(BlackDoctor.org) -- As men, we don’t always run to the gym every time we feel the urge for fitness. We stay reasonably fit with weekly basketball games, some lunchtime runs or bike rides, and lifting in the company gym when we can. Most of us are regular guys who get home too late to even think about hitting the gym.I’ve asked some of the guys I know how they reconcile work and working out. Turns out everyone had an excuse, including long work hours, longer commutes, family commitments, and 467 irresistible cable channels. When that didn’t work, I grilled exercise, nutrition, and weight-loss experts for their fat-melting tips, none of that hide-the-remote-so-you're-forced-to-get-up-to-change-the-channel stuff. The result: fast and easy solutions to the real-world weight-loss problems most men battle.
No Time for Exercise
The 10-minute fix: Develop a backup workout. When your gym time is unexpectedly cut to about 10 minutes, try 100s -- rack up 100 repetitions of each of three exercises by doing one move after another without rest. Do as many repetitions on the lat-pull-down machine as you can (using about 70 percent of your maximum), then doing pushups until your form breaks. Next, do as many crunches as you can. Repeat the trio until you've completed 100 reps of each exercise.
The 15-minute fix: Invest in TiVo. Skipping commercials will save the average TV viewer enough time to squeeze in 15 minutes of strength training three times a week.
The 20-minute fix: Go hands-free. You know the rails on elliptical machines and treadmills? Ignore them. Leaning on the rails removes a percentage of your weight from the workout, causing you to burn up to 30 percent fewer calories. Propping yourself up means the smaller stabilizing muscles don't need to do their job of maintaining balance, which burns additional calories.
The 25-minute fix: Mix cardio with weights. If you have under 30 minutes, the key is to keep moving. Try doing two resistance exercises back-to-back, followed immediately by 60 seconds of intense cardio, such as running on a treadmill that's set at a high incline, hitting a heavy bag, or jumping rope. Rest no more than 30 seconds, and then do another set of resistance exercises and cardio. And don't forget proper form throughout the set. Here's a sample routine:
Dumbbell squat-press (12 to 15 repetitions)
Swiss-ball crunch (15 to 20 repetitions)
VersaClimber (60 seconds)
Rest 15 to 30 seconds.
Pullup (10 to 15 repetitions)
Pushup (10 to 15 repetitions)
Jump rope (60 seconds)
Repeat each exercise set three times.
The 30-minute fix: Take a stroller. Buy a jogging stroller and put a kid in it. Congratulations -- you now have an exercise device that helps burn more calories than running. Texas A&M University researchers studied a group of people running at the same intensity for 30 minutes with and without a stroller. When the group ran while pushing a stroller (which held a 25-pound weight plate), their heart rates were 10 beats per minute higher than when they ran stroller-free. Bonus: You'll score points with your wife by taking the toddler out of her hair. She'll thank you later.