Melt mega calories: To make those three words happen, you need one thing—to get your heart rate up, up, up! But there's an art to doing so without over-exhausting yourself in the process—and we outlined it for you in the workout below.
"The higher inclines in the beginning pump your heart rate so you start burning more calories quickly, but the moderate speed here prevents too much lactic acid buildup, which allows you to run longer," says Olympic runner John Henwood, a coach at New York City's Mile High Run Club.
Here's how to improve your running form:
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Then, bringing the incline back down for all-out sprints on the back half of this plan acts almost like a metabolic finisher: Since your body is warmed up and the flatter surface will feel "easier," you can pick up the pace to fully max your muscles and zap more cals long after you've stepped off the machine. (Stretch it out afterward with Rodale's With Yoga DVD!)
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How do you know if you're hitting the right intensity in these intervals? In general, 6.5 to 7.5 should be a pace that takes focus to maintain but doesn't leave you breathless, while 8.5 should make it tough to talk. Ten is, no joke, everything you've got.
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2017 issue of Women's Health. For more running tips, pick up a copy, on newsstands now.
