By Tosca Reno

You don’t have time to mess around; an important event is looming and you want to burn off those extra pounds. So, after you freak out, tighten up the diet and add these phenomenal fat-burning exercises to get you looking fine in no time. Commitment is key; to achieve desired results, you need to get your cardiovascular system pumping, five days a week without fail.

Running Bleachers
Burns 221 calories in 15 minutes

Don’t be afraid of running bleachers. There is no better way to hype your furnace and burn significant fat than running bleachers or stairs. If you can’t find bleachers, run uphill.

Keep your posture upright and engage your core. Begin climbing or sprinting as fast as you’re able to the top. Slowly jog or walk down. Rest for 60 seconds and repeat. Work your way up to running bleachers or uphill from 15 to 20 minutes twice a week. Your whole body is working to get you up there: arms, quads, calves, glutes and, as well, your cardiovascular system! Not only will this workout lift your glutes sky-high, but you will also burn hundreds of calories.

HITT
Burn 550 calories in one hour

High intensity interval training, sometimes called guerilla cardio, is an exercise strategy meant to improve athletic performance in short training periods. If you have ever done HIIT, you already know how physically demanding it is, and if you’ve done it on a treadmill you also know how effective it is at burning calories. It takes a heap of energy!

It goes like this: Set the treadmill for a comfortable jogging speed of four or five. Keeping an eye on the time, lightly jog or run for one to two minutes. Then, with no rest, set your treadmill speed for a maximum greater than six or seven. Again, keeping an eye on your time, sprint for one to two minutes – you’ll have to see what you can handle – and then return to the slower pace. Repeat this pattern for the intended length of your workout. Twenty minutes doing HIIT on any piece of equipment is a hugely effective way of burning calories.

Rope Jumping
Burns 177 calories in 15 minutes

It’s a well-known fact that Muhammed Ali could skip for 16 minutes continously, a feat beyond the cardiovascular ability of most people. Skipping is an ideal fat-burning activity almost anyone can do, anywhere. Going on a trip where there are no gyms or training equipment? Take your skipping rope.

Pick the right rope. It is important that the rope is heavy; light ropes are useless. Choose a rope that suits your height. You can determine this by standing on the center of the rope. If the handles reach your armpits it is suitable. Your jump should be about an inch or two off the ground. Use your toes and the balls of your feet, and keep your knees soft. Don’t use your whole arm to turn the rope; use your wrists instead. Hold your elbows tight to the body. Keep your eyes fixed on a spot in front of you – that’s called spotting. Now turn up the music and go.

Don’t Stop Here

There are literally hundreds of high-intensity activities that will deliver a total fat-burning experience. I have a girlfriend who teaches cardio kickboxing who warns her newcomers: “Some folks get sick - the toilets are behind you.” And, yes, it has happened.

Here are a couple more:

Swimming lengths in a pool also challenges your entire body. It’s an exceptional, full body, low-impact aerobic activity so don’t neglect the pool as a source of exercise.

And la crème de la crème, Jacobs Ladder: Total Body Exerciser, is a piece of exercise equipment used by Army Rangers, Navy Seals, the FBI and professional athletes in every sport category to increase strength and conditioning. Jacobs Ladder is a treadmill climber whereby the athlete climbs at a 40-degree angle on constantly revolving rungs of a ladder at a speed of her choice. The faster you climb, the faster it goes. It challenges your core, arms, shoulders, quads, calves, glutes, pectorals and triceps. At the same time it significantly challenges the cardiovascular system. It’s a superb workout and great fat-burning session.

*Caution please!
Visit your doctor before attempting to incorporate any of these exercises into your plan. These exercises and any others you do to maximum intensity are not for the first-time athlete. Begin slowly and be patient with yourself. It takes more than a day to scale Kilimanjaro!

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