At the suggestion of josephlemos, I bought a Gymboss interval timer. I was pleasantly surprised that it only cost $19.95. After ordering, I received it three days later and have been using it almost daily.

I use the standard timer on lifting days to keep my workout on track. By using the timer for my rest periods, my workout has sped up drastically. Now, any stop watch could do this, but Gymboss really shines when it comes to doing HIIT training.

For those of you who many not be aware, HIIT training stands for High Intensity Interval Training. Basically, you alternate between high intensity exercise and moderate exercise for a set number of intervals. An example would be sprinting for 30 seconds followed by 30 seconds of jogging, and then doing that interval a specific number of times in a row.

With the Gymboss, I'm able to set my intervals up with two different timers. I can also set the number of intervals, so it let's me know when I'm done. So, if I want to do the running example from above, I'd have both timers set to 30 seconds with say 10 intervals. Simply hit the timer and alternate your intensity when the alarm rings.

I also have been doing Tibatas using my interval timer. I've mainly been doing these with decline situps. My Tibatas involve doing 20 seconds of situps followed by 10 seconds of rest for eight intervals. That would be a total of four minutes. I usually do this before work several times a week, so it's nice and short. By the time I'm half way through my Tibata, I'm struggling to get my back off the situp bench.

There are a few features I think are missing from the Gymboss. More than a few times, I forgot to shut it off. I would be great to have an auto shutoff. I also, don't like the steps you have to go through to program it. I think with a couple more buttons, programming could be much more simplified, but all in all, I must say it's a great tool for working out, and I'd recommend anyone who worksout should pick one up.
 

Cardio is one aspect of fitness that I have always dreaded. Give me a heavy weight that hurts like a mofo, and I'll take it any day over running for 30 mins. The problem is trying to cut body fat alone by lifting isn't possible, but it can take much longer.

In my haste to cut down my body fat for summer, I decided to start playing tennis for my cardio. Tennis is great once you get the hang of it, because you are going from full sprints to jogs constantly. The greatest benefit of all is I don't even realize how much running I'm doing.

If you can't find a partner or are too embarrased with your beginner's ability, then find a wall and play against yourself. You'll probalby get even more running in. In the process you get faster are reacting to the ball and get better at playing.

I've also stumbled across a new cardio program based on tennis, that I have not check out yet. You can read about it here. http://www.cardiotennis.com/

If you try it out, come back here and comment about it.

Jbyrd