Changing up your normal cardio routine can significantly help burn more fat and calories during your workout. Whether you walk, jog, use the elliptical, or bike, mix in one or all of these cardio changeups and see the results.
Intensity Change up:
Changing the intensity every minute or two can give the heart a great workout. Use a stopwatch or make a special playlist on your MP3 Player. After a 5 minute warm up, quicken your pace for 1-2 minutes (or the length of one song). The next 1-2 minutes (or the next song on your playlist) bring your pace way down to catch your breath. Alternate this pace throughout your entire cardio workout with 30 minutes as your starting goal.
Pyramid:
This type of workout is great for a treadmill or an elliptical. You can do it outside as well, but it can be more difficult to monitor. Start with your warm up. Every minute, increase your speed for five straight minutes, and then decrease for five minutes. After 10 minutes, start again from your original pace.
Incline & Resistance Master:
Pick your favorite cardio machine (treadmill, elliptical, or bike) and get ready to use the incline or resistance. Start with a 10 minute warm up with 0 incline. Give yourself a moderate pace that you will continue for the next 20 minutes. Each minute, increase the incline by .5 until you reach 10. Cool down for the last 10 minutes with the incline back to 0. Remember a moderate pace will be the success of finishing this workout.
