HIIT workouts are all the rage these days. You can do them at home and burn some serious calories with minimal to no equipment.
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But what is HIIT and why does everyone love it?
HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training and sounds exactly the way it reads. It’s a timed workout where you repeat intense exercise movements for a certain amount of time paired with short recovery breaks in between each rep.
HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training and sounds exactly the way it reads. It’s a timed workout where you repeat intense exercise movements for a certain amount of time paired with short recovery breaks in between each rep.
An example would be doing jumping jacks for 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off repeated four times through.
Men and women love it because the burn is real, meaning TONED MUSCLES and fitness levels increase will shed off some serious fat and calories! That’s not even the best part. These workouts never get boring!
While there are so many options to choose from for full-body HIIT workouts, you can actually customize your HIIT workouts to focus on one area of the body. You can do a HIIT upper-body series, lower-body series, or ab circuit series.
Full-body though, is always recommended for max results and you can keep it creative by switching up the order of exercises and what you do.
Benefits of a HIIT workout
There are so many benefits that come from doing a HIIT workout. The list goes on forever but here a few of the core benefits.
- You can burn A LOT of calories in a short amount of time. Some people hate dragged out workouts. HIT is PERFECT for this.
- Your metabolism increases during the workout and STAYS increased HOURS AFTER your finish. A study study showed just TWO minutes of HIIT increased metabolism over 24 hours as much as 30 minutes of running.
- It’s great for fat burning. Recent studies have shown that HIIT workouts have burned more fat than some of the other alternative exercises due to the metabolism factor.
- It can reduce heart rate and blood pressure. This is because HIIT really works on your endurance and your ability to absorb oxygen. Over time it increases.
There are so many more benefits than just these reasons listed. NOW WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Get to it and see the results for yourself!
Below is an 18 minute HIIT workout that really torches the calories and keeps you burning some more even after finishing. It may be hard but anything worth doing poses a challenge and the results will show!
Before getting started
Let’s note a few important things before you start.
- HIIT workouts are ALL about the INTENSITY. That’s why these are timed exercises. Speeding up or slowing down to increase or lower the number of reps for your preferred fitness level is completely encourage. (Max results when you push yourself).
- If you want to use weights, stay light. Fatigue sets in early and you need to be able to move them quickly. (5-10 dumbbells are recommended).
- We always need to warm up so we don’t push ourselves too soon and cause injury.
- All versions of exercises can be modified to an easier exercise.
- You should grab water on your 30-second breaks.
Ready? Let's do it!
Below you'll find the workout with list of exercises, number of reps and sets, and a description and demo of each exercise.
*Substitute modified exercises will be listed underneath where applicable.
La rutina HIIT
Circuit 1 (Warm-up)
Follow the 1-4 sequence till completion then repeat once
Total sets: 2
- Run in place for 30 seconds
- 15 second rest
- 30 seconds of inchworms
- 15 second rest
Run in place | 30 seconds
Move your feet in place as if you were running. You can take small steps forward and backward if you prefer.
Inchworms | 30 seconds
Start standing straight up. Lower your hands to the ground where your feet are. You may need a slight bend in your knees to be able to comfortably touch the ground.
When your hands are on the ground walk your hands out forward until you are in a straight arm plank position. Once you reach this position, walk your feet to your hands.
Circuit 2
ircuit 2: Follow the 1-3 sequence till completion then repeat once.
Total sets: 2
- Squat to star jump for 30 seconds
- 15 second rest
- 45 segundos de curls martillo alternados con patadas hacia atrás
- 15 second rest
Squat to star jump | 30 seconds
Squat down with each arm aiming to touch the outside of your ankles. For the squat, you should try to lower to 90 degrees while keeping good form. This means knees over ankles, feet shoulder-width apart.
Once you lower to your 90 degrees, EXPLODE UP into a star jump. A star jump is when you do essentially a modified jumping jack in the air so you kick your legs and arms out and look like a star. Upon landing, you will absorb and go right back into the squat. This should be a continuous explosive movement.
Modifier
You can do a squat to leg touch. Instead of jumping simply tap your right foot a foot length to your side, bring it back to the middle, then tap your left foot.
Rest for 15 seconds.
Hammer curl with buttkicks 45 seconds
Hammer curls with butt kicks can be done with or without weight. Hammer curls are when you hold dumbbells with straight arms, palms facing away towards you.
Take one arm at a time, bend at the elbow and lift the weight up towards your shoulder, ONLY moving the part of the arm below the elbow.
While you alternate doing these you should be doing butt kicks so that the opposite leg is curling to your butt while your arm curls to your shoulder. Alternate in a quick speed fashion.
Descansa 30 segundos entre el circuito 2 y 3.
Circuit 3
Follow the 1-3 sequence till completion then repeat once.
