Maximize Your Productivity While Getting Jacked - Pomodoro For Fitness
If I told you you were able to work out for an hour each day while still being productive working from your desk, would you believe me?
We all know that frequent sitting can have a negative impact on our health. While I don’t put much stock in all the alarmist headlines out there about how “sitting is worse than smoking”, it’s true that research shows that a large amount of daily sitting, such as the kind seen in most desk jobs, can definitely be a problem. What do we do about that?
For years, I’ve been preaching the exact same fitness advice that many fitness professionals do: make sure to take regular breaks, get up, stretch out, and move around. Unfortunately, there’s a very harsh truth, which is that practically no one ever follows that advice, myself unfortunately included.
One of the biggest problems is work flow. One of the principle goals of daoism and zen buddhism is to achieve a state of emptiness and connection with your work. In this empty state, you act without thinking, are perfectly in the zone, and are able to work without distraction. This is a good thing because it allows you to zero on in the task at hand and get more work done - you’re simply more productive.
At the same time, flow can be an issue because it’s a form of tunnel vision. When you tunnel too hard, you can stop paying attention to things like good eating, taking breaks, and taking care of other, related tasks that may be important. It’s why you get sucked into your playstation and look up at the clock two hours later, shocked by how fast time flies by when you’re having fun. The same thing can happen with your work - provided you’re doing it right.
Some of us aren’t naturally disposed to flow, and find it difficult. Many others, however, myself included, can get into a flow pretty easily.
One problem I frequently face in my work is that while I get into a flow easily, that means that I can just as easily spend two hours chugging through a blog post as I can sinking into twitter: once I get started on something, it’s hard for me to stop, but when I do, I can easily get started on something else even if it’s not the thing I wanted to be investing my time in. This means that if I take a break to stretch or move around, it can very easily lead to me just picking up something else entirely and going on a complete tangent. So for me, interrupting my flow is a terrible idea - I want to keep it going for as long as possible.
A common suggestion for desk workers looking to implement some kind of break routine is to use a timer. By setting a timer for a set period of time (usually 30-60 minutes), you’ll be reminded to take a break every time it goes off, making it easier to break up your flow and stick to your schedule. This can work really well if, unlike me, you’re good at resuming a flow once you’ve taken that break. Unfortunately for me, I’m not good at resuming that flow if I get distracted, so usually these quick breaks lead to me going to the kitchen to make coffee or tea, and then deciding to grab a snack, and before I know it I’m catching up on the latest anime instead of getting back to work.
So what’s a good solution? I’ve looked around a lot of different options, and I’ve finally found the hack that works for me. It’s based on a productivity method called the pomodoro technique.
Pomodoro technique was a process invented by Francisco Cirillo in the 80’s. In essence, Cirillo used a common kitchen timer to set up his work time into distinct blocks with set rest intervals. It takes its namesake from the tomato-shaped kitchen timer (pomodoro = italian for tomato) that Cirillo used to implement the method.
So what’s the method?
Traditional pomodoro technique involves a long period of work followed by a short rest period. Cirillo’s plan was for 25 minutes of work followed by a 5 minute rest interval. After every four of these short blocks (2 hours of time) you would take a longer (10-30 min) break to take your mind off the task at hand. Ideally, by programming these rest periods, you’re able to maintain that flow more easily because you can simply put distractions off until the next rest period and better incrementalize your work.
Regular timer methods never worked for me because my “short break” always turned into a long break, and that would always throw the whole system off. But pomodoro fixed that for me, because with pomodoro there’s another timer - the 5 minute rest timer - to remind you to return to work. Luckily, when I started using it, I found that it worked like a charm.
From here, the main problem is figuring out what to do during those breaks. At first, I did what most of us would do: get a drink, grab a snack, stretch out a bit, goof around with a phone game, or hit up social media.
But then I had a better idea: why not apply that to the common desk worker’s problem of needing to get up and move around?
In fact, it’s actually a pretty brilliant idea, because the 25 minutes of work is plenty of time for your body to fully recover from a measly 5 minutes (or less) of exercise.
Here’s something you may not know: when it comes to exercise, training more frequently may be superior to doing all the work in one go. What that means is, if you were to take the same amount of work and split it up over two different workouts, it would likely give you more benefits than if you did all that work in one workout.
So if you were given the option between doing four sets of squats in one workout or doing two sets of squats each workout for two workouts, the two workout option would probably give you better results. At the same time, that doesn’t mean that we have much (read: any) research on super frequent training, such as what you would get out of doing squats every twenty five minutes with the pomodoro technique, for example.
