BeWOW: 20-Minute Elliptical Workout

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When a reader asked me to come up with a 20-minute workout for the elliptical, I was stoked. I don’t know how many trainers would admit it, but I love that machine. If you’re looking for a quick calorie burn (yup, cardio’s the best way to shed weight, according to new research) give this fast-paced, über-challenging elliptical workout a try.

BeWOW: 20-Minute Elliptical Workout

For this sprint workout, you’ll move through three levels of intensity: moderate, high and very high. The first sprint is only 20 seconds long at the highest intensity (i.e. resistance), followed by a 20-second recovery. The next sprint is 40 seconds long starting at a slightly-lower-but-still-challenging intensity, followed by a 20-second sprint at the very highest intensity, and ending with a 40-second recovery. The final sprint is one minute long and you’ll hit all three intensity levels: starting with moderate intensity for 20 seconds, increasing it to high intensity for another 20, and ending at very high intensity for 20 more seconds. Follow this interval with a one-minute recovery.

In all, you’re looking at a four-minute-long circuit, so do the circuit four times for a total of 16 minutes. Add a warmup and cool down of two minutes each, there are your 20 minutes of hard work!

Warm up: Two minutes at low intensity

Sprint circuit:
20-second sprint at very high intensity
20-second recovery at low intensity

20-second sprint at high intensity and 20 seconds at very high intensity (40 seconds total)
40-second recovery at low intensity

20-second sprint at moderate intensity, 20 seconds at high intensity, and 20 seconds at very high intensity
1 minute recovery at low intensity

*Complete the sprint circuit four times

Cool down: Two minutes at low intensity

>> Did you complete this week’s BeWOW? Tell us how you did in the comments! Or,  feel free to tweet at us about it using the hashtag #BeWOW. Check out all the BeWOW workouts here.

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Audrey McKenna Hasse is the owner of A.M.Fit, a personal training and healthy consultation business on the Main Line. You’ll find her workouts every week right here on Be Well Philly.