As many of us know, cardio workouts are one of the most beneficial factors when trying to lose body fat and get trim for the summer. What you may not know is this: if you hate cardio, you don’t have to do it. Now this might sound illogical or just plain wrong, but if you follow these tips and stay disciplined, you can avoid that nasty running altogether.

#1: Change Your Workout Style

Instead of focusing on one muscle group each day, incorporate as many groups as you can. This can be done easily by working out in circuits. By rotating upper body and lower body lifts in a circuit, you will get your entire body involved and fatigued. Be sure to use short rests between lifts to keep your heart rate up.

#2: Lower Weight, Higher Reps

Just as a reminder, if you are looking for ways to build muscle and get JACKED, you’re in the wrong place. Now if you want to get lean and cut, try decreasing the weight your using in your lifts and really increasing the rep count. Anywhere from 15-20 reps is where you should be aiming. With higher reps, your body obviously becomes more fatigued, even with a lower weight, but this muscle fatigue forces your body to produce increased muscle fibers, which is crucial when you want to look cut at the beach. Try to use a weight that you will struggle with but can complete 5 sets with minimal help. I’d suggest about 60-70% of your one rep max.

#3: You’re Going To Have To Diet

Sorry but there’s no real way around this one. It’s pretty common knowledge that in order to lose fat, you can’t be eating fatty food. Get ready for a lot of lean meats, fruits, and vegetables. The real key to dieting while cutting is to decrease your calorie intake. If you don’t know approximately how many calories you eat in a normal day, that’s something you should find out. Whatever that number is, try reducing it by 300-500 calories to start. It won’t be easy but it shouldn’t be uncomfortable on your body. Start with what works for you and build on that.

#4: Fast

Intermittent fasting has be proven to raise HGH levels, help repair cells, and improve weight loss. The key to intermittent fasting is to take in all of your nutrients and calories in one blocked-off section of your day. If you have never tried IF, I would suggest starting out with an 8-hour eating window. This means that for 14 hours of the day, you would be fasting and confined to just water, tea, and coffee (if you need it like I do). After your body has gotten comfortable with this routine, shorten your window hour by hour over the span of a few weeks, until you are fasting for 20 hours a day. Have fun watching your results!