At the same time, higher frequency tends to be superior for one obvious reason: you’re more fresh for each set, and that means you’re more likely to be able to push yourself hard. If you’re doing four sets of squats all in one workout, you might feel fresh for the first set or two, but by set three or four you’re feeling worn out and may not be able to do as many reps. Compare this to doing two sets of squats each workout for two workouts: since you’re stopping after just two sets and then doing the other two on another day, you’re fully rested and ready to do those other two sets and will probably be able to do more reps than if you just did all four in a row.
So I think it likely that the reason higher frequencies are better is that we can reap the benefits of being fully recovered and starting fresh more often. At the same time, there’s likely some kind of upper limit - if training 4 times per week is good and 8 is better, that doesn’t mean that 12 is even better than that. I don’t mean to impart any kind of magical value to a super-high frequency workout plan like I’m about to outline for you, but it may be modestly superior to simply getting a long workout in here and there. On top of that, each individual workout will be extremely short, so you’ll probably not feel like it’s too much of a burden.
One of the biggest problems with high training frequencies, of course, is that you need whatever equipment to do your workouts on hand. If that’s a squat rack and a barbell - well, chances are you don’t have a set of these lying around your office or your home. So for most people, higher frequency means more trips to the gym, and a lot more time sunk in transit and preparation (changing clothes, showering, scheduling around the rest of your life, etc.). This is why it’s not often used except by elite athletes looking to squeeze in any edge they can on their opponents.
However, there are plenty of exercises that can be done with minimal equipment and little to zero transit time.
Bodyweight exercises, for example, require no time at all, just a bit of floor space to do. Likewise, stretching routines such as yoga may require a bit more space, but are still doable with minimal equipment.
A pair of quick change dumbbells (every home gym’s staple) may run you a few hundred bucks, but allow you to do a wide range of exercises. If you’re working from home, you can also add a flat bench to your workspace to give you an easy way to do virtually everything you need to in combination with the dumbbells. Even if you don’t feel like investing in expensive quick change dumbbells, some cheaper sets exist (though they may be less convenient) or you may be able to purchase a few set weight dumbbells (the kind that you can’t change the weight on) if you’ve got the space to store them.
Another option is the kettlebell - with it you can do a variety of exercises, including swings, presses, squats, and cleans, all of which will be wonderful for your purposes.
Last, you can invest in a set of bands. Resistance bands come in a variety of resistance grades, and can be used to do a variety of exercises. Since bands have virtually no weight, you can easily pack them up and move them around or take them on vacation, and they store easily when not in use.
All of these options take up minimal space and can be done from your home or office (provided you’ve got some space at your office, and either a bit of privacy or a complete disregard for people staring). If you keep workouts to just a few minutes, you can also generally get a solid bit of work in without sweating too much and needing to shower.
I’ve gone ahead and written up below a variety of exercises that you can do. Of course, there’s one super huge and important constraint on everything you’re doing here: it can’t take more than five minutes, since that’s the duration of your break.
To that end, I’ve simplified the way you exercise: you can assume that every single exercise in this list is intended to be done in a single set to failure (or near failure) in order to get the most use out of your five minutes. The idea is to spend the entire time working. If you feel like you need your 5 minute breaks for other things, you may want to move quickly, extend your breaks a bit (10 minutes should be fine, but not much longer) or you can cut your workout short and aim for 3.5 or 4 minutes of activity with the rest of the time for other stuff.
Another option is to take a cluster set approach. In this approach, you’re doing a certain number of reps, taking a short rest, and repeating. In this variant of cluster sets, you’ll simply repeat until you hit the end of your time limit. So for example, you might pick a set number of reps in the squat, let’s say 5, and then each time you do 5 reps you get a brief rest until you feel you’re ready to do another 5. If you feel ready to do it right away with minimal rest, that’s fine too! But this way you may be able to pace yourself a bit better and get more reps out than if you just go for one set and burn yourself out early.
I also recommend picking a variety of exercises from the following lists. You have no need to do squats - for example - for every single break if you don’t want to! Mix it up and use a lot of different exercises throughout the day, or pick a handful and specialize. Depending on your level of fitness, injury status, and familiarity with the exercises involved, you may need to do a bit of experimentation to see what works for you.
I’ve made a list of all your options. I’ve split them up by what kind of equipment they require as well as your training goals (weight loss/body recomposition, muscle building). Unfortunately some training goals (strength, for example) are probably prohibited simply because most people don’t have access to heavy enough weights near their workspace. (If you do, all power to you - I’d love to see someone with a home office set up next to a home gym blast out heavy singles here and there.)
Here we go!
