Lose Every Bulge in 3 Weeks
Pages in this Story:
- Hollywood-Style Slim Down
- 1. Snap-Kick Lunge
- 2. Kneeling Ball Push-Up
- 3. Plank Extension
- 4. Elbow Side Plank
- 5. Touch-Down Squat/Hammer Curl
- 6. Triceps Extension/Crunch
- The Cardio Plan
The Cardio Plan
To blast fat and reach your weight-loss goals, you'll need to do four cardio workouts a week along with the strength routine, says Paul-Brian McReynolds, a martial arts trainer and the cardio specialist at Holistic Fitness.
Two of these should be high-intensity intervals like the routine below. Do them as a run/walk program on a treadmill or outside, or on an elliptical machine. When outside, use your rate of perceived exertion (RPE, or how intense the workout feels on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being easiest and 10 extremely difficult).
For the remaining two days, exercise for 30 to 60 minutes at a relatively steady pace (RPE 5 or 6) with the aerobic workout of your choice. If you're running during your interval workouts, McReynolds suggests cross-training with low-impact activities such as cycling, swimming, or walking the rest of the week to avoid injury. To enhance flexibility, take a yoga class or do a yoga DVD one additional day each week. (We like Rodney Yee's Yoga Burn DVD; $15 at gaiam.com.)
| Minutes | Treadmill | Elliptical | Outside |
Warm-up: Minutes 0:00–8:00 |
Walk at 3.5–4.5 mph | Begin at level 2–3, 100–120 strides per minute | Walk briskly, RPE: 4–5 |
| Base pace: Minutes 8:00–9:00 | Walk fast or jog at 5.0–6.0 mph | Maintain a steady pace at level 4, 120–140 strides per minute | Power walk or jog, RPE: 6 |
Speed interval: Minutes 9:00–10:00 |
Increase speed to 7.0–8.0 mph | Increase resistance to level 5, 160–180 strides per minute | Sprint or walk as fast as possible, RPE: |
Intervals:* Minutes 10:00–30:00 |
Repeat minutes 8:00–10:00 ten times | Repeat minutes 8:00–10:00 ten times | Repeat minutes 8:00–10:00 ten times |
Cool down: Minutes 30:00–35:00 |
Walk at 3.5–4.5 mph | Return to level 2–3, 100–120 strides per minute | Walk briskly, RPE: 4 |
*You may have to work up to doing 10 intervals. RPE: Rate of Perceived Exertion. How hard you’re working on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the easiest. |
Originally published in Fitness magazine, February 2006.
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