High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves alternating short bursts of all-out effort with brief periods of active rest. This approach pushes your body to work harder than it typically would during steady-state cardio. The principle behind HIIT is that exercise intensity and duration should have an inverse relationship; the harder you work, the shorter the duration of your workout.
To help you maximize the benefits of HIIT, we consulted with experts in the field, including George “Hit” Richards, a celebrity fitness trainer and calisthenics expert; Pete Bommarito, C.S.C.S., U.S.A.W., a certified MAT Jumpstart Specialist and owner of Bommarito Performance Systems; and James Banks, CPT. Together, they’ve designed a variety of interval workouts aimed at burning fat, building muscle, and enhancing sports performance.
With these HIIT workouts, you’ll engage all the major muscle groups while reaping a multitude of health benefits. Whether you’re looking to shed pounds, increase your strength, or improve your athletic performance, HIIT can be an effective and efficient training method to help you achieve your fitness goals.
10 HIIT Workouts to Get You Shredded Fast
1. Burpee Interval Workout
Complete the following circuit 4 times, resting for 1 minute after the burpees in each round. This workout is designed to elevate your heart rate, build strength, and improve endurance.
Pull-Ups
Reps: As many reps as possible in 30 seconds.
Tips: Use an overhand grip and engage your core as you pull yourself up. If you’re unable to do a full pull-up, consider using a resistance band for assistance or performing negative pull-ups (starting at the top and slowly lowering yourself down).
Jumping Jacks
Reps: 60 reps.
Tips: Keep a steady pace and focus on landing softly to reduce the impact on your joints. This exercise helps to maintain your heart rate and serves as a great active recovery between strength exercises.
Burpees
Reps: 20 reps.
Tips: Ensure you perform each burpee with proper form: start in a standing position, drop into a squat, kick your feet back into a plank, perform a push-up (optional), jump your feet back to your hands, and explode up into a jump. This full-body movement is excellent for building strength and cardiovascular fitness.
Rest: After completing the circuit, take a 1-minute rest to recover before starting the next round. Use this time to hydrate and catch your breath.
Benefits of the Burpee Interval Workout
Full-Body Engagement: This workout targets multiple muscle groups, including your back, arms, legs, and core, making it an efficient way to build strength and endurance.
Cardiovascular Conditioning: The combination of strength exercises and high-intensity movements keeps your heart rate elevated, promoting cardiovascular health and fat loss.
Time Efficiency: With just a few exercises, you can achieve a comprehensive workout in a short amount of time, making it perfect for busy schedules.
I’ve found that incorporating burpees into my routine not only challenges my physical limits but also boosts my mental toughness. The sense of accomplishment after completing a tough workout like this is incredibly rewarding!
2. Jump Rope Interval Workout
Complete the following circuit 4 times, resting for 1 minute after jumping rope in each round. This workout focuses on building cardiovascular endurance, core strength, and upper body stability.
Mountain Climbers
Reps: 45
Tips: Start in a high plank position with your hands directly under your shoulders. Drive your knees toward your chest alternately at a quick pace. Keep your core engaged and maintain a straight line from your head to your heels to avoid sagging hips.
Push-Ups
Reps: 20-30
Tips: Keep your body in a straight line from head to heels. Lower your chest to the ground while keeping your elbows at a 45-degree angle. If standard push-ups are too challenging, modify them by performing them on your knees or against a wall.
Front Plank
Reps: Hold for 1 minute
Tips: Maintain a straight line from your head to your heels, engaging your core and glutes. Avoid letting your hips sag or rise too high. If 1 minute is too long, start with shorter intervals and gradually increase your time as you build strength.
Jump Rope
Reps: 1 minute
Tips: Keep your elbows close to your body and use your wrists to turn the rope. Jump with a slight bend in your knees to absorb the impact. If you’re new to jumping rope, start with a slower pace or practice basic jumps before increasing speed.
Rest: After completing the circuit, take a 1-minute rest to recover before starting the next round. Use this time to hydrate and prepare for the next set.
Benefits of the Jump Rope Interval Workout
Core Strength: Mountain climbers and planks engage your core muscles, helping to build stability and strength in your midsection.
Upper Body and Arm Strength: Push-ups target your chest, shoulders, and triceps, contributing to upper body strength.
Coordination and Agility: Jumping rope enhances your coordination and agility, which can benefit other physical activities and sports.
