I know CARDIO can get boring, especially if you do the same ol' thing all the time.

I recently had a client ask me if she could still do her intervals but on the the elliptical or stair climber etc.  She said that not only was she bored or running, but her knees were not feeling too hot after runs.

I get it, I know, it can definitely get boring to run on the treadmill all the time, or maybe you just bike all the time.  And by the way, I have recently found a passion for running and only because I had to.  I couldn't stand to leave Nicholas for 30 minutes more so I could get some cardio in so as soon as I had him and I got medical clearance, running was pretty much the only thing I could do with him.  And though I hated running, now I love it and now we all do it as a family, its actually pretty cool, and Nico LOVES it!  So if you hate running or any type of exercise, I suggest you give it a try.  At the beginning it may seem hard, but you may find great joy in it later on.

But yes, sometimes I do get bored, and when I do, I'll box, get on the stair climber, jump rope, etc.

So to answer the question.........  YES, you can do INTERVAL training on any cardio equipment.  

First pick the interval workout you would like to follow.  A good one to start with is 1:1 work:rest ratio.  Meaning if you are working hard for 30 seconds, you recover at a lesser intensity for 30 seconds.  You can do this on any machine or even jump roping, boxing or doing any kind of exercise where you pick up intensity for the desired amount of time and then decrease intensity for the desired amount of time.

Here are a few other options for Interval Cardio Training:

2:1 work: rest:  example:  Elliptical 1 minute at 45 resistance maintaining say 150 RPM (revolutions per minute), and then rest at say 20 resistance and maintaining 120 RPM.  You would adjust this according to your fitness level.

3:1 work: rest:  example:  Stationary Bike:  3 minutes of uphill cycling where you are pushing through some serious resistance but one that you can maintain at a good pace and then 1 minute downhill cycling with a lot less resistance and maybe a quicker speed since there is less resistance.

Ascending Intervals:  increase intensity in desired intervals.  For example:  if you are on the Stair Climber, you can start at level 4 for 1 minute, then increase to level 5, then to level 6, then to level 7...... get the point.  When you reach a level that is too high for you to maintain with proper form, decrease the amount of time.  Maybe after level 7 your intervals go down to 30-45 seconds.

Descending Intervals:  same as above but you wold be starting at a high intensity or speed with a lower time interval and as you descend you would increase the amount of time of the interval.

Pyramid Intervals:  here you can start with ascending intervals and go up to a certain intensity and then do descending intervals.  You could also start with descending and end with ascending.

Give one of these a try this week, and let me know what you think.  Yes actually come back on the blog and let me know how your workout went or if you thought up a new interval workout yourself.  

Also, stay tuned as later in the week I will give you my last strategy in my hardcore week.  I decided to step it up even more for the last 2 weeks so come back on this week and check out the NEW NUTRITION PLAN.  Fat Loss will definitely be maximized these next 2 weeks so don't miss it.

Remember, the trick to STICKING TO YOUR DIET, is enjoying your healthy food.  Try new recipes and spend some time in the kitchen cooking up some deliciously healthy meals.  For healthy recipe ideas click here:  Healthy Recipes, or check out my Healthy Recipes Book:  Eat To Be Fit