If you guys have been reading my blogs or have ever done any personal training with me, you know how much I DESPISE cardio. I see people wasting so much time doing slow, steady workouts that barely get their heart rate up and the machine is doing most of the work for them.

Some ways to get out of the “cardio trap” are:
1. Increase the intensity of your strength training. If you strength train correctly, you will get your heart rate up
2. Perform interval conditioning sessions. Use the bike, perform sprints, jump rope…the intervals can vary but the goal is to elevate your HR for a short amount of time and then recover, continuing the cycle with high intensity but a short duration. This has been shown to burn more calories and also leave your metabolism elevated for over 24 hours post-workout.

And #3….the main focus of this post…HILL SPRINTS

This workout is killer for increasing your HR, buring a ton of calories, and making you feel totally bad ass because let’s face it, how many people actually run hills? They pretty much suck but you get such a benefit that it’s all worth it.

Here’s a few reasons why hill sprints will flat out kick your butt, and make it look great too!
1. Intensity
2. Getting outside in great weather
3. Huge endorphin rush
4. They work every muscle in your body
5. Functionality
6. Burn a ton of calories, during and after the workout
7. Short duration
8. Amazing benefits for your body composition
9. Get your legs lean and strong
10. Great training for your abs without doing crappy crunches

These are just a few of the great benefits of hill sprints. These workouts are very intense so do not attempt them unless you have been weight training for several months and have no recent injuries. They are very dynamic and the hamstrings and glutes will be sore following the first workout.

Here is a sample hill sprint training session:

• 5 x 10 yards (rest 30 seconds in between)
• 4 x 20 yards (rest 45 seconds in between)
• 3 x 30 yards (rest 90 seconds in between)
• 2 x 40 yards (rest 90 seconds in between)
• 1 x 50 yards

Be sure to complete a proper dynamic warm up before the session including lunges, squats, torso rotations, ankle mobility, and some jogging to increase blood flow.

Related posts:

1. 5 Tips for Six Pack Abs and Fat Loss Training Here’s another awesome post from my good pal Tristan Lewis....
2. 21 Fitness Training Mistakes…AVOID these if You Want to Get in Shape! 21 fitness training mistakes to avoid if you want to...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

This entry was posted on July 10, 2009 at 1:27 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted in Body Weight Workouts, Extreme Fat Loss, Fat Loss Workouts by Callie | 1 Comment