College makes you busy as shit.
I mean, if you’re doing college right… you’re one busy mofo.
And if you have some ambitious muscle-building and fat loss goals, sometimes it feels like you have no time to exercise.
With all the high priority things you gotta focus on like:
- Class
- Homework
- Study groups
- Clubs
- Partying with friends
- Sleep
- And your family
…how in the hell are you going to get your ass to the gym?
Well, search no more because I formed a list of some of the best advice and resources on how to make time for exercise with your busy, messed-up schedule.
There are some really busy people out there (besides you) and you can learn their best strategies on how they balance it all right now from this resource list.
But you realize, after this… there will be no excuses.
Tactical Tips
How to Exercise More as a Student
Finding time to study, get to class, and hang with friends is exhausting enough but Thomas Frank of College Info Geek gives you actionable strategies to make it work.
How to Find Time to Workout & Exercise On a Busy Schedule
Learning how to direct your focus and be honest with your daily schedule is how Sean Nalewanyj teaches you to make time for training (because it’s not as much time as you think).
The Joys of Working Out: How I Stay Balanced in Grad School
At the time of this article, Kayla Solinsky was a 4th year PHD candidate and was still finding time to exercise. Learn how she did it over at GradHacker.
HELP! I DON’T HAVE TIME TO WORKOUT
Fitness model Tanner Chidester gets a lot of excuses from people claiming they don’t have the time to exercise, but he offers some great tips to make it happen despite these complaints.
REALLY? You Don’t Have to Work Out Fitness Mindset Tip
Sometimes you frame “working out” negatively in your mind and overlook the simple ways you can get it done like Mo Mostafa from Motivated Muscle.
Productivity & Efficiency
Why Managing Time Isn’t the Ultimate Key to Productivity
Even though managing your time is important, Mike Matthews of Muscle for Life gives very tactical techniques to manage your energy and help you become more productive.
5 Time Management Tips to Increase Productivity – How to Get More Time in Your Day?
Personal trainer Marc Dressen understands the value of managing your time and getting the most out of a single day and he shares his best productivity tips in this video.
How to Find Time to Workout: The Real Secret to Building Your Dream Body
Maybe you have no time to workout because you’re focusing on things that don’t matter. If so, learn how to 80/20 your efforts by following the advice of Ryan Masters at Sparta Strength.
50 Productivity Hacks to Help You Get More Done
There’s no limit to the ways you can make each day more productive and Hack College can show you how.
How to Make College Studying Easier and More Productive
Karen Young from Hey Sigmund will help you make your studying more efficient so you spend less time doing it.
Don’t have TIME to Workout?
In this video from Michael of Evolve Fitness, he shares some pretty decent tactics to actually make your workouts more productive with a few multitasking hacks.
[Tweet “No Time to #Exercise – The Ultimate Guide”]
Verbal Smack in the Face
Are You Too Busy to Workout? Me Too.
Adam Bornstein of Born Fitness runs a company, writes books, has a solid marriage and still stays fit. Let him give you a dose of “busy” reality.
I Don’t Have Time to Workout
Josh Spencer is a personal trainer and he’s heard all the reasons why you have no time to exercise. He’s not afraid to reach out of the screen and slap you in the face with some time management truth.
Optimize Your Workout
Whole Body Workout Without a Gym in Less than an Hour
For those of you who don’t even want to go to the gym, Kevin Kreider has a full body workout you can do in your dorm in less than an hour.
No Time for the Gym
The Hodge Twins are always good for a laugh, but they also have a no bullshit approach to make sure every body part is hit in only 3 short workouts a week if you have no time to exercise.
Weight Lifting Workouts: 3 Crazy Supersets for Faster Muscle Gains
You can string a number of exercises together in quick succession to make your workouts shorter and more intense like Troy Adashun explains from Weight Gain Network.
How to Use Supersets & Alternating Set in Your Workout Routine
Again, speed up your workouts by incorporating supersets into the mix. Jay from AWorkoutRoutine will show you how with a detailed breakdown.
Too Busy to Workout?
As long as the stress on the muscles are intense (even if it’s short), you can get ripped. Jerome of Jerome Fitness clears that up.
The “I Don’t Have Time to Workout” Workout
Here’s a 30 minute circuit training workout by ice1cube (YouTube) that he uses specifically when he’s not going to have a lot of time to train that day.
“I Don’t Have Time for Full Body Routines” Is a Terrible Excuse Sample Workaholic Routine
Maybe you only have a few minutes here or there to train. Jason Blaha Fitness gives you a realistic way to get your compound lifts during the holes in your schedule.
Too Busy to Workout? DO THIS! (4 Min. Tabata Workout)
The guys at Zen Dude Fitness know how to amp up the intensity in only 4 fucking minutes! No time to exercise my ass!
Form Powerful Habits
3 Simple Ways to Make Exercise a Habit
The master of habits and productivity, James Clear, explains how you can start burning exercise into your subconscious in simple steps.
How to Form Good Exercise Habits in the Brain
There are scientific triggers that allow you to make almost any action into a habit and Maneesh Sethi of Hack the System explains how it works.
Health Habits: The How-To Guide for Body Transformation
JC Dean of JCDFitness can help you incrementally step into healthy habits that will actually last for a long time.
Master Your Schedule
How to Stay in Shape Despite Working Weird Hours
Even if your schedule makes you feel like you have no time to exercise, Steve Kamb of Nerd Fitness has a few tips to still make it happen.
Warren Buffet’s “2 List” Time Management Strategy
Warren Buffet, arguable the most intelligent investor in history has been able to summon laser focus with this very simple system that Stefano Ganddini shares over at Collegetopia.
Fixed-Schedule Productivity: How I Accomplish a Large Amount of Work in a Small Amount of Hours
Take some advice from a real college pro and get more done in your schedule. Cal Newport has written multiple books on the subject including How to Win at College so he knows his shit.
How to Hack Your College Schedule this Fall
Finding time to workout is not always about being more productive, but doing the right kind of planning as Jamie Stewart from UnCollege explains.
Now that you have the tools to make those workouts happen, get to work!
And if you come up with any other tips, strategies, or resources, leave them in the comments.