You don't need two hours to get in a good workout. Which is a good thing, because most of us don't have the luxury of that much time to get our sweat on.
So we have to make the most of our workout time. And for an intense cardio - and calorie - burn, my machines of choice are either the RealRyder bike or the IndoRow. You can work it on a regular indoor cycling bike or row machine, too.
But whatever your cardio machine of choice, the key is to push your intensity up and down. HIIT: High-Intensity Interval Training. It torches calories, burns fat, and makes your heart stronger. Not to mention tightening your Badass.
So if you've got 30 minutes and a bike, check this puppy out. The primary work comes via a "5-4-3," which refers to 5-minute, 4-minute and 3-minute climbs with 2-minute active recoveries in between. Each climb gets shorter - but steeper. It is intense, and should get you at your lactate threshold - aka, a near-maximum effort you can barely maintain. If you don't NEED those 2-minute recoveries, you need to add more tension or/and speed in your pedal stroke.
I've included my playlist, too, but find your favorite songs of the same length if you choose. Also, I've indicated how you can adapt this for the rower.
Have fun - time flies when you're sweating it out!
Quick n Dirty in 30 Cardio Push
1. Starstruck, 3OH!3, 3:04: Warmup
2. Rods and Cones (instrumental), Blue Man Group, 5:57: Flat road transitioning into a moderate incline (or easy pressure transitioning into moderate on the rower). Every 2 minutes, add a slight amount of resistance but maintain a cadence of 80 to 90 rpm.
3. Morning After Dark, Timbaland, 4:53: First climb of 3. Your cadence should be 70 rpm. Tension on a scale of 1 to 10 should be a 6 or 7. (Rowers: This is your first wave of full pressure, testing your endurance). The challenge is to maintain this tension with a decent amount of power/speed.
4. Walk This Way, The Workout Heroes, 3:09: Ease a little tension off until you are at a medium tension - not a flat road. Keep power in your pedal stroke. This is an ACTIVE recovery. After 2 minutes, go to the next song.
5. No One Knows, Queens of the Stone Age, 4:32: Climb #2. Steeper than the first, about a 7 or 8 on the tension scale, but try to maintain the same power. (Rowers: This is another 'wave' of high pressure)
6. Girls, Beastie Boys, 2:13: Another active recovery.
7. Funhouse, P!nk, 3:24: Last climb. Make it your steepest yet, an 8 or 9 out of 10. You should get near or to your max heart rate for this final push. (Rowers: Last 'wave,' close to an all-out race pace but something you can maintain at a steady split time for the whole song.)
8. As Vivaldi, Twang Chung, 3:30: Cool it down. Flatten it out (or ease off the pressure on the rower) and bring it home.
Done!
Coming up: Bust out the calculators and use this formula for your calorie needs.