Question: (Paraphrasing a conversation with a client) My schedule is going to be crazy the next 6 weeks with Thanksgiving, Christmas and my 3 kids all having birthdays in the first 15 days of December. I want to get my days in but can we get a few half hour sessions in there when time is tight?

 First, I feel for anyone who has 3 young kids who all have a birthday within the first 15 days of an already crazy month.

 Second, hell yes we can get in some half hour sessions. In fact, some of my best workouts have been on days where time is short and quality work is vital!

 Get focused. There is no time for chit-chat, texting, tweeting, instagraming or swiping right (left? I don’t know). You need to approach every set and every rep with a sharp focus on quality.

 Focus on your main goal. Assuming you only need to use these short sessions during the holidays when time is tight, cutting out secondary goals for a short while will not set you back.

 If your goal is strength, perform your main lift as planned and then get in 2 or 3 sets of muscle building accessory work and call it a day.

 If your goal is to build those glutes, try to get in a total of 15 stimulating reps of hip thrusts. Pick a weight that allows you to perform 8 to 12 total reps and GO! Take all 3 sets to failure with about a minute and a half rest in between each set. Push yourself until you feel your form start to deteriorate. Add in 2 sets of burn out band abduction work to finish the session.

 If you just want to get burn up some calories, put together a total body circuit and perform 3 sets of 8-12 reps of each. Pick a lower body squat variation, a lower body hinge variation, an upper body push, an upper body pull and a core exercise. Give yourself a minute or so of rest in between each exercise. Finish 3 or 4 rounds and get the hell out of there.

 Sometimes a half hour session can be more intense than a full hour. When you have no choice but to attack every set with focus, the results might impress you! Ho-Ho-HO