When working with clients, I always try to balance my tough-love approach with happy news. And some of the happiest news I deliver is this: You can cut your cardio down to only twenty minutes.
With your workouts, it’s not how long, but how strong. You can actually expend more calories in less time by doing shorter, harder cardio workouts. You’ll not only burn calories but also boost your metabolic rate, so your body continues burning extra calories for up to several hours after your workout is over. Twenty minutes is all you need to make this happen.
Here’s more good news: For the next two weeks, twenty minutes is the maximum time you need to spend on cardio—no resistance training yet, just cardio performed only five times a week. Within those twenty minutes, you’ll do short bursts at full effort. This is called interval intensity training. The goal is to prep your body for fat burning by recharging your metabolism and boosting your calorie burn. In these two weeks, you’ll notice a loss of weight, better muscle tone (and higher metabolism), and more energy. Just because it’s short, don’t think this program is going to be easy. Interval intensity training makes you sweat your butt off, literally.
I believe that everyone has at least twenty minutes they can devote to themselves most days of the week. In fact, not only does twenty minutes make sense if you’re crunched for time, but current research shows it’s plenty of time to burn fat, especially if you exercise in intervals with intensity.
Also, this program works effectively if you’re very out of shape or if you’re in decent shape but want to take your workouts to a higher level. So start getting excited about this new two-week routine. There’s really no excuse not to do it!
My two-week cardio program uses the fat-burning muscle groups of the body: glutes (butt), hamstrings, and quadriceps. Typical cardio exercises include: walking, jogging, running, indoor cycling, swimming, or using cardio machines.
Cardio activity is important for several reasons. First, it’s a fat burner. Aerobic exercise burns fat by increasing your body’s fat-burning enzymes. These enzymes help your body burn more calories at rest. Aerobic exercise also improves oxygen delivery. More oxygen can get to your muscles, where it breaks down carbohydrates and fat into the fuel your body needs to move. When oxygen is present, more fat is burned.
Second, aerobic exercise strengthens your heart and lungs. Your heart pumps more blood with less effort and delivers more oxygen more efficiently. Your lung capacity is increased, allowing you to breathe in more oxygen. When you work out aerobically on a regular basis, any sluggish or out-of-breath feelings from exercise will eventually disappear. Putting the right amount of good stress on your heart and lungs through cardio exercises is imperative to keeping these organs strong and healthy.
Third, aerobic exercise has almost magical effects on your hormonal balance. It increases growth hormone, for example, and this really stimulates fat burning. Exercise moves glucose into muscle cells. This means your body doesn’t have to use as much insulin. Less insulin decreases your chances of getting fat. Exercise also rebalances estrogen production, and increases progesterone levels.
Testosterone is affected, too. Workouts break down muscle protein. Your body responds by secreting more testosterone. Testosterone helps repair and rebuild muscle. The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism.
In addition, exercise flushes out stress hormones from your body and elevates levels of feel-good endorphins. Endorphins are emotional tranquilizers that reduce stress and anxiety. When these brain chemicals are turned on consistently and in high doses, they addict you to working out. After a proper workout, you should feel a high that lasts throughout your day and affects all your personal connections with people. I am walking proof of someone who needs an endorphin high and relies on it to get through life. Exercise is a powerful cure to a sometimes sick and stressful environment. Do it right and you’ll learn to crave exercise as much as you used to crave junk food. So along with diet, exercise is ideal for keeping your hormones and chemistry in balance.
Let me define for you what my kind of workout means: exercising with intensity and consistency. Intensity is pushing yourself hard for shorter periods of time. The greater the intensity, the greater the fat burn.
Have you ever noticed the same women at the gym on those cardio machines for hours, yet they never lose a pound? That’s because their bodies are no longer responding to the same old movement. What they’re doing—long, slow cardio—is the least effective and most boring way to burn calories. They’re not working out with enough intensity.
Most people just press the buttons on a piece of cardio equipment and do the time. If I see one more person doing their cardio while reading a magazine, I’ll scream! That’s a waste of time and does nothing for your body. Remember, it’s not how long, but how strong you work out that counts.
I realize that some of you haven’t ever really pushed yourself with cardio. There are many reasons for this. One big reason is that you probably associate the burning feeling of exercise with pain, sweat, and manual labor. It’s tough to put yourself through those things voluntarily. To get over this and work out with greater intensity, you’ve got to break that association. Love the burn and love the sweat; don’t run from them! Start equating them with results. They mean you’re sculpting a sleek, slender body. Your body is changing for the better.
One more thing while I’m on the subject: You measure intensity by the burn and the sweat, too—not by heart rate. Unless you have heart problems, take off that heart monitor and ignore everything you’ve learned about staying in the heart rate range of 65 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. The more your muscles burn and the more you are drenched in sweat, the more intense your workout—and the more fat you’re burning.