3. Resistance Band Finisher
Complete the following circuit 4 times, resting for 1 minute after the curls in each round. This workout is designed to target multiple muscle groups while incorporating cardiovascular elements for a comprehensive finish to your HIIT session.
Jump Rope
Duration: 1 minute
Tips: Focus on maintaining a steady rhythm and keeping your jumps low to the ground. This exercise serves as a great warm-up and gets your heart rate up for the circuit.
Dips
Reps: 12-15
Tips: Use a sturdy bench or chair for support. Keep your elbows close to your body as you lower yourself down, and push back up until your arms are fully extended. To increase difficulty, you can elevate your feet to another surface.
High Knees
Reps: 30 each knee
Tips: Drive your knees up toward your chest as high as possible while maintaining a quick pace. Use your arms to help propel your movement and keep your core engaged for stability.
Curls with Resistance Bands
Reps: 20
Tips: Stand on the resistance band with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding the handles with your palms facing up. Curl the bands toward your shoulders while keeping your elbows close to your sides. Control the movement as you lower the bands back down.
4. Lower-Body Interval Workout
Complete the following circuit 4 times, resting for 1 minute after the calf raises in each round. This workout focuses on building lower-body strength and power while also incorporating cardiovascular elements for a comprehensive lower-body blast.
Sprint
Duration: 30 seconds
Tips: Find a flat, open space where you can sprint safely. Focus on maintaining good form—keep your head up and arms pumping, and drive your knees forward. This high-intensity burst will elevate your heart rate and prepare your muscles for the following exercises.
Squat Jumps
Duration: 45 seconds
Tips: Start in a squat position with your feet shoulder-width apart. Explode upward into a jump, reaching for the sky, and land softly back into the squat position. Keep your core engaged and aim for a controlled landing to minimize impact on your joints.
Lunges
Reps: 20 each leg
Tips: Step forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Ensure your front knee stays directly above your ankle. Alternate legs with each rep, and maintain an upright posture throughout the movement.
Calf Raises
Reps: 50
Tips: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Raise your heels off the ground, balancing on the balls of your feet, and hold for a moment at the top before lowering back down. For added difficulty, try doing these on an elevated surface, like a step, to increase the range of motion.
Rest: After completing the circuit, take a 1-minute rest to recover before starting the next round. Use this time to hydrate and prepare for the next set.
5. Abs Interval Workout
Complete the following circuit 4 times, resting for 1 minute after the half-burpees in each round. This workout is designed to target all areas of your core, helping to build strength and definition in your abdominal muscles.
Crunches
Reps: 50
Tips: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head or crossed over your chest. Engage your core and lift your shoulders off the ground, squeezing your abs at the top. Avoid pulling on your neck and focus on using your core muscles.
Bicycle Crunches
Duration: 1 minute
Tips: Lie on your back and lift your legs to a tabletop position. Bring your right elbow to your left knee while extending your right leg. Alternate sides in a pedaling motion, ensuring you fully extend your legs and engage your core throughout the movement.
Sit-Ups
Reps: 15
Hanging Knee Raises
Reps: 15
Tips: Use a pull-up bar or a sturdy overhead surface. Hang with your arms fully extended and engage your core as you lift your knees toward your chest. Focus on controlled movements and avoid swinging your body. If this is too challenging, you can perform knee raises while seated on a bench.
Oblique Crunches
Reps: 20 (each side)
Tips: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head. As you lift your shoulders off the ground, twist your torso to bring your right elbow toward your right knee. Alternate sides, focusing on engaging your oblique muscles.
Half Burpees
Duration: 20 seconds
Tips: Start in a standing position, drop into a squat, place your hands on the ground, and jump your feet back into a plank position. Quickly return to the squat position and jump up. This exercise adds a cardio element to your core workout, keeping your heart rate elevated.
Rest: After completing the circuit, take a 1-minute rest to recover before starting the next round. Use this time to hydrate and prepare for the next set.
6. Stair Stepper Machine Interval Workout
This workout can be performed on any machine that features piston-leg action, such as:
The Cybex Arc
Keiser Runner
Versa-Climber
Any other stair-climbing machine where the foot is constantly fixed to the pedal.
How to Do It?
Set the Resistance: Adjust the resistance level high enough to ensure it’s challenging for the entire 30 seconds of work. This will help maximize the intensity of your workout and promote muscle engagement.
