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Tight for time? Follow our five-day plan for strength, stamina and muscle growth

At some point in time ‘about an hour’ seems to have become locked into our collective consciousness as the de-facto length of an effective workout. Far from being cast in stone, what you do in a workout is often far more important than how long you workout for.

If you’ve been put off from striving to achieve your fitness goals by the idea of sacrificing 6-7 hours each week to the God of Gains, our five-day plan offers up the perfect solution. Clocking in at under two hours per week including warm-ups, each 20-minute session alternates between building strong, functional muscle, boosting your metabolism and sky-rocketing your fitness levels.

Stick to the plan for six weeks, pushing hard and aiming to eek out improvements in your performance from session to session, and there’s no doubt that you’ll see huge changes in your body.

Your three-day weights plan (days one, three and five) requires just two dumbbells and your bodyweight. Simply warm-up and work your way through the three move, full-body circuit as many times as possible in twenty minutes. Keep a track of the total reps you manage to perform before the buzzer sounds and aim to beat your ‘score’ when you repeat the same session the following week.

On your conditioning days (days two and four) pick a ‘cardio’ modality or movement such as running, riding a stationary bike or air bike, rowing, skipping or even burpees, set yourself a running clock and perform a 30-second sprint followed by 30 seconds of slow paced work or complete rest. Repeat in this fashion for 20 minutes. Make a note of your total distance, calories or reps. Again, aim to beat your ‘score’ when you repeat the same session the following week.

Feel free to alternate between movements from session to session, but remember to repeat sessions regularly to track your progress.

Lay flat on a bench or the floor, your knees bent, pushing your feet into the floor. Press a pair of dumbbells into the air, locking out your elbows (A). Lower the bells slowly until they touch your chest (B) keep your elbows at 45-degree angle, and pause here before explosively pressing back up. Repeat.

After your presses keep your dumbbells in hand and stand tall. Hinge at the hips until your chest is parallel to the floor, dumbbells hanging at your shins (A). Maintaining a flat back, row both dumbbells towards your torso (B), squeeze your shoulder blades together and lower under control to the start position before repeating. Control the bells and avoid moving your torso and using momentum to help.

Finish by dropping one of your bells and holding the other close to your chest (A). Sink your hips back and descend into a squat (B). Your elbows should come in between your knees at the bottom. Drive back up, tensing your glutes at the top. Repeat. Push yourself through these, you can probably do more than you think without stopping.

Whichever means you choose, aim to push yourself in each 30-second sprint as hard as possible, and use the 30 second recovery window to control your breathing and lower your heart rate. Your pace may drop off towards the end, but keep pushing the intensity.

Whether you run, ride or row, try to repeat at least one session from week to week in order to track your progress and strive for improvements.

Grab a pull-up bar with your palms facing your body. Lift your feet off the floor and hang freely with straight arms (A). Pull yourself up by flexing your elbows, pinching your shoulders together. When your chin passes the bar, pause (B) before lowering to the starting position. Keep your core tight and try not to swing too much.

Clean your dumbbells onto your shoulders, palms facing in. Take a breath and brace your core. (A) Dip at the knees and use your legs to help (B) press your dumbbells overhead. Pause at the top before lowering under strict control to your shoulders over 2-3 seconds.

With your dumbbells on the floor just outside your feet, hinge down and grip them with a flat back and neutral spine (A). Engage your lats and stand upright, pushing the ground away with your feet and squeezing your glutes at the top (B). Avoid bending at the arms, think of them as ‘hooks’. Keep your chest up and back flat throughout.

Whichever means you choose, aim to push each 30 second sprint to as hard as possible, using the 30 second recovery window to control your breathing and lower your heart rate. Your pace may drop off towards the end, but keep pushing the intensity.

Whether you run, ride or row- try to repeat at least one session from week to week in order to track your progress and strive for improvements.

Drop into a strong plank position with both hands on your dumbbells (A). Shifting your weight onto your left hand, row the right dumbbell towards your hip (B). Pause briefly, then lower the weight under control. Perform 5 reps on your left side, before repeating with your right.

Remain in your plank position, with your core tight and hands on your dumbbells (A), bend your elbows to bring your chest to the floor (B). Keep your elbows close to your body as you push back up explosively.

Stand tall after your final press-up. Hold your dumbbells with straight arms by your sides (A). Keeping your chest up at all times, take a step backward with one leg, bending your front knee until the back knee touches the ground (B). Stand up explosively, pause and repeat with the other leg. Complete 20 total reps.