New to HIIT or looking for novice workout ideas? You’re at the right spot! HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. That’s excellent training to get in shape quickly. Such exercises help to burn calories, improve endurance, and amp up your muscles.
HIIT workouts are quite versatile. You can adjust the pace, intensity, and frequency regarding your fitness level and goals. HIIT workout regimen is beneficial for overall health. Both rookie and experienced athletes can try intensive training. You can find bodyweight exercises that require no equipment. That’s a plus when planning a home gym on a budget.
The Main Types of Interval Training Workouts
The concept of HIIT workouts is performing high-intensity exercises with short rest periods throughout the training. That’s made to lose weight for a shorter period of time.
HIIT workout routine usually includes one to three times per week. More advanced sportsmen could do workouts every day. One session can last 10, 15, or 30 minutes. Depending on your goal and fitness level, perform one exercise for:
- 10 seconds;
- 20 seconds;
- 30 seconds;
- 45 seconds;
- or 60 seconds;
Don’t forget to rest between high-intensity workouts. A break usually takes 20-30 seconds of rest. Then you should start doing the next exercise quickly.
Some workouts are made to combine two exercises in one. Like 15 reps of bench press and 60 seconds of jumping jacks. That means you can mix workouts to adjust to your individual needs.
HIIT Workouts Benefits
Why is HIIT at the top of the agenda? That’s because it’s quite diverse and efficient. Here’s a list of HIIT workout benefits that are worth considering.
1. Burn Fat
HIIT workouts help to knock off an impressive amount of calories. One study compared various types of high-intensity interval training. They included jogging, cycling, weight lifting, and HIIT. The researchers concluded that the last one burned 25-30% more calories than the other types of exercise. The study involved HIIT with 20 seconds of max effort and 40 seconds of resting time.
Thus, HIIT workouts help you to decrease body fat and spend less time exercising. That’s a great cardio alternative to a rowing machine and a stair stepper.
2. Improve Metabolism
The calory burn is working even after the training. As your metabolic rate increases after exercising. Some researchers claim that HIIT workouts foster metabolism more than weight lifting and jogging.
Due to the high intensity of such exercises, HIIT activates metabolism immensely. This helps to burn fat for hours after the training is finished.
3. Foster Oxygen Consumption
When you workout, your body is working hard. More oxygen is produced so your muscles can work properly. Increased oxygen consumption is required to improve endurance.
Such exercises as running on a treadmill or cycling are long-session training. HIIT workouts can be as much efficient as cardio machines but in a shorter period of time. It improves oxygen consumption making your body more enduring.
4. Reduce Heart Rate
Another reason why HIIT is advantageous for fat loss is that it reduces heart rate as well as blood pressure. Thus, people struggling from overweight and obesity can find such exercises helpful.
5. Reduce Blood Sugar
HIIT is ideal to foster your heart health. Such a workout reduces blood sugar and improves insulin resistance. High-intensity training is great for people with diabetes or those who are in a risk group. The exercise is even more efficient for improving blood sugar than traditional cardio exercises.
Best HIIT Workout for Fat Loss and Muscle Gain
Warm-Up
- Head tilting – 1o reps.
- Neck rotation – 10 reps.
- Shoulder lifting – 10 reps.
- Wrist circles – 10 reps.
- Arm circles – 10 reps.
- Waist rotation – 10 reps.
- Ankle rotation – 10 reps.
- Touch-your-toes – 10 reps.
- Side lunges – 10 reps.
- Jogging on the spot – 10 reps.
- Standing side crunches – 10 reps.
HIIT Workout
Since you warm up your body, it’s time to work out. The following HIIT workout is friendly for the upper body and lower body. The session consists of 3 rounds that will take about 30 minutes. Such exercises are efficient for athletes of all fitness levels.
