possible.

Lunch Break Workouts at EōS Fitness

When you have 30 minutes to focus on your health at EōS Fitness, it can be a tough decision figuring out how to get the most out of your time, or even overwhelming for a newer Member. Below are two sample 30-minute exercise routines for your lunch break workout.

Sample Workout #1: Cardio Variety

• 3-minute treadmill walking warmup
• 5-minute uphill incline running (vary speed if necessary; see below)
  • Advanced (be safe and make sure to use the emergency shut off clip): 6+
  • Intermediate: 5-6
  • Beginner (try a walking to slow jog speed): 3-4.9
• 2-minute no incline running recovery
• 8-minutes of elliptical, challenging yourself at 70-80% effort
• 2-minute elliptical recovery
• 8-minutes of cycling, challenging yourself at 70-80% effort
• 2-minute cycling active recovery

Sample Workout #2: Strength and Cardio Circuit

• 2-minute warmup: 20 seconds jogging in place, 20 seconds jumping jacks, 20 seconds slow squats; 15 seconds each of quad stretches, arm circles, trunk twists, side stretches
• Circuit 1: 5 mins (as many rounds as possible) 
  • 10 squats (optional: add dumbbells to increase difficulty)
  • 10 push-ups
  • 10 bent-over dumbbell rows
• 1-minute rest
• Circuit 2: 5 mins (as many rounds as possible) 
  • 10 (per leg) alternating reverse lunges
  • 10 dumbbell deadlifts
  • 10 (per leg) alternating side-to-side skater lunges
• 1-minute rest
• Circuit 3: 5 mins (as many rounds as possible) 
  • 10 bicep curls
  • 10 burpees with vertical jump
  • 10 sumo squats (optional: add dumbbells to increase difficulty)
• 1-minute stretching cool down or foam-rolling

If you’re new to the gym or would like to get more out of your workouts, enlist the help of a knowledgeable Personal Trainer to help set your fitness goals and get started today!

Make the Most of Your 30-Minute Workout

While it may be tough to decide how to spend your half hour of allotted exercise time, there’s one thing you can trust for certain: it will most definitely benefit both your mind and body. So, if your first thought is to skip your workout routine when you only have a short amount of time, please reconsider. Put in the work at the gym, at home, or anywhere you may be, and you’ll thank yourself later.

If you’re not yet a Member of EōS Fitness, sign up for your Complimentary 7-Day Pass.