[Athena]

A great way to shed some fat without increasing the amount of time you spend in the gym is to try interval training. This type of exercise can be done with weights OR during cardio. This example looks at cardio.

During your cardio, for example, let say you spend 30 minutes jogging at 5.0 MPH on the treadmill. Suddenly, you hit a plateau. Try this:

Do your typical warm-up, such as a 5-minute walk at 2.5 MPH. Then go to your usual 5.0 MPH jog for another 5 minutes. For the next 16.5 minutes (15 minutes + three 30-second intervals), greatly increase the intensity every 5 minutes for 30 seconds. Look at the following example:

Minutes -- Exercise
0:00 - 5:00 -- warm-up
5:00 - 10:00 -- 5.0 MPH jog
10:00 - 10:30 -- RUN at 7.0 MPH
10:30-15:30 -- jog at 5 MPH
15:30-16:00 -- RUN at 7.5 or 8.0 MPH
16:00-21:00 -- jog at 5.0 MPH
21:00 - 21:30 -- RUN at 7.0 MPH
21:30 - 30:00 -- Jog at 5 MPH

*You should always cool down for 2 to 5 minutes after such an intense workout.
*Beginners should start with no more than 3 intervals per 30-minute session.
*Beginners should also keep the intense session short (30 sec.) and gradually build to up to 2 minutes (over the course of several weeks).
*If you are unable to run (like me...got a bum knee), try doing this workout but increasing the incline of the treadmill, or the resistance/incline/speed on the elliptical trainer, or the resistance of a bike.

Interval training can be applied to nearly any cardiovascular workout. Having variety in your workout isn't about knowing every exercise there is, it's about being creative and thinking about how you want to mover certain muscles.