For the time poor, it's all about quality rather than quantity when it comes to an exercise routine. Sydney personal trainer Scott Rose from Regenesis Health & Fitness explains how to make the most of workouts.

Finding time is a major barrier to improving body shape through exercise. Workouts are squeezed into lunch breaks, early mornings or late evenings, and people often feel these short routines are rushed and inadequate.

For the healthy, experienced exerciser, consider these facts. In recent years studies have shown intensity, not duration, to be the major dynamic in workout success. High intensity cardio can affect comparable, if not better physical responses than low-moderate intensity, in terms of increases in metabolism and growth hormone, 2 vital elements for changing body composition. 20 minutes of high intensity interval cardio increases aerobic capacity (VO2max), maintains lean muscle mass, boosts metabolism during and after exercise, and burns more energy than 30-45 minutes of low intensity cardio.

Longer low intensity cardio can actually be counterproductive for fitter individuals because it can burn up muscle. It can be boring, time consuming and do little for aerobic capacity.

Similarly in resistance and weight training, research has shown that fewer, high intensity sets are all that is necessary for adaptations. For general conditioning and strength gains one high quality set can provide as much benefit as multiple sets. More sets may elicit slightly greater strength gains but these additional improvements are minor.

So, a quick workout can be a good one. With 30minutes, 2-3 times per week, results are definitely achievable. High intensities however, are not for everyone. For beginners, or those with certain health issues, this style of training may be unsuitable. Yet, in this scenario short workouts are still valuable. Good exercise is a learned skill. Any time spent practicing it can contribute to success in the long term. Also, fitness levels can be maintained with 1-2 workouts per week for around 3 weeks, so if lack of room in the day is temporary, brief bouts can prevent "detraining" until normal routine is resumed. Circuit style workouts are great, for most levels of fitness.

Ultimately if hard training is not feasible, getting in shape will require longer, more frequent sessions. 30 minutes is really the minimum for lower intensity training, even when just getting healthy. As a fitness trainer, a common error I see is people literally just going though the motions. Professional assessment will ensure you get the facts about intensity, and are moving at a level which is close to your limits, yet safe - maximizing your time.

Common sense planning such as choosing a gym that requires minimal travel is also helpful. Knowing how to conduct a quality, streamlined workout is essential for the time challenged. For the healthy habit of exercise, something is always better than nothing, within reason.

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