I have many favorite ways of making workout more intense and thus burning more calories – without having to add more time to the workout. Here are three:

1. Plyometrics (some kind of jumps) or jump rope
Let’s say you have a regular routine of weightlifting a few times per week. Your body has hit a plateau (which it does more often, the fitter you get!). To intensify your workout, take 1-2 minute jump rope breaks, or try squat jumps or lateral lunge jumps, between the sets of lifting. This will create an interval workout with bursts of energy, and you will burn many more calories!

2. Compound moves
Compound moves consist of doing several moves in the same exercise, thus giving your body a greater challenge and intensifying your workout. For instance, do forward walking lunges and add bilateral biceps curls (meaning both arms) while in the lowered position. When you stand up, rotate the arms to an overhead press, and lift your knee to balance on one leg. Great stuff!

3. Something new
If you are a generally fit person, it is safe to say that, when you workout, you do the things you feel the most comfortable doing. You go to the gym, do a set of weights a certain way or a 10-minute warm up on your favorite machine … you get the drift. To get your body to burn more calories, you should do something completely new, where the body doesn’t know the particular movement patterns. By doing this, you have to work harder to actually contract muscles and move around. Another idea is to try a new class! If you are a weightlifter rather than a body sculptor in the gym, then dare to step into the group fitness room and get a new experience. If you have never done cycling, Pilates, or yoga, try it for a few weeks!

You don’t have to increase the time you spend on training, but you will definitely give your body something new to chew on. That means your body has to work much harder to recruit muscles, and at the same time you are giving your mind a new challenge. Priceless!

Image: Perfecto Insecto