Swap Steady Cardio for Circuit-Style Training

If you’re not a fan of slow and steady-paced cardio, there are alternative ways to burn calories and melt fat. Ed McNeely’s "5 Ways to Burn More Fat" in Muscle & Fitness offers five tips for those of you wanting to ditch the treadmill:

First, McNeely suggests using compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, bench presses and bent-over rows, since moving bigger muscles burns more calories.

Also making the list is circuit-style training. McNeely advises performing 6-8 exercises for 10 reps each using a controlled tempo, alternating upper and lower body exercises. Each circuit should last 2-5 minutes. Aim for 20-30 minutes of circuit-style training to reap cardiovascular benefits.

Another suggestion is performing higher reps with lighter reps in the weight room. McNeely recommends choosing a weight that will leave you 2-3 reps short of failure, which will allow you to gain strength and size.

But McNeely emphasizes getting 'your priorities straight." Remember, if your goal is to develop strength and size, this style of training doesn’t compare to straight sets.

I use a three-day weight training split for strength and size, and use bodyweight circuit-style training as cardio on my non-lifting days. The important thing to remember if doing this, however, is to follow an upper body-focused day with a lower body-focused one so trained body parts get a chance to recover properly.