For the rest of us time-pressed, overworked exercisers, it's hard enough finding any time to exercise, let alone enough time. That's why it's important to make the most of those spare minutes we do take. These few tips can help you eke out more from your next workout to get the results your body deserves.

1. Don't spend any more time between each set than necessary. Creatine phosphate, the fuel that muscles needed to contract for lifting weights, flushes back into the muscles after 60 seconds. After one minute, the muscles you've been working have as much creatine phosphate as they need to move onto the next set, despite what your body may be telling you. Time yourself immediately after you finish each set and make a point to start your next set exactly one minute after the last one.

2. Exercise in between your routine. Instead of waiting until the end of your workout to do abdominal exercises, try slipping a set in between each set of your weight workout. While you're waiting for certain muscles to recoup from lifting weights, you'll be working your midsection. Doubling up not only saves time but transforms your routine into a circuit program that raises your heart rate and burns additional calories.

3. Flex when you can. When you can't hit the weight room because of time, try a few isometric moves. Pushing and pulling against an immovable object can tone and strengthen muscles almost as effectively as weight training. Find a sturdy wall or even the sides of your desk and gently push or pull against them, increasing your effort slowly (to make sure the object remains in place as you go) until you're exerting all your effort. Hold this position for 8 to 10 seconds; then rest and repeat the move three more times.

For example, place your hands flat underneath the top of your desk and gently press upward. Your biceps should be contracting to compensate, as if you were doing a biceps curl.

4. Run the rack once in a while. This exercise technique looks like it takes a lot of time, but it actually lets you shave time by pushing your muscles through a fast-paced workout. All you need is a full rack of dumbbells of all different sizes (found in any gym).

For example, if you were doing dumbbell presses, you would start with a light weight in each hand (about 50 percent of what you usually press for 10 repetitions). Don't worry if the weights feel too light; you'll feel the exercise as you go along. Press the weights over your head 6 times; then quickly grab the next highest weight on the rack. Press the weights over your head for another 6 reps, grab the next highest weight and continue pressing and raising the weights until you can barely do 6 reps.

Once you reach this point, reverse the exercise by grabbing the next lightest weight and performing as many reps as you can. Continue to move down the rack to the next lightest weight, doing as many reps as you can until you're left holding the lightest set of dumbbells in the gym (1 to 2 pounds).

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