The 80/20 Rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, states that 20% of your effort in anything you do will produce 80% of the results.

Named after Vinfredo Pareto, an Italian economist from the 19th Century, this rule can be applied to almost anything from business, to productiveness and even to achievements and happiness.

A couple of examples:

— 20% of customers in a business will generate 80% of the profits
— 20% of the people on a work team will produce 80% of the results
— You use 20% of the stuff of in your house 80% of the time, and vice versa

The rule ALSO applies to your training program.  20% of the efforts you put in produce 80% of the results.

A perfect example comes from my Barbell / Kettlebell Hybrid Training program. The first pairing of movements in workout A is:

— Barbell deadlifts
— KB overhead presses

Four hard sets pushed to the limit with these two exercise, and you’re 80% of the way there. You hit all of your major muscle groups … get stronger … get your heart rate up / a little “cardio” if you keep the rest periods down … work the heck out of your “core” … and a lot more … JUST with these two exercises.

Now, if you have a little more time, it’s a good idea to do the rest of the workout. I’m not saying to shorten your workouts, starting today, for the rest of your training career, by 80% 🙂

BUT … my point is, even if you only got 15 or 20 minutes to work out … you CAN get a great training session, if you focus on the “critical” 20%:

— Be consistent, don’t miss workouts
— Pick exercises that give you a lot of “bang for your buck”, and work a lot of muscle groups all at once – like basic kettlebell, barbell, and body weight movements
— Train with intensity
— Bring a positive attitude

Forest Vance, MS, RKC II
ForestVance.com

PS – If you haven’t already … last chance to grab my Barbell / Kettlebell Hybrid Training program for less than 10 bux – click HERE to get it now!