Total sets: 2
- Alternating jumping split squats for 30 seconds
- 15 second rest
- Reverse fly for 45 seconds
- 15 second rest
Alternating jumping split squats | 30 seconds
Alternating jumping lunges are when you jump from one split squat position to the other. The two positions are simply one where the right foot is in the front and the other where the left foot is the front.
To find a good split squat position, you should kneel with your right foot up. Move your left foot back slightly so you are in a lung with your knee down.
Now lift your knee up a few inches. This is your lunge or split squat position. Jump up out of the position so you land with your other food in from. Your knee should not touch the ground while jumping. That is just to find your position the first time.
Modifier
Regular walking lunges is fine if the jumping is too much stress.
Rest for 15 seconds.
Reverse fly | 45 seconds
To do a reverse fly, grab your weights. Stand tall at first then bend your knees and push your butt back as if someone is pulling you slightly backward with a rope from your tailbone. Lean slightly forward so your chest is almost parallel to the ground.
Now keep your head locked with your eyes straight forward to the ground. Your elbows should have a slight bend in them and your palms should be facing each other. The weights will be touching for your starting position.
Move the weights away from each other in the opposite direction while keeping your position. Your arms should eventually be parallel with your chest as if you are opening your arms wide to hug someone. Then bring them back down together and repeat this motion.
Descansa 30 segundos entre el circuito 3 y 4.
Circuito 4
Circuit 4: Follow the 1-3 sequence till completion then repeat once.
Total sets: 2
- Mountain climbers for 30 seconds
- 15 second rest
- Burpees with push-up for 45 seconds
Mountain climbers | 30 seconds
This core exercise will be felt early on. It’s important to keep good form.
Start in a plank position with your arms straight rather than on your elbows. Or the top of a push-up position.
Bring your right knee to your right elbow. Keep your back flat and switch your legs in a quick motion so your left knee is to your left elbow and your right knee is back straight. Only one leg should be touching the ground at a time.
Continue to alternate each knee to the elbow until the time is up. This is a mountain climber.
Modifier
Holding the top of the pushup while squeezing your core and a flat back is a good starting place for those who can’t do mountain climbers.
Descansa 15 segundos
Burpees with push-up | 45 seconds
First let’s start with the burpees. To do a burpee stand in a tall position. Jump up with your hands reaching overhead. Land and bend down so your hands touch the floor. When your hands are on the floor jump both feet back at the same time into a plank position (top of a pushup).
Now that you are in the pushup position do a pushup. Once you are back at the top of the plank jump your feet back to your hands and immediately jump upwards again reaching your hands to the ceiling. This is a burpee with a pushup.
Modifier
If you can’t do a pushup you can either do regular burpees or do pushups on your knees.
Descansa 30 segundos entre el circuito 4 y 5.
Circuit 5
Circuit 5: Follow the 1-3 sequence till completion then repeat once.
Total sets: 2
- 30 segundos de rodillas arriba (“high knees”)
- 15 second rest
- Squat to overhead press for 45 seconds
High knees | 30 seconds
This is almost like running in place except you will bringing your knees up towards your chest. Stand tall and lift your right knee up so your leg makes a 90-degree angle. Your knee should be lifted to just below your belly button.
Now jump and place your right foot down at the same time while bringing your left knee up. This is high knees when you do it in a continuous motion.
Rest for 15 seconds.
Squat to overhead press | 45 seconds
Grab your dumbbells and lift them so they are almost resting on your shoulders with your elbows bent. Palms should be facing each other on either side of your head.
Para el ejercicio press de hombros (“overhead press”), simplemente las levantarás desde el hombro hasta por encima de la cabeza. Cuando las lleves de vuelta a tus hombros, te pondrás en cuclillas de manera simultánea. Cuando subas de la sentadilla, harás un press de hombros simultáneamente.
Descansa 30 segundos entre el circuito 5 y 6.
Circuit 6
Circuit 6: Follow the 1-3 sequence till completion then repeat once.
Total sets: 2
- Lateral bounds for 30 seconds
- 15 second rest
- Side plank for 20 seconds, 5 seconds switch, 20 seconds on the other side
Lateral Bounds | 30 seconds
Lateral bounds are a single leg jumping motion.
To start balance on your left foot with your right foot hanging slightly behind off the ground. Have a little bend in the knee.
Jump laterally to land on your right foot and leave your left foot dangling behind. The goal is to get distance and vertical height. The more athletic you are the more you can push yourself in and out of a lower single leg squat position.
Modifier
If this is too much stress on your joints, running in place or single leg hops are a good substitute.
Rest for 15 seconds.
Side plank | 20 seconds each side
Lay flat on your right side with your feet stacked upon one another. Bring your right elbow below you so it’s at a perpendicular angle to your body or 90-degrees.
Raise your hips up to come off the ground in a straight line. Your left arm can balance on your left hip. This is a side plank. You will alternate sides.
YOU MADE IT! Now make sure to cool down properly and rehydrate.
By:
Caty
Caty is a blogger and certified personal trainer. She loves designing workouts for different age groups.
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