HIIT workouts are great if you want to get fitter, stronger and leaner. If you're interested read HIIT Workout without weights,
So you want a workout that gets you fitter, stronger and leaner. And what’s more you want it to be quick and something you can do in the comfort of your own living room.
A home workout that
helps with weight loss, fat loss and body composition.
Does that sound
good?
Does is sound too
good to be true?
Well, it’s not.
Bodyweight HIIT workouts can be done in just 15 minutes. Don’t need any equipment or much space. And are very, very, very effective.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s do this….
HIIT training, or
high intensity interval training, isn’t just about showing up and
jumping on a cardio machine for 30 minutes.
It’s about pushing
yourself.
Pushing yourself
harder than you, probably, ever have.
It’s tough.
You have to get your heart rate up to 80-90% of it’s maximum. And for those of you who don’t know much about heart rate….imagine running for a bus, up hill. it’s going to be beating very quickly and you’re going to be gasping for breath.
But, it is only for a short period. At a maximum 45 seconds of work. Which is followed by a few seconds of rest.
Intense work followed by short rest periods. Rinse and repeat. For about an hour.
It’s that simple.
If you’re wondering why the f*****g hell you’d do that to yourself, it’s because HIIT workouts are effective.
They are amazing if you’re trying to lose weight. If you want your body to look leaner, maybe lose the baby weight once and for all, HIIT is the workout for you.
Not least because you don’t actually have to workout for that long. So it’s great for us mama’s who don’t have a great deal of time to play with.
Because let’s face it gone are the days of heading to the gym for an hour to workout. We’re struggling to fit in a workout after the kids go to bed.
HIIT is great, but it’s not a case of more is better. More is just more.
More tiredness. More exhaustion. Not what you’re hoping for.
It’s because HIIT is a tough workout. You’re are working to near exhaustion. You really don’t want to be doing that every day.
Make sure you have at least one day in between each workout. A day where you’re doing something called active rest.
Yes I know, active rest isn’t rest, it’s just working out and a low intensity.
I hear you.
But, I think active rest describes what you’ll be doing quite well.
Don’t think flopping on the sofa binge watching NetFlix, if only the opportunity would arise, think going for a gentle walk.
Doing a bit of yoga.
A gentle swim.
Movement, to get your limbs and your muscles moving. But gently.
HIIT on it’s own isn’t enough.
You need to do some strength training as well.
The strength
training can use a very similar format to HIIT, if you want it to,
but you do need to build your muscles as well as burn fat.
So make sure you
include some old fashioned weight training in your HIIT workout plan.
There is lots and lots and lots, I’d go as far as say tons, of equipment out there that is great for HIIT workouts.
Battle ropes, kettlebells, jump ropes, rowing machines.
There are so many really great pieces of equipment you could use.
But, and yes there’s always a but, you don’t NEEN any.
You don’t need anything, just your own body weight.
Bodyweight exercises, are a natural pair to HIIT workouts. No equipment workout, you can do anywhere.
So, don’t think you need to go spending lots of money on fancy equipment. Because you don’t need it.
HIIT exercises are
very intense.
You’re going to be
doing them very quickly, so please make sure you can do all of these
exercises with good form.
If you’re not sure then please do consult a qualified personal trainer. If you can’t, or don’t want to see anyone locally then do get in touch. We can go through each movement together to make sure you’ve got them down.
The set up for a
jump squat is very similar to a regular squat.
Standing tall with
your feet hip-width apart, engaging your core, bending your knees and
hips so your bum sinks back and down.
As you come into the
lower squat position, hold that position for a brief moment whilst
you check your core is engaged, and then jump up explosively. Landing
with soft knees back in the lower squat position.
Repeat for the
required number of reps, or the specified time.
Air squats are just
regular squats without weights.
Standing tall with
your feet hip-width apart, engage your core.
Bend your knees and
your hips so that your bum sinks back and down. Keeping sinking until
your knees are about 45 degrees and your thighs are parallel with the
floor.
Return to the
standing position by pushing through your heels.
Make sure your chest
is lifted throughout the movement.
High knees is like
running on the spot. I want you to think of that motion.