Round 1 Exercises
1. Burpees
Burpees are highly efficient as it’s a full-body exercise. It helps to activate a range of muscle groups in the arms, core, and legs. Burpees involve the shoulders, biceps, triceps, core, chest, quads, hamstrings, and more.
Get to the partial squat position. Squeeze your core and keep your back tight. Put your weight on your heels. The glutes are pushed out and the arms are in front of you. That’s your starting position.
Squat and touch the floor with your palms. You can place a yoga mat underneath for better gripping. The legs are extended behind you like in a plank position. The toes are touching the floor.
Do a push-up touching the mat with your chest. Your elbows are bent facing out. Then return to the squat position.
Jump and bring the legs next to the palms (like when you do a Squat Thrust). Do a jump squat next. Lift your hands up and jump.
1-2 min burpees are for a beginner level, 2 to 4 min are for advanced users.
2. High Knees
The idea of the exercise is to alternate raising your knees. Lift your knees as high as possible. This HIIT workout will make you sweaty for sure. Such an exercise involves the lower abs, hamstrings, quads, glutes, and calves.
Stand up with your feet shoulder-width apart. The toes are facing straight forward. Push out with your toes and jump. When jumping, raise your right leg with a bent knee. Then lower it back to the ground.
Do the same move with your left leg. Jump and raise the left leg with your knee bent. Lower it back and return to the standing position.
Keep in mind that high knees are performed at a high pace. This means as soon as you do the right leg, switch to the left one immediately. Alternate the legs during the exercise. The moves are closed to the jogging on the spot.
As for the arms, you may raise them when lifting your knees. So the palms are touching your knees.
2-3 minutes are enough for doing high knees.
3. Jumping Lunges
Jumping lunge is great to tone up your lower body and core. Here, the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core are engaged.
Stand up with your feet shoulder-width apart. Squeeze your core and keep your back straight. Place your right leg in front of you. Bent the knee and do the lunge. The femur of your left leg is perpendicular to the ground. Make sure the right knee doesn’t go over the toe line.
Jump by pushing your feet out. While jumping, place your left leg in front. And as soon as you land, do the lunge again. Your left leg is bent. The femur of the right leg is perpendicular to the ground.
Alternate the legs while performing lunge jumps. Keep the exercise at a high intensity. 1-2 minutes are enough for beginners. 3-4 minutes are required for advanced.
1 Minute Rest
Round 2 Exercises
4. Jumping Jacks
This exercise is easy to perform. Jumping Jacks engage a range of muscle groups including core, shoulders, upper back, quads, and hamstrings. Stand up with your feet hip-width apart. The face is looking straight forward.
Jump and split your feet apart on the sides. At the same time, raise your arms above your head. Jump again and return to the starting position. Your arms are lowered and your feet are hip-width apart.
Keep the pace at high speed. Don’t make long pauses between the jumps. Jumping Jacks are getting even more efficient with the help of battle ropes.
30 seconds are enough for beginner users and advanced is required to perform the exercise for up to 10 seconds.
10-20 Second Rest
5. Mountain Climbers
The Mountain Climber targets the muscles all over the body. These are the shoulders, abs, obliques, triceps, hamstrings, glutes, and quads.
Get on the mat into the plank position. Place your palms shoulder-width apart or wider. Brace your core and your back tight.
Pull the right knee up to the chest. Watch your hips are not raised. Get the right leg back to the starting position. Switch legs then. Pull the left leg to the chest with the knee bent. Get back to the starting point.
Do the Mountain Climbers at a high intensity. Don’t forget to squeeze your core. Advanced athletes can add resistance bands to the workout. Do the exercise for 30 to 45 seconds.
15 Seconds Rest
6. Jumping with a Rope
Rope jumping is another superb exercise for the full body. Such cardio requires a budget-friendly piece of equipment. You can perform rope jumping both inside and outside, it’s up to you. The core, biceps, hamstrings, glutes, quads, and calves are engaged here.
Stand straight with your feet hip-width apart or less. Hold the jump rope with one end in each hand. Your arms are bent with your elbows close to the torso.