What also counts is consistency—sticking with it. If you slack off, you won’t get results. The enemy of consistency is boredom. Let’s face it: Most people dread cardio work if they think they have to hop on a machine for an hour after work. After a while, they’ll start hating it, and they’ll stop doing it. That’s just human nature. My twenty-minute cardio program is definitely not boring. You’ll be doing short cardio stints in which you’re constantly changing things up.
Another reason people aren’t consistent is that they don’t see results fast enough. That won’t happen here. After years of putting my clients on this program, I’ve been able to change their bodies in one week. That gets them hooked and excited about their future weight loss and tone. Not only do they drop weight, they also stick with the program. The same thing will happen to you.
To burn fat and speed up your metabolism, put maximum effort into your workout and stick with it. Each of the following programs is progressive and uses intervals, which are key to fat burning. You’ll start at a certain level of intensity, and I’ll show you how to increase it. You’ll be amazed by the progress you make each day you work out like this. These programs train your body to go longer at higher levels of effort and work at a higher percentage of your aerobic capacity. That burns more calories, helps you lose weight, and improves your overall health. Most importantly, you are prepping your body for the resistance routine to come.
You’ll do five 20-minute cardio workouts each week. Follow my guidelines for each example. Remember: The harder and faster you go, the more fat you’ll burn.
As for which machine or program to follow, the best one for you is the one that you like and are most apt to use. You’ve got to enjoy your activity. Choose one of the following machines and stick with only that machine for the two-week cardio prep. After that time, you can use different machines, but be sure to keep it intense.
Treadmills can be found in most gyms, or you can buy a used one at a reasonable price for home use if you want your own. Make sure to buy a brand that will go to a 15 percent incline. The treadmill is a terrific cardio tool for getting rid of unwanted body fat, improving your overall health, and strengthening your legs. Walking on an incline is great for toning your thighs, butt, core, and back, as well as for increasing metabolism. For maximum fat burning, don’t touch the supports, pump your arms, and always have your chest out, shoulders back, and eyes forward.
Also, always keep your body tight and pretend that you are made of steel like the Terminator. Never loosen your joints or slap down your feet. Remain springy in your step. This will greatly increase the positive effect and it will prevent injuries. Here’s what to do, step by step:
* Perform four 5-minute intervals.
* Start by raising ramp all the way up to 15.
* Keep your speed anywhere from 3.0 to 4.0, depending on your athletic ability and height. If you haven’t worked out much, start at 3.0. Taller women (over five foot seven), who tend to have a longer stride, can begin in the upper range of 4.0. Walk at your speed for 2 minutes.
* Then lower the ramp to 1.0 and jog for 2 minutes at a speed of 4.5 to 6.5, depending on your height and ability.
* Lower your speed and your ramp to 3.5 or to comfortable walking speed for 1 minute.
* Repeat this interval 3 more times to equal a total of 20 minutes.
* Every other day of the cardio routine, try to increase your speed on both the uphill portion and the flat run. I started walking at 3.8 and running at 6.0, for example. I now walk at 4.5 and run at 8.0. As your body adapts, your goal should be speed, not time.
Elliptical trainers are a cross between stair-steppers and treadmills. The smooth motion of an elliptical means less impact on the lower body (which is important for people with joint problems) because your foot never leaves the pedal. If used correctly, elliptical trainers are super calorie burners. Make sure not to relax your joints or muscles while pedaling. As with any machine, don’t lean on it. Keep your body upright with your hands lightly touching the machine. Leaning heavily on the handlebars only decreases how hard your legs must work, and you won’t get a good calorie burn. Here’s what to do, step by step:
* Perform four 5-minute intervals.
* Lower the cross ramp between 1 and 5. Keep your resistance at a pace that allows you to pedal fast and hard. Try to keep it above 170 strides per minute. Do this for 2 minutes.
* For the next 2 minutes, raise the cross ramp as high as it will go, increasing your resistance so that you are struggling to move your legs against it.
* For 1 minute, lower the ramp to between 1 and 5 and decrease your resistance so you can pedal at a comfortable pace.
* Repeat this interval 3 more times to equal a total of 20 minutes.
Each day that you do the cardio program, try to up your intensity, increasing the resistance on the flat ramp and pedaling faster.
A stair-climber is one of the best forms of cardio. I never sweat so much as I do on the stair-climber. I especially love how it targets my butt and lifts it, as well as shapes my calves, so if your gym has one of these, use it. The way to get intensity with this machine is by increasing speed, skipping steps, or walking sideways. Here’s what to do:
* Perform two 10-minute segments.
* Start off at a reasonable speed, such as 70 steps per minute. For the first 4 minutes, take each step, one by one. Try not to hold on to the side rail.
