Flight to Nowhere?

I know what you were thinking the first time you saw one: "No idea what it does, and I want no part of it." It is a giant flight of stairs to nowhere. Oh, except it's also a massive weight loss tool. And it does it in twenty minutes! This isn't about VO2 MAX. I won't blather on about lactic acid, aerobic thresholds, max HR, or recovery rates. I'm gonna hand you a proven winner.

Divulge me briefly as I turn your attention away from common sense and cue you in on how this machine has never failed me when I wanted to drop weight. Never ever. This machine is straight up intensity. So first off, spend some time with it. Earn your stability. Get your brain used to managing this machine without holding on before doing the workout. Hold on to any cardio machine and you burn thirty percent less calories, and worse, it allows the brain to stare at a TV or an iPad.

Truth time: You're not a great multitasker. Your brain is under-stimulated. Include it in that cardio workout or loose it's greatest contribution to your life outside the gym, better motor control.

Rule 1: No Holding On.

Next, you have to find the level that breaks you. So when I say I want a 1 minute sprint, that's sixty seconds, no more, no less. Use the brain to add precision to your cardio. Watch that clock, anticipate the next sprint. Breath through your recovery time. Each progressive sprint builds on the last, especially during 1 Minute sprint day, because you only have 1 minute to recover. The thirty second and ten second sprints days have longer recovery times because they demand higher output.

Rule 2: Find the place that's breath challenging, not breath taking. Know your limits.

Lastly, before I reveal the cardio secret workout is to let you know the cardio secret. Most people increase cardio duration and ignore the elephant that promises the most bang for their buck:

Intensity.

I believe every minute over thirty increases your chance of an overuse injury. My opinion. I have way better results with my runners intent on participating in half marathons by cutting their distance runs and adding intensity runs to their training. Don't get stuck in the cardio trap of having to increase distance to kickstart results. Intensity gets you there quicker and with all the benefits you expect from cardiovascular work: Lower resting heart rate, lower blood pressure, increased vascularity and circulation, and best of all, fat loss without muscle loss.

Rule 3: Intensity over Duration.

Sprinter Vs. Marathoner
     Intensity Vs. Duration      

These are three separate workouts to be done on three separate days:

5 Minute warmup followed by intervals of one minute on a high level, one minute on a recovery level. (Make sure the recovery level is low. Truly recover. Keeping the level high during a proposed break is counterproductive to giving it your all during the high level minute).

Minute 6 to 7: Increase the intensity to a level that is challenging but you complete the minute relatively easy.

Minute 7 to 8: Decrease the level to your recovery speed. Level 4 or less.

Minute 8 to 9: Increase one level higher than first interval.

9 to 10: Decrease to recovery.

10 to 11: Increase two more levels than first interval.

11 to 12: Decrease to recovery.

12 to 13: Increase to three levels above first interval.

This is where you'll be looking for the level that breaks you. Under a minute and the level is too high.

Do a total of eight to ten intervals.

Workout Two: Decrease your interval times to thirty seconds work, one minute rest. These are fun because you can fly up those stairs and get decent amount of time to recover. Same set up as workout one. No more than ten sprints.

Workout Three: Decrease your interval times to ten seconds work, one minute rest. No more than twelve sprints. This is a fast day. Buckle up!