Exercises
Bodyweight
Basic Exercises
Squat (weight loss/muscle) (if you have solid floor space)
Pushup (weight loss/muscle)
Lunge (weight loss/muscle)
Glute Bridge (weight loss/muscle) (if you have solid floor space)
Plank (core musculature) (if you have solid floor space)
Crunches (or other core exercises) (core musculature) (if you have floor space)
Burpee (weight loss) (if you feel like punishing yourself and have solid floor space)
Squat Jumps (weight loss) (if your body can handle repeated jumping impact and you won’t bother anyone around you)
Stretching (all for mobility/stability, minimal impact on weight loss/muscle)
Standing Forward Bend/Seated Forward Bend
Yoga - Sun Salutations (if you have space)
Foam Rolling (if you have a foam roller - excellent for low back pain caused by extended sitting)
Lunge Stretch (if you have space)
Squat Sit (love this one for building squat mobility/stability, though it may not be what you’re looking for after sitting for so long)
Cobra Stretch (useful for low back pain caused by extended sitting (if you have space)
Band
Pullaparts (muscle)
Curls (muscle)
Banded Pushups (weight loss/muscle)
Banded Squats (weight loss/muscle)
Dumbbell
Without Bench
Biceps Curl/Hammer Curl (muscle)
Shoulder Press (muscle)
One Arm Row (muscle) (may need something to support yourself with via other arm - bench or desk)
Goblet Squat (weight loss/muscle)
DB Glute Bridge (weight loss/muscle) (if you have the space)
Clean and Press (or Clean and Jerk) (weight loss/muscle) (one or two arm variants)
Deadlift or Stiff Legged Deadift (weight loss/muscle)
Lunge (weight loss/muscle) (if you have the space)
Lying Triceps Extension (muscle) (if you have the space)
Burpee w/Press (weight loss) (if you have the space and hate yourself)
With Bench (can also potentially be done with cardio steps if appropriately sized)
Bench Press (weight loss/muscle)
Stepup (weight loss)
Box Jump (weight loss) (if you can handle jumping and if you won’t bother anybody - chances are this is true if you’ve got a bench since you’re probably at home)
Reverse Crunch, Leg Raise, Other Core (muscle)
Bench Burpees
Seated Variants of Other Exercises (shoulder press, curl, triceps extension)
Kettlebell
Kettlebell Swing (weight loss/muscle)
One Arm or Two Arm Press (muscle)
Bicep Curl (muscle)
Deadlift (weight loss/muscle)
Goblet Squat (weight loss/muscle)
Clean and Press (or Clean and Jerk) (weight loss/muscle) (one or two arm variants)
Templates
This may seem like a lot of exercise options, so here’s some general templates to break it down for you further. These are organized by training goals so you can have a general idea what to aim for. You can modify these as needed based on your own goals.
Weight Loss
Squat or KB/DB/Band Variants or Lunge/DB Variant
Glute Bridge or DB/KB Deadlift or KB Swing
Jump Squat or Box Jump or Burpee
Pushup or DB Bench Press or Band Variant
Clean and Press or Clean and Jerk, DB or KB Variations, or Burpee or DB Variant
Low Back Pain Management
Squat or KB/DB/Band Variants or Lunge/DB Variant
Glute Bridge or DB Variant
Cobra Stretch
Squat Sit
Foam Rolling
Muscle Building
Squat or KB/DB/Band Variants or Lunge/DB Variant
Glute Bridge or DB/KB Deadlift or KB Swing
Pushup or DB Bench Press or Band Variant
DB/KB Shoulder Press, Seated or Standing
Band Pullapart or DB One Arm Row
Bicep Curl, DB/KB/Band Variant
DB Tricep Extension
General Fitness (simplest possible option)
Squat or KB/DB/Band Variants or Lunge/DB Variant
Pushup or DB Bench Press or Band Variant
Any kind of stretching, yoga, foam rolling, squat sits, cobra stretch, as needed
Tying It All Together
The best part about this routine is its simplicity - simply pick a handful of exercises to make sure you’re getting variety and targetting a lot of musculature, and get moving! Here’s one cool thing to note.
During this program, you’re getting around five minutes of exercise in every thirty minutes of work. If you stick to it throughout the day, you’re looking at a total of one hour (!!!) of exercise out of every six hours of work. Assuming that it’s a bit less than that, and providing a bit of leeway for when you need to do other stuff during your break times, let’s make that 1 hour out of every 8 - or in other words, getting in a free workout during your work day without having to spend any time going to the gym or getting showered in the evening. (Although I’d still recommend showering, just a tip.)
This method can also work well if you’re someone looking to specialize in a specific movement or body part. If you’re looking to build huge arms, for example, a regular quick dose of bicep curls won’t take much time but will add up to a huge amount of stimulus in the long run. As usual, you’ll want to keep your diet under control to ensure growth, but when paired you can certainly get a potent effect for building your arms. The same thing can be said of any muscle group you’re looking to build - although this method will probably work best for smaller muscle groups like the arms, shoulders, and calves.
Give it a try today, and let me know how it works for you!
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Have any feedback on the article, or want to bring something to my attention? Comment below or email me at adam@gains.af. I look forward to hearing from you.
