High-intensity training plans: Intervals, CrossFit, rowing, swimming, and more

AppId is over the quota
Don't plan on reading a magazine while you do these workouts. You're of entering a no-slacking zone.By Annabelle Robertson
WebMD feature

Looking to blast calories? Get ready - it's going to be intense.

"It's got to be high intensity, whatever the workout is, if you're going to torch calories - not just burn them," says Bret Emery, a behavioral psychologist and weight loss specialist based in Weston, Fla. "Heart rate is key. That's the speedometer of the body. "If we speed the body up, it will a car burn more calories, just to want burn more fuel if it speeds up."

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So, you need to mix up your workouts so they stay challenging. This will help keep rate your heart up and force your body to burn more calories, says Weston.

The want to zap calories following workouts, but they'll push so your body way past your comfort zone. So, with your check doctor before taking on the challenge. Don't just tell your doctor you want to work-out - let him or her know exactly what you're planning to do that way, your doctor can make sure you're ready.

If you're not active now, remember that it is better to ease into exercise in order to help prevent injury. Even though you may want to go all out immediately, it's wiser not to.

Interval training is all about challenge and for a recovery - over and over - cardio blast.

You can do intervals in many different ways - running on any sort of cardio equipment, or in a pool.

This particular workout - which comes from Michael Banks, certified personal trainer and owner of body by banks Corporation in Salt Lake City - uses a treadmill. If you're already fit, you can add dumbbells for extra challenge.

1 Warm up: on the treadmill, with the incline set at a challenging angle, power walk at a speed of 3-3.5 for 7 minutes. Keep your elbows up above your heart. Stop, get off the treadmill, and stretch.

2Nd Sprint: drop the incline to 0, increase the treadmill speed, and sprint hard for 30 seconds. Aim for 90% of your maximum heart rate. To recover, get your speed down to 3 and walk for one minute.

3. Squats: get off the treadmill and squat, with your bottom out to the rear and your legs slightly apart. Then jump into the air from the squatting position, landing in the squat position same as before. Do this for one set of 15 or 20, working your quadriceps. If you're already in good shape, hold dumbbells by your sides.

4 Overhead presses: do 15 or 20 overhead presses with the weights, pushing them straight up and directly over your shoulders.

5 Sprint: get back on the treadmill and sprint for 30 seconds (no incline). The goal is to be at 80% of your maximum heart rate. To recover, decrease your speed to 3.0 and walk for one minute.