There’s a reason it’s nicknamed the ‘dreadmill’: The cardio machine, though reliable, can seem to some to be a bit dull, a bit one-dimensional. But according to group fitness instructor and full-time treadmill coach David Siik, this machine is what you make of it, and a little creativity is all that it takes to take your treadmill session from boring to body-changing. Watch the video to see him demonstrate these moves during a late-night rooftop session, and then follow the tips below to integrate them into your own repertoire.

(1) Side Shuffles: “I recommend people keep their speed between 2.5-4.0. Going too slow actually makes it more difficult for a lot of people. Starting out in a fast walk, grab onto the front of the treadmill with your left hand and turn clockwise into the shuffle. Hold on until you feel comfortable and eventually you’ll be able to use no hands, which is better for your form. Just keep your shoulders up pushing off with the leg on the back of the treadmill. It also important to do both sides the same amount of time as the push-off leg does more of the work.”

(2) Plank With Push-Offs: “On a Woodway treadmill, get into DYNAMIC MODE. Push the ON button and before doing anything hold down the + and the – speed buttons simultaneously until the treadmill flashes and beeps (you will feel the belt disengage). You are then ready to start. With your feet on the floor behind the treadmill, get into a plank with your elbows on treadmill, or get into a straight-arm plank with hands on treadmill (this will be a slight incline plank). Then get up onto your hands if not already (into a push-up position with feet still on floor) and begin pushing the treadmill forward, like a bear crawl. Be sure to keep the length of push very small and compact. This is a very advanced exercise and requires good shoulder strength and stability. An easier way to do this is to drop to your knees, put one hand on side of treadmill and simply push the treadmill forward 5 times with one hand, then switch and push off with other hand 5 times. First-timers should try it this way. You can alternate between a short set of push-off crawls and stationary incline plank.”

(3) Mountain Climbers: “Set the treadmill to Dynamic Mode. This is the reverse position from the plank set above: Your feet are set about in the middle of the treadmill with your hands on the floor in a push-up position. Make sure your arms are straight down underneath your shoulders. Gripping the belt with your toes, begin mountain climbing, pushing the treadmill away from you.”

(4) Pike: “Set the treadmill to Dynamic Mode. Again, this is the reverse position from the plank set above: Your feet are set about in the middle of the treadmill with your hands on the floor in a push-up position. Make sure your arms are straight down underneath your shoulders. Gripping with your toes, simply pull the treadmill backwards as your hips raise, eventually rising to top and into pike position. If you have good stability and strength you can hold at the top for a few seconds and gently return to first position (pushing the treadmill forward as your body straightens back out). This is also a great opportunity to do a few decline pushups after you return to straight arm plank.”

(5) Self-Propelled Sprints: “Get into Dynamic Mode again. Add a little incline of 3-8%, grip the handles in the middle of the treadmill and begin running while pushing/holding onto the treadmill with the hands. Be sure to keep your shoulders up and your body closer to front of treadmill (instead of extending your arms and compromising your back). I recommend a person does only 30 seconds or less of sprinting, then walk it out, then repeat as desired. They are very difficult and simulate pushing a sled, as you must push you own body weight! An important thing to remember is that the more incline you keep, the easier you actually make it (gravity helps you move the treadmill). The most difficult way to do this is on a 0% incline.”

What do dancers, ball players, pregnant women and runners all have in common? They utilize the pool. Specifically, they take advantage of the cardio and cross-training benefits of deep water running. “Ballerinas, basketball players—I’ve had them all in my pool,” says deep water running coach and founder of Blue Ocean Swimming, Robert Valentin. 

Unlike shallow water running, where athletes run across the bottom of the pool, deep water running offers no impact whatsoever. In fact, you don’t even want to move from your initial starting spot. “With deep water running, the goal is to stay stationary,” explains Valentin. “Instead of mimicking land running motions in the water, in deep water running you run with a straight leg. You want your body to be really tall; your core should be tight, shoulders in line with your hips, knees relaxed and toes pointed like a ballerina,” says Valentin. “People naturally close their fists, but you want to keep them open. This allows you to get the most resistance possible.” 

A typical deep water running session consists of four gaits: a four-foot stride “power walk,” three-foot stride “run” (which simulates running on flat ground), a two-foot wide “uphill” and a one-foot wide “downhill” (quick flutter kicks). Think of your hip as the centerline: You’re trying to move your arms and feet past the centerline, forward and backward, depending on the stride length. Meaning, a two-foot stride would require moving your arms and legs two feet back and forth past your hip. 

Constantly fighting against the water’s resistance while trying to stay tall and increase your cadence during each gait is anything but easy. “Deep water running quickly reveals imbalances,” says Valentin. “Any weakness in your core, glutes, hamstrings or hips will translate to the pool. You’ll find yourself drifting forward, backward or from side to side.” To combat this, it’s essential to wear a flotation device, which helps keep you afloat, making it easier to maintain proper form. 

For runners in particular, “not only can you get your heart rate up just as much as on land, but the cooling effect of the water also helps you recover faster,” says Valentin. Fighting to keep good posture in the pool will also carry over to the concrete. “You’re fighting the resistance of the water, just imagine how that would benefit you when you’re up against air.” 

Below, Valentin shares a sample workout:

Warm Up:

1 minute power walk (count and maintain the same cadence every 15 seconds)

45 seconds flat run (count and maintain the same cadence every 15 seconds)

30 seconds uphill (count and increase the same cadence every 15 seconds)

15 seconds downhill (count and maintain the same cadence every 15 seconds)

Set #1:

Uphill 45 seconds x 15 seconds rest, repeated four times (increase each set’s cadence number by 2)

Repeat above set going downhill (1-foot strides, hands sideways, slicing past the hips)

Set #2:

1 minute flat run x 30 seconds uphill x 30 seconds downhill, repeated twice (hold a steady cadence on the 1-minute runs and get faster every 10 seconds on the 30-second run)

1 minute power walk recovery

Set #3:

50 seconds uphill (getting faster every 10 seconds) x 10 seconds rest, repeated three times

Cool Down:

Easy power walk

For years, there were a half dozen or so strong predictors of how likely someone might be to develop cardiovascular disease, including whether he or she carried weight in the midsection versus in the legs, if there was a family history, if he or she smoked, and the list, they say, goes on.

