Fast Cardio Workouts to Burn Fat Fast
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When we think about training, more often than not we think about weight training. This is because it’s more exciting and can motivate you thanks to the challenges it offers. Cardio, not so much. Cardio workouts are often considered boring, and many people think about a hamster on the wheel because we move but aren’t really going anywhere.
By Roger Lockridge
These challenges will make your cardio workouts a little more exciting, be much shorter than those dreaded marathon sessions you’ve heard about, and help you torch fat fast. This is thanks to High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT, which has been proven to burn calories, increase endurance, and reduce bodyfat. Try these three workouts over the next few weeks and see the results for yourself.
EMOM Calorie Goal
EMOM stands for Every Minute on the Minute. In short, you start at the top of every minute by going all out and continue until you reach the goal for that minute. The remaining seconds are for you to move at a lower intensity and prepare for the next minute.
For this workout you can pick any machine you like that can track calorie burning. The goal for the first minute is to burn two calories. Once you reach 2 calories burned, go at a lower intensity. The next minute raises your goal to 4. You’ll have to go longer to reach this goal and that means less time at the lower speed. Every minute adds another two calories and you continue this pace until you fail to reach your goal. Once you reach failure, cool down for two minutes and you’re done. This will likely only take 15-20 minutes to complete.
Speed Sled Drill
You’ll need a speed sled that you can add weights on for this one. You start by marking off a certain distance. The common space is around 100 feet.
You start by sprinting as fast as you can from one end to the other. Walk back. Next, connect yourself to the sled. Once you’re connected, sprint that distance with the sled and walk back. Now add 25 pounds to the sled and run that same distance again. Obviously it won’t be as fast but you should be able to do it.
Add 25 pounds to the sled until you reach a similar estimate to your bodyweight. For example, if you weigh 185 pounds, work with 200. If you can’t pull this amount, pull as much as you can. Once you reach this point, remove plates until you’re back to just the sled. This one will likely take around 20 minutes including adding and removing plates.
1,000 Rep Bodyweight Challenge
You won’t need anything except space and time for this cardio workout. If you want to use a mat, go for it. For this session you’ll perform five exercises:
- Burpees
- Pushups
- Bodyweight Squats
- Jumping Jacks
- Lying Leg Raise
You’ll perform 20 reps of each exercise with no rest in between. That’s 100 total reps. Rest for one minute and repeat. Continue until you’ve performed 10 rounds which would be 1,000 total reps. If you can’t perform 10 rounds, do what you can and set a goal to do more next time. If your bodyweight isn’t enough resistance, add a weighted vest or wrist and ankle weights to make it more challenging. This cardio workout can be completed in 20-25 minutes depending on the speed of your reps.
