During your next workout, draw maximum benefit from minimum time investment with this fast-paced bodyweight cardio routine.
It’s simple, but effective: you’ll perform an exercise for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, and then perform another move for 20 seconds. You’ll repeat this process for 20 minutes straight.
“You’re cramming a ton of work into a short amount of time with minimal rest, which increases the intensity and burns a ton of calories in the process, ” says BJ Gaddour.
It gets your heart rate up and keeps it there for an intense, steady burn while you build strength. In fact, researchers have found that training like this burns roughly 30 per cent more calories per minute than running on a treadmill.
And since you’re alternating between two body-weight exercises that work opposing muscle groups, you won’t fatigue as quickly as you would if you were working the same muscles the entire time, says Gaddour. (For instance, skier swings to hammer your hips and lower body and a plank to hit your abs.) That means you can go harder and faster for longer.
In order to give you an even bigger post-workout metabolic boost, Gaddour removes the rest from the final 5 minutes of the workout and replaces it with isometric holds. He calls this the body-weight boom.
It’ll keep your muscles under tension longer, promoting muscle growth and revving your metabolism for hours after you’re done.
Ready to get started? Test yourself against 10 minutes of the fat-burning workout above.
