Author: Ridge Personal Trainer Kate Murphy

Mix up your workout!

It’s time to mix up your weight training routine!

To boost your metabolism, you should perform a “cardio booster” during every rest period, whether it’s 10 seconds, 30 seconds or 3 minutes. This means, for example, that after you finish your set of 8-12 dumbbell presses, you do stair laps, box jumps, lateral leaps, or jumping jacks as fast as possible for 15-30 seconds. Following your 6 rep squat routine, do 20 explosive pushups.

You will burn several times more calories than your old routine and your post-exercise metabolic rate will go through the roof. Other good cardio booster exercises include: vertical and horizontal jumps, step-ups, lunge jumps, jump rope, jogging in place and shadow boxing. If you have access to cardio machines, include 60 second bicycle or treadmill sprints, 250-500 meter rowing efforts or a quick, all-out elliptical effort.