KICK-BUTT CARDIO

Favorite cardio machine at the gym taken? Try something new: These 19 high-intensity workouts will blast fat and burn calories while fitting into the busiest schedule. Hop on board and get going!

- BY CHRIS ARTIS

STATIONARY BIKE

Indoor cycling classes offer fat-blasting, calorie-scorching, leg-sculpting workouts in a competitive yet social setting. Top instructors designed these routines for the days you can't make it to class. Just bring your own beats and start pedaling!

Follow the simple, effective warmup below before you start the hill and sprint workouts on the next page, advises Self, who put together all three. Use the RPE (rate of perceived exertion) scale of 1 to 10 to determine how hard you are working: 1 = easy, 5 = moderately challenging (hard to sustain for more than three minutes), 10 = extremely challenging (an effort you couldn't sustain for more than 60 seconds). Resistance is indicated at four levels: light, moderate, heavy, and very heavy. Speed is slow (40-60 rpm), moderate (70-80 rpm), fast (85-100 rpm), and maximum (100+ rpm).

BREAK A SWEAT QUEEN OF THE HILL DRILL

TIME: 30 MINUTES

0-3 Start seated with moderate resistance and moderate speed (70-80 rpm); RPE: 3-5

3-6 Increase resistance two times in 3 min.; slow speed (40-60 rpm); moderate-heavy resistance; RPE: 5-7

6-8 Keep resistance and stand; increase speed for 60 sec. to 60+ rpm, then back to 40-60 rpm; RPE: 6-8

8-9 Decrease resistance to moderate and increase speed to moderate while seated; RPE: 3-5

9-13 Slow speed, heavy resistance, stand; add resistance three times in 4 min.; RPE: 6-8

13-15 Keep heavy resistance, increase to 60+ rpm (30-45 sec.), then return to original pace seated; RPE: 7-9

15-17 Decrease to moderate and maintain moderate pace while seated; RPE: 3-5

17-22 Very heavy resistance, slow speed; add resistance twice during the 5 min. while standing; RPE: 8-10

22-23 Very heavy resistance, increase speed (55+ rpm) 30-45 sec.; return to slow pace, standing; RPE: 9-10

23-24 Decrease to heavy resistance and maintain slow speed while seated; RPE: 7-9