* For the next 4 minutes, skip a step. Really focus on your butt and the backs of your legs. Try to push off with your heel, not your toes. Keep your back straight, chest out, and shoulders back. You can lightly touch handrails for balance.
* Step for 1 minute at a slower speed, such as 60 steps per minute.
* Repeat this interval 1 more time.
In week 2 of your stair-stepping program, increase your speed. For example:
* Perform two 10-minute intervals.
* Start off at a reasonable speed, such as 90 steps per minute. For the first 4 minutes, take each step one by one. Try not to hold on to the side rail.
* For the next 4 minutes at 90 steps a minute, skip a step.
* Step for 1 minute at 70 steps per minute.
* Repeat this interval 1 more time.
If you don’t have access to any gym equipment, I suggest you start an outdoor walk/run program. Find a neighborhood that has some hills and wear a watch to time yourself. Invest in a pedometer to track your progress and increase each day. As with the treadmill, keep your body tight and do not slap down your feet. Run with a spring in your step, look forward, and keep your chest out and shoulders back. Walking and running outdoors is not only a beautiful experience, but also challenges your leg muscles and your cardiovascular system, making it a significant calorie burner and leg toner. Going up and down inclines is hard work, and unpaved trails and steep grades also engage your core muscles as you negotiate uneven ground. Here’s what to do:
* Perform four 5-minute intervals.
* For 2 minutes, walk/lunge at a fast pace, bringing each knee close to the ground and taking deep, wide steps.
* For the next 2 minutes, jog as fast as you can without stopping.
* For 1 minute, walk casually.
* Repeat this interval 3 more times to equal 20 minutes.
* In week 2, try to increase your walking and jogging pace. Another way to increase your intensity is to vary your location by finding a hilly trail to run on.
Stationary bikes are very popular, but are rarely used intensely. Riding a stationary bike works your lower body and core. As with the elliptical trainer, you can increase resistance, thereby increasing muscle tone. Here’s what to do:
* Perform four 5-minute intervals.
* For 2 minutes, pedal at a resistance that feels challenging (usually about 30 percent of maximum) but still lets you go at a very fast pace. Keep your muscles tight and engage your core.
* For the next 2 minutes, increase your resistance to about 70 percent of maximum and stand up on your bike. Pedal hard on this interval. By “hard,” I mean you should feel like you’re pedaling through mud. This action will really work your core, too.
* For 1 minute, pedal at a comfortable pace at a resistance that is about 50 percent of maximum.
* Repeat this interval 3 more times for a total of 20 minutes. Keep your shoulders down and back, and don’t hunch over the handlebars.
In week 2, increase your resistance. For example:
* Perform four 5-minute intervals.
* For 2 minutes, pedal fast at a 40 percent resistance.
* For the next 2 minutes, increase your resistance to about 80 percent of maximum and stand up on your bike. Pedal hard on this interval, like you’re pedaling through mud.
* For 1 minute, pedal at a comfortable pace and a resistance that’s about 50 percent of maximum.
* Repeat these intervals 3 more times for a total of 20 minutes, using good form.
In time, you can change the program up by switching the order. On some days, stand out of your seat and pedal fast for 2 minutes, then sit in the seat and increase resistance for 2 minutes.
Swimming is often considered the best all-around exercise. The rhythmic movements involved in pounding through the water work all your major muscle groups, as well as the heart and lungs. Swimming is excellent for building muscle strength and endurance and is easy on the joints, which is why it’s often recommended for those suffering from back or mobility problems. Also, swimming is especially good for conditioning the muscles of the upper body because of the effort needed to propel the body through the water. Therefore, it’s a great choice if you want to develop your chest and abdominal muscles while improving your aerobic capacity.
An intense twenty-minute cardio swim is easy to organize. Here’s how:
* Perform four 5-minute intervals.
* For the first 4 minutes, swim at a brisk, consistent pace.
* For 1 minute, swim at a slower pace.
* Repeat the interval 3 more times for a total of 20 minutes.
* To fight possible boredom, change your stroke every 4-minute interval.
Do my two-week twenty-minute cardio routine during the same two weeks you’re adding food in. Both programs prep your body for the workout to come. You’ll start losing weight and toning your body with both two-week programs. Plus, you’ll feel so much stronger and ready to take it to the next level after these two weeks.
That’s when you’ll add resistance training to the mix, but not your ordinary weight-lifting moves. I’ve created and tested countless moves, with one objective in mind: to help you get your fittest, sexiest body ever. Most of these moves use nothing but your own body weight or a set of dumbbells—which means you can do them anywhere, anytime. They’re mostly exercises you’ve never done before, and I know you’ll actually enjoy them once you get started. But best of all, they’ll shape and tighten your body, develop body-slimming muscle tissue, and give you a firmer, more defined look. Let’s get started.