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The treadmill may be the most loathed piece of exercise equipment at the gym and in the home.

If you feel like a hamster aimlessly running on a wheel, you should switch to a high intensity workout that achieves results in less time without a treadmill.

Choose one of these challenging workouts to spice up your workout, boost your cardio and increase strength.

The Ladder

The ladder mixes two exercises into one. Virtua fitness specialist Nicole Wolf suggests doing squats and push-ups to get a full-body workout.

• Start off doing 1 squat and 10 pushups.
• Then do 2 squats and 9 pushups.
• Continue with 3 squats and 8 pushups.
• Stick with this regimen until you finally get to 10 squats and 1 pushup.

"It's basically like going up a ladder with one exercise and down with another. Technique needs to be spot on when performing these movements," says Wolf. "You can do it with any two exercises in just five minutes or maybe less."

Metabolic Circuit

The metabolic circuit combines four exercises into one workout. You do one of the exercises below for 15 seconds followed by a 15-second rest. You move to the next exercise and do the same: 15 seconds in motion and then a 15-second break. Maintain this pace for a total of five minutes. Wolf suggests the following four exercises: 

• Stair climbs
  Walk or jog up and down a flight of stairs in your house or you can run in place.

• Squat jumps
  Start off in a squat position, then jump powerfully in the air. Absorb the landing with the balls of your feet. The landing should be very quiet and controlled. Repeat.

• High to low plank
  Begin in a pushup position (high plank) with palms flat on the ground, knees lifted and abs pulled in. Maintain your core stability and move into a low plank, where your elbows and forearms are on the ground. Transition back up to high plank. Keep your hips from moving during the transition. Repeat.

• Kettlebell swings
  Put your hips into a deadlift position. With both hands on the kettlebell, rapidly extend your hips to come into a standing position. The kettlebell will swing from the momentum of your hips. This is a hip dominant exercise. The arms are only there to guide the kettlebell, not lift it. Repeat immediately.

If you don't have a kettlebell, Wolf says you can use a dumbbell or an object around the house that has weight, such as a jug of water or a weighted duffle bag."You want to push yourself for the full 15 seconds," advises Wolf. "Quality of movement is more important than the number of reps."

In and Out Workout

This exercise alternates between high-speed running and a light jog.

• Begin by running briskly for 200 meters (or 200 yards)
• Then slow your pace down to a jog for the next 200 meters (or 200 yards)
• Keep alternating for a total of two miles

If you're unable to go outside, you can do this workout indoors:

• Begin by running in place with high knees for 45 seconds
• Then take a 1-minute rest
• Keep alternating for 10 to 15 minutes

"When you're using a treadmill at the same exact speed for more than 20 minutes, you're probably working 50 to 60 percent of your maximum heart rate," says Wolf. "When you use these high-intensity workouts, you'll work 85 to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate. Training harder for a shorter amount of time massively improves aerobic capacity, maintains precious muscle and speeds up fat loss. You can choose one to do a day, and it will give you a quicker, more efficient workout than the steady state cardio on the treadmill."