I think we can all agree on one thing, cardio is a pain! HIIT workouts are my favorite when it comes to having to do cardio. For those of you that don't know much about High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT); you are basically burning a ton of calories in a short amount of time. Typically a HIIT workout will range from 10 to 30 minutes in duration. These workouts keep your metabolic rate high for hours after exercising, cool right? You're losing fat, gaining muscle, and improving your oxygen consumption with HIIT workouts.
This is one of my favorite HIIT cardio workout to do! It involves the stairmaster and treadmill.
STAIRMASTER: 2 minutes walking, 2 minutes with weight, 1 minute run (x4)
TREADMILL: 5 minutes uphill walk (can add weight), 5 minutes run
It goes by fast and has so many benefits that will do you wonders. The stairmaster requires climbing and pushing resistance which makes for a great lower body workout. While burning fat on your calves, glutes, quads, and hamstrings you are building strength and lean muscle mass at the same time. You are toning and sculpting your lower body while getting a cardio workout in at the same time. Running or walking on the treadmill is easier than walking/running outdoors. However, you can burn lots of calories and shred fat (lose weight) when combined with a healthy diet.
This workout may seem intimidating if HIIT is new to you, but remember that it was new to everyone at some point and we all live and learn.
Hopefully this workout will help you get through your cardio without dreading it so much. Let me know how it works out for you, or if you have done HIIT workouts before and how have they worked for you in the past?
