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Get lean all over: fire up your workout and burn more than 2,000 calories a week with our metabolism-boosting cardio and strength program - Shape Metabolism Exclusive
Shape, Sept, 2003 by Suzanne Schlosberg
CALORIES BURNED 600 **
workout 2
TIME 40 minutes, including warm-up and cool-down
WHAT TO DO Perform any cardio activity, either outdoors or indoors using the machine's manual setting. After your warm-up, work at an RPE of 4 for 5 minutes, then increase to an RPE of 5 for 5 minutes, and then to an RPE of 6 for 5 minutes. Repeat the cycle, at RPE 4, 5 and 6, before cooling down.
CALORIES BURNED 425
zone 2
cardio interval training
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HOW IT WORKS Interval training involves alternating high-intensity bouts of exercise with low-intensity recovery segments. When you work at a higher intensity, your metabolism gets a bigger temporary boost. "You burn more calories in the same amount of time," Holt says. As a bonus, you also burn more calories after your workout, since the so-called "afterburn" is strongly related to the intensity of a workout.
workout 1
TIME 34 minutes, including warm-up and cool-down
WHAT TO DO Perform any cardio activity, alternating 3 minutes of high-intensity exercise (RPE 7) with 3 minutes of more moderate exercise (RPE 4). For instance, alternate running with jogging or jogging with walking. Repeat for a total of 4 times (24 minutes), then cool down.
CALORIES BURNED 400
workout 2 (Advanced exercisers, do this workout after at least 1 day off from previous interval-training session; beginners, omit it.)
TIME 38 minutes, including warm-up and cool-down
WHAT TO DO After warming up, do any cardio activity, alternating 5 minutes of high-intensity exercise (RPE 7) with 2 minutes of low-intensity effort (RPE 3). Repeat a total of 4 times (or 28 minutes), then cool down.
CALORIES BURNED 400
zone 3
strength training
HOW IT WORKS Not only is strength training the key to strong bones and a sculpted body, but it's also the most effective way to raise your resting metabolism--the number of calories your body burns at rest. Just make sure you lift heavy-enough weights to really stimulate muscle growth. "Most people don't lift enough weight to accomplish that," Holt says. Also, strive to perform exercises that work several muscles at once. "Muscles are meant to work together, yet people train them separately," Holt says. There's nothing inherently wrong with targeting individual muscle groups, but if you always train that way, you neglect the core, stabilizing muscles that are the source of your body's strength--plus it's more time-consuming to work one group at a time. With these five carefully chosen multimuscle moves, you'll be in and out of the gym before you know it.
The workout (Do this workout twice a week on nonconsecutive days.)
WHAT TO DO After your 5-minute warm-up, perform these moves in the order listed, doing 2 sets of 8-12 reps for moves 1 and 3, and 2 sets of 12-14 reps for moves 2, 4 and 5. Rest 60 seconds between sets. For each rep, take 2 seconds to execute and 4 seconds to return to starting position. Don't forget to cool down afterward.
zone 4
power traning
HOW IT WORKS When you lift weights or work out on a cardio machine, your body is typically moving in a linear way: up and down, forward and back, out and in. What you rarely do is rotate your body, and as a result, Holt says, "you're only working about 50 percent of your muscle fibers." The power moves here are designed to work the portions of your muscles--especially your abs and lower back--that tend to be neglected. In addition to the physical demand, these moves take more skill and are more mentally challenging than typical strength-training exercises, Holt says. And because they give you aerobic and strength benefits, your metabolism reaps rewards both during the workout and in the long term.
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