Easy HIIT Workouts at Home
Looking to spice up your workout routine? You may want to give HIIT, or High Intensity Interval Training, a try. HIIT is more about a modality than a specified workout, so you there’s a wide range of possibilities when choosing your exercises. For some you may need equipment, but there are plenty you can do in the comfort of your own home.
Why HIIT?
While words like “high” and “intense” may seem intimidating, we can’t recommend enough that you give HIIT a try. While there’s nothing wrong with going out for a light jog, it doesn’t work your body in the same way. HIIT is characterized by periods of intense efforts, followed by short rest periods, before sweating it out again. This ends up burning more calories than traditional workouts in the bursts of activity. More than that, it even continues to burn calories post-workout via the afterburn effect. Check out the exercises below and get excited about working out again!
An important note – many experts recommend capping your HIIT workouts at 30 minutes, with substantial rest periods. For example, in a 30 minute workout, a typical breakdown would be to do three sessions of 5 minutes, broken up by an equal time of rest in between. A 1:1 activity to rest ratio gives your body enough time to recover before the next big push. You could even push for one minute and then take one minute off, It’s just a matter of finding the rhythm that works best for you while keeping a safe ratio. Keep in mind, if you’re new to HIIT, there’s nothing wrong with starting at a 1:2 or even 1:3 ratio instead.
Intense Variations on Classics
You’re probably familiar with traditional exercises, like push-ups, crunches, and maybe even burpees. Switching to a HIIT workout can be as easy as putting a new twist on some of these old classics.
- Like pushing your limits with push ups? Try a plyo push up instead, where you use a burst of energy to raise your hands off the floor on the way up. If that sounds too hard, there are plenty of other push up variations to try, too.
- Are crunches your go-to? Try Russian twists instead. Get into sit up position, put your hands at your chest, and start twisting from side to side to work your core. Flutter kicks are another option here, too.
- Starting to find burpees easy? Try some single-leg burpees instead, where you hop back and push yourself up with only one leg at a time.
- Want to add some oomph to your squats? Try some squat thrusts, where you hop back into a planking position when you reach the bottom of the squatting motion.
- Are you a big fan of jumping jacks? Try some star jumps instead. Start with your arms and legs straight, and then jump up and make a star with your limbs!
Repurpose Your Usual Workouts
Since HIIT is more about pushing yourself harder than traditional workouts, a totally valid option is to restructure your usual workouts. If you’re a runner, try sprinting for a short distance before cooling down with a walk, and then repeat. You may not get as far before tiring out, but you’ll be working harder along the way. The same principle can apply to ellipticals, spin bikes, or whatever your favorite exercise machine is. Instead of a slow grind, just alternate between pushing yourself and taking a quick rest.
