My goal with this routine was a smart, sweaty and challenging HIIT workout that could be done anywhere. This HIIT cardio puts gym cardio equipment to shame! It's a bonus that you can do it in your own living room, or even a hotel room if you happen to be traveling.
Related: 4 Week Bodyweight Only Workout Program
All of the muscles - lower, upper and core - will be at least lightly worked throughout this routine, but the butt and thighs are what take the brunt of the punishment. I was sore for 4 days after this workout! While sticking to the advanced modifications leads to a brutal workout for both muscles and lungs, you can take it down a notch by following along with the low impact modifications. Feel free to switch back and forth between the two as you need to to properly challenge yourself.
HIIT cardio is excellent for burning fat, boosting endurance, and even building lean muscle. There's a long list of health benefits associated with HIIT and the moves we use here are great for increasing coordination, speed, and control over your own body. While I consider it one of the most effective ways to train, you also don't want to overdue it; HIIT should not be done more than 3 times a week. Remember, more is not necessarily better when it comes to training. More: What is HIIT and how do I use it in my training?
The purpose of high intensity interval training (HIIT) is to push yourself hard, but you don't want to make yourself sick - despite what seemingly every fitness oriented tv show portrays, it is NOT a good thing to puke during a workout. Pushing yourself in a smart way is a bit of an art form; you should feel uncomfortable, you should be breathing hard enough that talking is very difficult, and it's just fine to push through burning muscles - but you shouldn't feel any "bad" pain, and you shouldn't lose your lunch. More: How to "Listen to Your Body" During a Workout - When to Stop & When to Keep Pushing
As you start to get tired, you will also need to watch your form, especially on some of the tougher exercises; being completely fatigued and pushing through with poor form can easily end in injury. Short breaks and a focus on clean movements can help spare you from otherwise avoidable injuries that might sideline your fitness goals. In other words; I want to encourage you to push hard, but also to respect your body and the messages it sends.
About this workout:
Start off with a light cardio warm up, then onto a fat burning HIIT cardio workout before a thorough cool down and stretch. You wont need any equipment and there are advanced and low impact modifications provided all throughout (stick with the low impact mods to make this an apartment friendly workout).
Cardio Warm Up
Roughly 6 Minutes
25 Seconds per interval
Printable HIIT Workout
20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest, x3 per interval
Skater Jump Burst
Twist Jump Drops
Jumping Lunge + 2 Lifts
Plank Jack Spider Hops
2 Hooks + 2 Upper Cuts + 2 Jumping Jacks
Squat Hold + Up or Down (same concept as our "When I Say Jump" workouts)
Water Break
Plank Taps + Lifts
Squat Jack + Kicks
Bicycle Crunches
3 Ducks + Side Kick
Up and Out Jacks
3 Squat Hops + Jump
Jumping Lunge or Split Jumps
Squat Pulses
Cool Down & Stretch
I ended up loving this workout. I swear that every fiber of my glutes were sore for days afterwards - it was a very, very thorough sore. I do love that feeling though, so I'm not complaining. I will definitely come back to this workout. Especially considering it has everything I need in under 40 minutes.
What did you think of this workout? Were you sore afterwards? Did you have a favorite out of the new exercise combinations? Let me know what you'd like to see next - speak up, we listen!