Start rope jumping by raising your legs at the same time. Then you can switch to one-leg jumps. Alternate your right and left legs while performing.
First rope jumps may be clumsy with the rope tripping over. That is fine. You’ll improve your skill over time and end up with flawless jumping. Do the rope jumps for 45-60 seconds.
20 Seconds Rest
Round 3 Exercises
7. Push-Ups
Push-ups are great to train your core muscles. As well as biceps, triceps, shoulders, hamstrings, glutes, quads, and calves. Get a mat if needed to provide a solid grip.
Get to the plank with your hands shoulder-width apart or wider. The palms are placed flat on the floor with the fingers pointed ahead. There’s a straight line from your head to the heels.
Brace your core and keep your back tight. Start doing the push up by bending your elbows. The chest touches the floor. Make a pause for a second and straighten your arms back. Return to the starting point.
Beginners do the push-ups for 30 seconds. You can kneel on the floor if the exercise is too hard. Advanced athletes are required to perform the workout for 45 seconds. To make it more challenging, put dumbbells in your hands.
20 Seconds Rest
8. Dumbbell Lunges
Walking lunges is a great choice when it comes to lower-body workout. It targets the core, shoulders, hamstrings, glutes, quads, calves, and more. Add dumbbells to level up the exercise.
Stand up with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold the gear by the sides of the thighs. That’s your start point.
Get down on the right knee making a 90-degree angle. Brace your core and keep your back straight. The dumbbells are still by the sides. Make a pause for a second. Return to the standing position and line up your left foot with your right foot.
Step forward with your left leg. Do the same movement. Get down on the knee and lunge. Return to the standing position. Bring the right foot forward making the straight line with the left one.
When going down, make sure your knee doesn’t go over the toe line. And when standing up, squeeze your glutes.
Do the lunges with dumbbells for 45 seconds. You can use a kettlebell instead. Beginners can use no equipment at the start.
15-20 Second Rest
9. Renegade Rows
Another efficient exercise that involves using dumbbells. Place dumbbells in both hands. Get on the mat to the plank position. There should be a straight line from the neck to the lower back. Your arms are extended with palms facing the floor.
It’s recommended to use hexagonal weights for the renegade row. But round dumbbells are also ok. Your feet are spread shoulder-width apart or wider for a solid base.
Brace your core while doing the exercise. Lift one arm so the weight is by your chest with the elbow pointed up. Slowly lower your body and get back to the starting point. Then switch hands.
Do the renegade rows for 30 seconds at the beginner level and for 45 seconds at the advanced level.
10 Min HIIT Workout for Fat Loss With No Equipment
The following HIIT workout is ideal to burn lots of calories for a short period of time. You’ll need only 10 minutes to complete it. Besides, it doesn’t require any equipment. So you can perform the exercises at your home gym or garage.
Each of the exercises mentioned below lasts for 1 minute. 10 exercises per 1 minute take 10 minutes overall. You can do it every day at any place you want.
- Jumping high knees – 60 seconds.
- Squats – 60 seconds.
- Push-ups – 60 seconds.
- Jogging on the spot – 60 seconds.
- Walking lunges – 60 seconds.
- Crunches – 60 seconds.
- Jogging on the spot – 60 seconds.
- Tricep dips – 60 seconds.
- Burpees – 60 seconds.
- Plank – 60 seconds.
Get in Shape with HIIT Workouts
High intensity interval training is a great way to lose weight and tone your muscles. The benefits of HIIT workout is tremendous. The exercises activate muscles all over the body. They help to achieve incredible fitness goals in a short period of time.
HIIT workouts are especially advantageous for those who are short of time. There are workout plans to perform for 10, 15, and 30 minutes. That’s an excellent option for a home gym. As a big number of exercises can be done with no equipment. HIIT is quite versatile making it accessible for people of all fitness levels.