Tiffany Raiford
The way you feel when your blood is pumping and your energy levels are up is indescribable. It’s a great feeling you get doing only a few things and exercise is one of those. There are plenty of ways you can exercise, and we love most of them, but only high-intensity workouts can make you feel the way we are describing. Bold, intense and sometimes a little bit intimidating, these workouts are designed to make you feel the burn and feel the power coursing through your body as you workout. And when you are finished working out, the mixture of relief and power you’ll feel is palpable. So now that it’s a new year and a chance for new beginnings, let’s make a deal that we’ll all pick a high-intensity workout and get to it. It’s great for our bodies, for our souls and for our minds. It’s not just something to do to get healthy and look good; it’s something to do to feel good. And when you feel good, everything else just sort of falls into place. The purpose of a high-intensity workout is to exercise hardcore for a few minutes at a time, switching exercises every few minutes to work every muscle in your body all in just a matter of minutes. It’s designed to get you going, work your blood and body and you absolutely have to go all out when you’re doing this or it won’t work. We’ve come up with a list of different exercises that can be mixed and matched to create a custom high-intensity workout that works for you.
Here are our 10 favorite high-intensity workouts for the New Year. Mix them and match them individually to create a high-intensity routine perfect for you. The combination of shorter exercises that are all high-intensity will work together in the way you choose to create a high-intensity workout. Pick your favorites and get to working out so that you can meet the most impressive version of you.
Power Walking
By itself it is not all that high-intensity, but when you combine it with two or three of the other exercises on this list, it becomes something a bit more intense. Power walking for 6 to 7 minutes combined with two or more of the other exercises on this list are going to help boost your metabolism and increase your heart rate, making you feel as if you are getting an amazing workout, which you are.
Sprinting
Running is an excellent way to get some good exercise and work many of your body’s most important muscles. But running and sprinting are two different things. You’ll want to sprint heavy from the start, do some power-walking and then add in a few more exercises that will round out this high-intensity workout and make you feel good.
Squats
They’re not fun, but they are effective. They are most effective when they are paired with fast-paced exercises such as rowing and cycling or even swimming and sprinting. Working out some of your best muscles, squats are killers, but they are also great for your body. They’re toning and they’re worth it.
Jumping Jacks
They’re so basic, but so important. Throw them in the mix of a high-intensity workout by putting them in between rowing and cycling. Throw them into the mix with burpees and swimming or just do them whenever you get a chance in any high-intensity workout and you will certainly feel the burn and see the results of your hard work.
CrossFit Workouts
Any CrossFit workout is going to do wonders for your body. All high-intensity workouts of this nature will, and that’s because you’re going to end up doing moves for a short period of time that will each work different muscles and help ensure that you have the kind of exercise you need to feel good and love your body.
Burpees
Most people hate burpees. I’m not going to lie; I kind of love them. I love the way they hurt and the way they make me feel, because they make me feel thin and healthy. Burpees make me feel good, even in the midst of making me wish I was doing anything else, like undergoing a root canal. When you toss 15-20 burpees in a high-intensity workout around halfway through, you’re going to feel the burn and see results that are far more than just a little impressive.
Rowing
Rowing is a great portion of any high-intensity workout. To make this one most effective, row hard for one minute, switch to pushups, throw in some cycling and then sprint for two minutes. You can mix and match these as you see fit, of course, but this combination is one many personal trainers use on their clients for the best results.
Cycling
Cycling at a fast speed for 4 to 5 minutes, rowing, jumping jacks and pushups combined will get your blood flowing in a way that you won’t believe until you try it. This high-intensity workout doesn’t give you any time to stop and think about what you’re doing, so your blood is flowing and your energy levels are out of this world. The calories you’ll burn are impressive, but it’s nothing compared to the way you will feel when you do this regularly.
Pushups
Not a high-intensity workout by itself, pushups are a great add-on to any other high-intensity workout you might try. This is a way to bring together different exercises by giving yourself a way to work your arms and keep your blood pumping and your heart rate up. It’s a great exercise by itself, but combined with the rest of these, it’s intense.
Swimming
Swimming is so enjoyable, but it can make for a high-intensity workout when paired with a few other great exercises. Let’s recommend you start with 20 laps in the pool, 2 minutes of fast rowing, a round of cycling and some jumping jacks. Combined, you’ll only spend a few minutes exercising, but the results are well worth the time spent.
Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
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