BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE

Get ready to rock your cardio indoors with these fun workouts--for the treadmill lover, the elliptical queen, and the cardio-hater.

Treadmill Hill Repeats

Every gym has a handful of treadmill monarchs. They effortlessly glide along the moving belt, making almost no noise and only glistening from their efforts while you pound away beside them, fearful that your treadmill will collapse under you (if your lungs don't go first). I am not a treadmill monarch. My (literal) stomping grounds are the city sidewalks and park trials that dampen the sound of my feet on the ground while allowing the marathoners to quickly run past me (which never seems to make me want to speed up). But when it is below freezing outside, I dread my usual evening jogs and opt to add cardio to my morning weight sessions. One of my favorite cardio sessions is treadmill hill repeats!

1) Warm up at an easy jog or speed walk pace for 2 min

2) Ramp up the incline to 3% and jog at 5 mph for 1 min

3) Decrease the incline to 1% and jog at 5 mph for 2 min

4) Increase the incline to 5% and jog at 5 mph for 1 min

5) Decrease the incline to 0% and walk for 1 minute at 3.5 mph

Repeat steps 2 through 5 for 30 min. For a more intense workout, increase your hill jogging speed!

"Steady-State-ish" Elliptical Training

Sometimes I opt for a more mindless cardio session: set the elliptical to the speed and resistance you'd like and hammer it out for 30 min. Don't let this gradually-intensifying elliptical workout fool you--you'll want to make snow angels in your shorts and tee when you're done.

1) Pick an easy incline and resistance for a 10 min warm up

2) Increase both your incline and resistance by 2 to 3 levels for 10 min (note that every elliptical is different, so if 3 levels does not feel like a gradual build, then take it back down for a two level increase).

3) Again, increase both your incline and resistance by 2 to 3 levels for 5 minutes. If you're not feeling an intense burn, amp it up. You can do ANYTHING for 5 minutes!

4) Cool off at your easy incline and resistance for the last 5 minutes of this 30 min elliptical session.

HIIT Those Trouble Areas

I hate cardio equipment. Even my favorite treadmill workout doesn't always keep me excited. On those days, I opt for a a high intensity interval training (HIIT) session. When designing a HIIT routine, I choose exercises that also target my favorite progress areas (quads, glutes, abs). I do a shortened version of a HIIT workout after every weight session, but this one is 15 min long and can burn up to the same amount of calories as a 30 min jog. There is a clock in almost every gym (or on your phone), so get in front of it and hammer this one out!

60 seconds: Jumping jacks

45 seconds: rest

60 seconds: Jump squats (sumo squat, as you come up, JUMP and land back into a sumo squat)

45 seconds: rest

60 seconds: Plank

45 seconds: rest

60 seconds: Pretend Jump Rope

45 seconds: rest

60 seconds: Reverse crunches

45 seconds: rest

60 seconds: Lunge in place

45 seconds: rest

60 seconds: Mountain climbers

45 seconds: rest

60 seconds: Sit ups

45 seconds: rest

60 seconds: Jumping jacks (speed it up!)

Disclaimer: If you experience any pain, you should stop exercising immediately and seek advice from a physician.