How To Build A Faster Metabolism!

This workout ramps up – and then dials down – the intensity for a seriously effective, calorie-torching formula.

- Sara Angle

This workout is a blazing dose of cardio, says Amy Dixon, a group fitness pro and co-creator of the killer new Firestarter class at Equinox in Los Angeles, who designed the sample routine on the next page. The class has you push for 15, then 30, then 45 seconds at high intensity – and then back down for 45, 30, and 15 seconds – with just 15 seconds of rest in between. “Because you never fully recover between sets, you are working at a level of intensity that will make you fitter and improve your performance,” Amy adds. Plus, you’ll burn big calories along the way – and post-workout too.

The workout comprises three circuits. Each circuit contains two alternating exercises that strategically target the body in different ways. That means you won’t be so exhausted during each push interval that you can’t give it your all.

After each circuit, you should feel like you went hard enough that you want to stop and completely recover. Instead, you’ll do two minutes at a slow-jog pace before moving on to the next circuit. “Research shows that active recoveries, ranging from two to four minutes, are the sweet spot for getting your body ready to tackle another interval at such a high intensity,” Amy explains.

By the end of this session, every last muscle will have been whipped into shape. And your metabolism? It will be on fire.