How to Burn More Calories When Exercising

The way you exercise can influence how quickly you burn calories.

Burning more calories during cardiovascular exercise can be accomplished by including short intervals or "bursts" of intense exercise. This is called High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), which is also known as sprint training. This type of training can burn up to nine times more calories than exercising and maintaining a steady pace over the same period of time. HIIT can be done during any cardio workout -- running, jogging, walking, using cardio equipment, swimming, cycling, rowing, jumping rope, etc.

Instructions

1. Find your target heart rate zones. During your high intensity intervals, you want your heart rate to reach 80 to 85 percent of the maximum. Several websites can show you what your target heart rate zone is; a link to one on the Mayo Clinic website is provided in the Resources section.

2. Warm up for three to five minutes to get your blood moving and warm up your muscles.

3. Exercise at a high intensity interval, during which time your heart rate reaches 80 to 85 percent of the maximum, for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

4. Slow down and start a low intensity interval. Go as slow and easy as possible (some people will be barely moving) to allow your heart rate to drop to about 50 percent of the maximum. Do not keep working at a high intensity. If you don't allow your heart rate to drop, you can't push it back up again, which is what burns all those calories. Your low intensity intervals may be longer than your high intensity intervals, but that is OK. Just allow your heart rate to drop so you can push it up again. Your low intensity interval should be two to three times as long as your high intensity interval (depending on how fast your heart rate drops).

5. Experiment with your high intensity intervals. If you are using a treadmill, incoroporate hills and different speeds, or add hand weights. If you are using another type of cardio machine, experiment with different resistance levels and speeds. Some machines have interval training as a programmed option. If you are walking or jogging, add hills, stairs, push-ups, squat jumps or other calisthenics.

Tips & Warnings

• HIIT workouts should only be 10-20 minutes long because they are so intense.

• HIIT can be incorporated into a regular cardio workout. It isn't an "all or nothing" system. You could do 20 minutes of regular cardio, and then 20 minutes of HIIT and get the benefits of both.

• Before starting any exercise program, consult your physician.

References

• Spark People: High Intensity Interval Training: Take Your Fitness and Fat Loss to the Next Level

Resources

• Mayo Clinic: Target Heart Rate Calculator