My week has been hectic and filled with interviews for personal trainer position. To ensure that I get to my interviews on time and still keep up with my triathlon training, I have been trying the Power of 10 workout that only requires 20 minutes in the weight room…according to Adam Zickerman, a trainer who developed the exercise program.

The key to Power of 10 is to do every repetition 10 seconds, 5 seconds on both concentric and eccentric contraction phase regardless of the exercise that you are doing. The purpose of Power of 10 is to “fire” up every single muscle fiber and build strength and endurance simultaneously. Adam suggests doing 6 to 8 repetitions for every exercise that you choose and thus spend up to a minute for each exercise. Also, Adam recommends doing 6 to 8 exercise per session and leaving about 10 to 12 minutes at the end for stretching.

My workout is below:

Weight Training

• Bar-bell Bench Press: 65 lbs. x 6
• Leg Press: 90 lbs. x 6
• Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 25 lb. x 6
• Machine Back Row: 80 lbs. x 6
• Pull-ups: 1 x 10
• Front Dips: 1 x 20

Cardio Training: Swimming for 45 minutes

I was exhausted by the end of my first Power of 10. Adam suggests doing this workout only once a week while no cardiovascular exercise is necessary. I personally don’t recommend following his opinion on this matter. According to American Council on Exercise standard, a person should engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise in order to stay healthy and fit. To beat your crazy schedule, I recommend doing Power of 10 twice a week with two to three times of endurance training implemented.