All hail the HIIT
I know most gals have a loving relationship with the Precor elliptical machine. Maybe it’s the exaggerated amount of calories it says you burn, maybe it’s the little light bulbs that say which area of your legs you are targeting, or perhaps it’s the small tv screen in front of you allowing you to zone out to Millionaire Matchmaker white attempting to burn off all of the martinis from last night’s happy hour.
Bad news for that relationship. If you really want to burn off some flubber and sculpt your bootie, you have to, and I know it’s hard, break up with your 45 minute elliptical session.
But it’s ok – there is a new and exciting workout to fill the void. It only takes 20 minutes, is a proven fat burner, and will really help tone and tighten your bod if you do it two times a week. It’s called HIIT.
High Intensity Interval training. You work at a super high intensity for 20-30 seconds at a time in between your normal pace, which throws you body into a muscle confused, metabolism boosted frenzy. I am not a trainer nor an expert, so I will just write a simple workout. Try it and thank me later.
- 5 minute warm up: run/slow jog or fast walk
- 20 seconds: sprint or run as fast as you can
- 40 seconds: recover – run/slow jog/fast walk
- repeat the 20 seconds fast/40 seconds recovery time 10 times
- 5 minute cool down: jog/slow jog or fast walk
- total time = 20 minutes
It’s best and most exhilarating to do this workout outdoors anywhere you would typically go for a jog or walk. But if it’s a blizzard or you can’t run, you can do a HIIT workout on any cardio equipment – yes, even an elliptical. Just save the zoning out TV watching for the warm up and cool down.