Standing tall with
your feet about hip-width apart, engage your core. Lift your right
leg, bending your knee, until your thigh is roughly parallel to the
floor, then place your right foot back on the floor.
Repeat with your
left leg.
Do this quickly. As
I said, this is like running on the spot.
These are also known
as a lateral lunge, just in case you come across them elsewhere.
Stand with your feet
hip-width apart and engage your core.
Step your right foot
out to the side taking a wide stance. Bend your right knee and hips
and sink your bum back.
Keep your left leg
straight.
Return to the
starting position by pushing through your right heel.
Repeat on the other side.
Start in a high
plank position on the balls of your feet, hands under your shoulders
and core engaged.
Bring your right
knee up to your torso between your arms. Return your foot to the
floor and repeat with your left knee.
This should be a
really quick movement.
Think high knees,
running on the spot, but in a plank position.
Starting in a high
plank position, similar to mountain climbers, on the balls of your
feet, hands under your shoulders and core engaged.
Bend your elbows
back keeping them close to your body.
Keep bending until
your upper body is close to the floor, but not touching it.
Push back up by
straightening your elbows.
Push ups are really hard. Focus on getting your torso as close to the floor as you can. If you need to put your knees down then do that. It’s better to do that than a full push up but only lowering slightly.
Sitting on the floor
and extend your legs out in front of you. Make sure your heels are
touching the floor and there’s a slight bend in your knees.
Put your hands
behind you with your fingers facing your hips.
Engage your core and
lift your bum off the floor. Start walking forward by stepping your
left hand and right foot, then your right hand and left foot.
Keep going for the
required time.
Sit on the edge of a
chair, step, table or park bench.
Place your hands
either side of your hips with your fingers pointing towards your
feet.
Slide forward so
that your bum and back are clear of whatever you’re sitting on.
Breathe in, engage
your core and lower yourself until your elbows are bent at a
90-degree angle.
Breathe out and push
yourself back up until your arms are almost straight.
Repeat.
Come to the floor on
your hands and knees. Hands under your shoulders and knees about
hip-width apart.
Engage your core and
raise your knees slightly off the floor.
Move forward by
stepping your right foot and left hand, and then left hand and right
foot.
Make sure your knees stay off the floor.
This is also known
as a low plank.
Laying face down on
the floor, feet together, bring your elbows under your shoulders,
hands flat on the floor.
Engage your core, glutes and lower back and raise up onto the balls of your feet.
Hold this position for the required amount of time.
Ah burpees, the
exercise everybody loves to hate.
Stand with your feet
shoulder-width apart and engage your core.
Lower into a squat
position and place your hands on the floor. Jump your legs back,
you’re now in a high plank position. Lower your upper body to the
floor as you would in a push up.
Push yourself back
up to high plank, jump your feet forward and take your hands of the
floor. You’re now in a low squat position.
From here jump up,
landing with soft knees back in the low squat position and repeat.
The classic plank
but turned on it’s side.
Lie on your right
side with your feet together, one on top of the other.
Raise up onto your
right forearm or hand, engage your core and then raise your hips off
the floor. Make sure your body is in a straight line from your head
to your feet.
Hold this position
before repeating on the left side.
For ease, I’ve
kept the structure of this workout the same but I’ve broken it down
into a lower body set, an upper body set and an abdominal set. Doing
all three together will give you a great full-body workout.
Each set is 15
minutes, including the rest, so if that’s all you have time for do
one set and come back and do the others later in the week.
If you’ve got a
bit longer then do more sets. Simple.
Each set is two
exercises, a cardio and a strength one. The amount of time for the
cardio changes while the strength stays the same.
So it will look
like:
Rest for 1 minute.
If you want to make it tougher, increase the timing of the strength exercise as well as the cardio. Or add in some weight for the strength.
Rest for 1 minute before moving on to the next pair.
Set one
Set two
Set one
Set two
Set one
Set two
HIIT workouts are
amazing. There’s no getting away from it.
They’re
challenging. They’re fun. They’re effective.
If you have body composition goals, then including a HIIT workout in your plan is going to get you there that much faster.
So why not give this full-body workout a go?
Let me know how you get on…
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