But relatively new-ish research suggests there’s one more pretty significant predictor that we shouldn’t overlook: grip strength. In a study published in the Lancet, researchers found that grip strength is a simple and powerful way to predict one’s risk of death and cardiovascular disease. (The study also showed that grip strength is an even stronger predictor of death than systemic blood pressure.) Physicians and researchers reason that if one’s grip strength is weak, it’s very likely other areas of the body—read: your heart—are weak, as well.

Which is not good news for most people including Millennials, who, according to a study published earlier this year in the Journal of Hand Therapy, have significantly weaker hand grips than their 1985 counterparts. (Participants for the study were under 30 years of age for men and between the ages of 20-24 for women.)

Like many conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, weak grip strength can be improved through simple and consistent exercise. “Grip strength goes beyond simply being able to hold a dumbbell for a longer set of reps,” explains Matt Delaney, a Tier X coach at Equinox’s Columbus Circle location. “Improving your grip strength can serious change your overall health for the better.”

Beefing up your grip strength is relatively easy, says Delaney. “You can easily incorporate strengthening exercises into your regular gym routine.” For example, Delaney recommends Farmer’s Walks or walking lunges with dumbbells or kettlebell swings to increase grip strength while exercising. Or, he adds, work it into everyday tasks. “The same tools you use in the gym, you can also mimic in real life. Carrying grocery bags to your car as opposed to using a shopping cart is similar to carrying dumbbells. Or, something as simple as carrying a laundry basket up and down the stairs can help bump up grip strength over time.”

Increasing grip strength can also significantly improve your workout intensity, adds Delaney. “When you have a stronger grip, you can hold onto a pull-up bar longer, which means you can crank out more pull-ups.” It also equates to being able to hold heavier weights during exercises like walking and static lunges or squats as well as Farmer’s Walks. “Grip strength is one of those small but often overlooked things that you can improve that can affect your health in major ways.”

Squeezing in cardio on your summer share is a breeze—running on the beach, swimming in the ocean and biking down the boardwalk are just a few available options. But if you also want to strength train while you’re on holiday, you should look no further than your own body and that beautiful deck behind your house. “This workout is comprised of functional, performance-based movements that test your balance, improve your mobility and strengthen everything you want (shoulders, back, arms, abs, glutes, legs) without the need for any equipment,” says its creator, Ted Gjone, fitness manager at Equinox Brookfield Place in New York City.

Perform this workout as a circuit, moving from one exercise to the next with little or no rest between each, two or three times a week. Start with as many reps as you can (aim for at least 8 per exercise), and then increase that number as you progress. Do 2 or 3 sets total, with 1:00 to 1:30 minutes rest between each.

1. Bulgarian Split Squat

Stand in front of lounge chair (or bench) with feet hip-width apart, hands fisted under chin, elbows by sides. Place ball of right foot on top of lounge chair behind you, and then squat down, keeping back tall and bending knees until right knee taps ground; push through your heel to return to start. Do 10 to 15 reps, switch sides and repeat.

2. Pistol Squat

Stand on a short wall (or bench), balancing on your left foot, with right leg hanging off the side and arms extended at shoulder level in front of you. Keeping chest up, abs engaged and shoulders down, squat, bending left knee, as you begin to lift extended right leg straight out in front of you. Slowly return to start, lowering your arms down to sides, and kick right leg slightly behind you. Do 10 to 15 reps; switch sides and repeat.

3. Skater Hops

Stand with feet hip-width apart, elbows bent by sides. Jump over to left with left leg, lifting right leg slightly behind you as you swing right arm in front of you; left arm behind you. Immediately jump right leg over to right, swinging left leg and right arm behind you; left arm in front. Continue jumping from side to side for 20 to 30 reps total (10 to 15 each side). *Note: Start with smaller hops, getting bigger as you go.

4. Staggered Push-Ups

Start in push-up position (legs extended behind you, abs engaged, back flat), with your hands staggered—right hand in front, under shoulder, left hand back, with fingertips in line with right wrist. Bend elbows behind you, lowering chest toward floor, maintaining a straight line from head to toe. Push back up to start. Do 10 to 15 reps; switch hand positions (left hand in front; right in back) and repeat.

5. Superman Back Extension with Arm Variation

Lie face-down with arms extended overhead. Keeping gaze down and core engaged, slowly lift both your arms and your legs toward the sky (as if you’re flying like Superman). Once you reach your maximum height, extend arms out to sides at shoulder level, and then send them all the way behind you, lifting chest even higher. Reverse motion back to start. Do 10 to 15 reps.

6. Single-Leg Bridge

Lie face-up with right foot on the edge of a bench (or short table), left leg extended diagonally toward sky and arms extended out to sides with palms up, hands in line with hips. Press into foot and squeeze glutes as you lift hips toward ceiling, until you form a diagonal line from shoulders to toes. Lower back down to start. Do 10 to 15 reps; switch sides and repeat.

7. Dead Bug with Straight Legs

Lie face-up with legs extended over hips, arms extended over shoulders. Engage abs as you slowly lower right arm and left leg toward ground, keeping both straight (like a dead bug). Return to start and immediately repeat on other side; lowering left arm and right leg. Continue alternating for 10 to 15 reps each side (20 to 30 total).