Time. It’s the one thing we all wish we had more of, right? Carving out an hour for the gym is tough between work, family, and life throwing its usual curveballs. But here’s the good news: you don’t always need one-hour workouts to get results. A focused 15-minute workout will help build strength and endurance, but only if you bring the heat.
Enter the 15-minute triset workout. This efficient approach is perfect when life gets busy, but your goals remain unchanged. Whether short on time, equipment, or motivation, this workout has you covered.
Let’s cut through the excuses and get to it—because 15 minutes is all you need to move the needle. Ready? Let’s get after it.
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Table of Contents
Why Trisets are Effective
When time is short, you need training that doesn’t waste a second—and that’s what a triset delivers. A triset is a series of three exercises performed back-to-back with little to no rest in between. It’s an excellent approach for getting stronger, building muscular endurance, and breaking a sweat.
Here’s why it works so well:
Efficiency: Combining three moves into a continuous circuit maximizes every minute of your workout.
Intensity: The nonstop nature of trisets keeps your heart rate up, giving you the double benefit of strength and conditioning in one workout.
Muscle Growth: Trisets create a deep level of fatigue that stimulates muscle growth and strength development. Pushing your muscles to their limits will help you see results in half the time or less.
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Higher Reps Work Too
Eight to twelve reps are not the be-all and end-all regarding muscle growth because muscle is built in varying rep ranges. Yes, you can build muscle by performing 15 reps and above. What does that mean for you? You can unlock gains you didn’t know you were missing, and here’s how.
Endurance
High-rep training pushes your muscles to sustain effort over extended periods, which is excellent for endurance and a game-changer for flex time. Plus, the mental grit you build by pushing through those extra reps carries over to all areas in and out of the gym.
Increased Time Under Tension
More reps mean your muscles are under more time under tension because prolonged tension is one of the keys to muscle growth. By keeping your muscles working longer, you’re building size and strengthening your connective tissues. Strong tendons and ligaments mean a more resilient body and the ability to do fun stuff longer.
Motor Control
High-rep sets allow you to refine your form and lock in efficient movement patterns. The more you practice a movement, the better you get at it. When your form improves, especially when you’re fatigued, so does your ability to lift heavier and train harder with a reduced injury risk.
Strength and Endurance Warmup
Take two minutes to rev up the engine by spending 30 seconds on each move. It will get your blood flowing and prepare your body for the intensity ahead:
Warm-Up
- High Knees or Jump Rope: Get your heart rate up and wake up those legs.
- Prying Bodyweight Squat: Loosen your hips and inner thighs.
- Yoga Push-Up: Train your chest, triceps, shoulders, and core with this hybrid exercise.
- Side Plank (15 seconds per side): Activate your obliques and shoulders.
15-Minute Strength and Endurance Workout
Here’s what you have been waiting for: the good stuff. Perform 15 reps of each exercise, resting little between exercises and trisets, and do as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes. But don’t be a hero; if you need more rest, take it because quality over quantity always rules.
1A. Dumbbell Kang Squat (can be performed with bodyweight or a barbell)
1B. Push Up Plus (can be performed on an incline if you’re unable to hit 15 reps at any time)
1C. Unilateral Dumbbell Row Variation: 15 reps per side
Cool-Down
Cooling down is vital to recovery and preventing post-workout soreness. It helps slow your heart rate and breathing and enhances flexibility. After crushing your 15-minute triset workout, take a few minutes to wind down by doing the four exercises below.
Cat-Cow Stretch (30 seconds): The Cat Cow stretches the muscles around your spine after all those rows and Kang squats.
Child’s Pose (30 seconds): This stretch relieves tension in your lower back, hips, and shoulders.
Standing Hamstring Stretch (30 seconds per leg): After the Kang squats, your hamstrings will thank you for this stretch.
Standing Chest Stretch (30 seconds): Opens the chest muscles after all those push-ups.
Now, wasn’t that fun?
