Busy Dad Workout Plans That Actually Fit Into Your Schedule

What A Plan Should Include | How Much | NEAT | 5 Minute Workout | 10 Minute HIIT Workout | 20 Minute AMRAP | Kettlebell Workout | 45 Minute Workout | Weekly Plan

Whether you're new to parenthood or a dad of three, finding time to work out can be difficult when you have little ones to look after. But looking after your health and fitness is key to ensuring you're around and able to keep up with your kids when they're running about.

Fortunately, you don't have to spend hours each week working out to improve your health. Read on to discover workouts for busy dads, from 10-minute home workouts to 40-minute gym sessions.

• In addition to health benefits, working out helps dads to keep up with their kids.

• Adults need 75 minutes of vigorous or 150 minutes of moderate activity per week.

• The ideal workout routine should include cardio, strength, and flexibility.

• Increasing your daily movement can help busy dads to stay more active and can be easier to fit in across the day.

• Workouts don't need to be long to be effective - we've shared 5-45 minute workouts that busy dads can do at home or the gym.

Across the week, a good dad workout routine should include the following elements:

Cardiovascular or aerobic activity is any exercise that raises your heart rate and breathing. Cardio strengthens the heart and circulatory system, helps with weight management, and lowers your risk of chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke, and cancers.

Regular cardio also boosts energy and stamina, making it easier for new dads to keep up with their children.

Including strength training in your dad workout plan is important for multiple reasons, including improved muscle strength and mass, better posture, increased bone density, and reduced risk of injury. Like cardio, strength training reduces the risk of chronic diseases.

Regularly strength training keeps you stronger and more capable in everyday life, especially as you age. And it’ll help with lifting and carrying children as they grow, with less chance of pulling a muscle doing so.

Mobility and flexibility training often get neglected, especially if you're short on time already. However, training your mobility helps with injury prevention, muscle tension, and movement quality. Good flexibility can also improve the time you spend with your kids; for example, if you want to be able to sit on the floor to play with your child, you need to have good lower body and back mobility. Although you can include dedicated mobility sessions, spending a few minutes stretching each day and at the end of your workouts can go a long way!

The NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise cross the week, which works out at 10-20 minutes a day depending on intensity level.

If even that seems unachievable, start by adding in just one workout each week and increasing the amount you move each day. You can build this up over time - the important thing is to start.

Workouts aren't the only way to up your activity. NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) refers to the energy you burn outside of exercise, sleeping, and eating, such as cleaning, gardening, and even taking the stairs. It may not sound like a lot but NEAT activity typically burns around 15% of your total calories burnt each day, while physical exercise burns around 5%.

Increasing your NEAT across the day can feel more manageable than dedicating an hour to working out and is a great way for busy dads to reduce the health risks associated with being sedentary. Here are some ways you can do this:

• Move during waiting time. Rather than spend the time waiting for the kettle to boil or for the TV ads to finish on your phone, use this time to walk around, run up and down the stairs, or do some squats. This can easily add up to 10-30 minutes of movement each day.

• Stand up and stroll every 30 minutes. Sitting down all day can wreak havoc on your health. If you work in an office job, set a reminder to stand up and take a short stroll or stretch every 30 minutes.

• Park further away. Swapping your car or train for walking or cycling may not be doable for everyone, but getting off a stop early or parking slightly further away can help you get an extra 15-30 minutes of activity.

• Pace when talking on the phone. Rather than sit down while making phone calls, use this time to walk around and get some extra steps in.

• Stand while working. If you work from home, try switching from sitting to standing for part of the day. Kitchen counter tops and even windowsills can work just as well as a standing desk.

• Get involved in playtime. Joining in when your children are running around playing is a great way to stay active and have fun with your kids at the same time.

Here are some working and new dad friendly workouts you can do, starting from just 5 minutes. Most of these can be done at home with little to no kit, but we’ve included a gym workout too for those who can and want to get out of the house for an hour.

At just 5 minutes long, this is great to do first thing in the morning before you get up the kids or to squeeze in while you wait for the kettle to boil or during an ad break. Keep the intensity high and rest to a minimum.

• 30 seconds jumping jacks

• 30 seconds mountain climbers

• 30 seconds burpees

• 30 seconds squat jumps

• 30 second plank

• Repeat circuit

This is a HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout which alternates between max intensity intervals and rest. HIIT workouts boost aerobic fitness and burn calories in a short amount of time, making them ideal for a new dad workout. Find more HIIT workouts to try here.

Including a short warm up and cool down, this workout takes just 12 minutes. If you have weights at home, you can use these to make the exercises more challenging.

Warm up

• 30 seconds jogging on spot

• 30 seconds jumping jacks

Workout

Do each exercise for 50 seconds followed by 10 seconds rest. Complete the circuit twice.  

• Alternating reverse lunges

• Burpees

• Tuck jumps

• Tricep dips

• Plank shoulder taps

Cool down

• 30 seconds puppy pose

• 30 seconds standing forward fold

20 minutes can be enough to get a good strength training session in if you focus on compound exercises and keep the intensity high.

Warm up

• 30 seconds jumping jacks

• 30 seconds alternating lunges

• 30 seconds plank shoulder taps

Workout

Set your timer for 20 minutes and complete as many rounds of the circuit as possible. Rest if needed, but keep to a minimum. 

• Push ups - 8-10 reps. Swap to incline or knee push ups if needed

• Pike push ups - 8-10 reps. Swap to dolphin push ups if needed

• Inverted rows - 6-10 reps. Use the edge of a table or chair

• Single leg hip thrust - 8-12 reps

• Alternating lunges - 8-12 reps per leg

Cool down

• 30 seconds world's greatest stretch per side

Find more quick strength training home workouts here.

Kettlebells are a great piece of kit for home and gym workouts alike. We recommend using a few different kettlebells so you have a range of weights but you can still get a great workout in with one kettlebell.

Warm up

• 30 seconds jumping jacks

• 30 seconds plank walkouts

• 30 seconds squat jumps

• 30 seconds glute bridges

Workout

For each exercise, do three sets of 6-15 reps depending on the weight of your kettlebell and how many reps you can perform. You should complete your reps when you are close to failure, with just 1-2 reps left in the tank. Take 60-90 seconds rest between sets.

• Goblet squats

• Kettlebell Romanian deadlifts

• Single arm overhead press

• Single arm kettlebell row

• Push ups

Cardio finisher

Do each exercise for 50 seconds followed by 10 seconds rest.

• Kettlebell swings

• Burpees

• Kettlebell swings

• Jump lunges

• Kettlebell swings

Cooldown

• 30 seconds forward fold

• 30 seconds standing chest stretch per side

• 30 seconds cobra

Heading to the gym can be a great way to get some well deserved 'me time', but busy dads don't always have the luxury of longer training sessions. This workout hits all the major muscle groups in 45 minutes and can be repeated 2-3 times or combined with some of the above workouts each week.

Warm up

• 4 minutes cross trainer or incline treadmill

• 60 seconds arm swings

• 30 seconds leg swings per side

Workout

Choose weights that take you close to failure by the time you've completed your reps. Take 60-90 seconds rest between sets.

• Incline barbell bench press - 3 x 8-10

• Lat pulldowns - 3 x 8-10

• Leg press - 3 x 10-12

• Barbell deadlifts - 3 x 8-12

• Renegade rows - 3 x 10-12 per side

Cooldown

• 30 seconds forward fold

• 30 seconds child's pose

• 30 seconds standing chest stretch per side

• 30 seconds standing quad stretch per side

Many of our fitness classes are also just 45 minutes.

Here's an example of how a realistic busy or new dad workout plan that meets activity recommendations might look across the week:

• Monday - 10 minute HIIT workout

• Tuesday - 45 minute gym workout

• Wednesday - 15 minute jog

• Thursday - 5 minute workout

• Friday - 30 minute kettlebell workout

• Saturday - 10 minute workout

• Sunday - 15 minute jog

When it comes to keeping fit as a busy dad, having a few shorter workouts you can alternate between, and a few longer workouts for the days you have the time, can go a long way in keeping you active.

Find more home workout ideas here and here, or find your nearest gym for gym workouts and classes.