Adjust the Stride Length: Gradually increase the “stride length” level of the machine with each bout. This feature is particularly beneficial to machines like the Cybex Arc, where you can adjust the distance between your feet. This adjustment allows for a greater range of motion, engaging more muscle fibers and enhancing the workout’s effectiveness.
Interval Structure: Perform 30 seconds of intense work immediately followed by 30 seconds of active rest. During the active rest, you can either slow down your pace or reduce the resistance while still keeping your legs moving. This structure is considered 1 rep.
Total Time: Aim for a total workout time of 20-30 minutes, depending on your fitness level and goals. You can adjust the number of reps based on your endurance and how you feel throughout the workout.
Benefits of the Stair Stepper Machine Interval Workout
Lower Body Strength: This workout primarily targets the muscles in your legs, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, helping to build strength and definition.
Joint-Friendly: Stair steppers provide a low-impact workout, making them easier on the joints compared to running or other high-impact exercises.
Versatility: This workout can be easily modified to suit different fitness levels by adjusting the resistance and stride length, allowing you to progress as you get stronger.
7. Battle Rope Interval Workout
To perform this workout, secure the battle rope around a stable, immovable object such as a pole, goal post, concrete pillar, or a heavy-weight sled that won’t move. Each end of the rope should come off this immovable object with equal distance, allowing you to grab the ends of the rope (one in each hand) while keeping it tense on both sides.
Workout Structure
Half of the total reps will be performed with a double-arm motion, and the other half will be with an alternating-arm motion.
Total Time: 20-40 minutes
Reps: 10-20 (depending on your fitness level)
Rest: 60 seconds between sets
Double-Arm Motion
How to Do It?: Grabbing both ends of the rope with each hand, whip the rope up and down continuously as fast as possible. Both arms will flex and extend simultaneously. The height of the rope on the upswing will depend on how high you can comfortably raise your arms.
Tips: Brace your trunk and spine throughout the entire motion. Your hips should lead the arms, guiding the movement from the upswing of the rope to the downswing and back again. Focus on maintaining a strong core to stabilize your body during exercise.
Alternating-Arm Motion
How to Do It?: Start by grabbing the rope in the same manner as the double-arm motion. This time, your arms will alternate—while one arm goes up, the other arm comes down.
Tips: Keep your hips fixed during this motion; the movement should come solely from your arms. Maintain the same bracing action in your trunk and spine to support your core throughout the exercise.
8. Sled Training Interval Workout
This workout features two protocols: one for elite athletes and another for basic-level athletes.
For Elite Athletes
Perform a 40-yard sled sprint.
Increase the distance of each successive sprint by 10 yards until you complete a single 150-yard sprint (12th sprint).
After reaching 150 yards, pyramid down by decreasing the length of the sled sprints by 10 yards each time until you finish with a 40-yard sprint again.
For Basic Level Athletes
The distance will increase by 10 yards every two sprints.
The pyramid back down will start after the eighth sprint until you reach the final sprint (14th).
How to Do It?
Setup: Attach a weight belt around your waist, connecting a rope from the belt to the sled.
Starting Position: Step forward to eliminate any slack in the rope before beginning your sprint.
Sprinting Technique
Step out with one foot far in front of your center of mass, ensuring that your heel strikes the ground first.
Your foot should then come in contact with the ground, allowing for a powerful push-off.
Keep your torso upright throughout each step; avoid leaning forward and relying on your body weight to aid in moving the sled.
Focus on using your front leg’s heel dig and hip pull as the primary force to move the sled forward.
Rest: Take 30-60 seconds of rest between sprints to recover before starting the next one.
9. Resistance Training Interval Workout
Why It’s on the List:?
This workout combines strength and power exercises with conditioning work, making it an effective way to build muscle while improving cardiovascular fitness. Rest for 20 seconds after each exercise, and aim to run through the circuit 5-10 times. Time yourself to track your progress and see if you can increase your work capacity in the next session.
Dumbbell Squat and Punch
How to Do It?
Hold two light dumbbells (around 10 pounds each) with your arms bent at the elbows, palms facing down, and forearms parallel to the ground.
Squat as low as possible while maintaining the arm position. Pause at the bottom, then stand up and punch your arms out until your elbows are straight.
Return to the starting position, keeping your arms parallel to the ground throughout the punching action.
Reps: 20
Rest: 20 seconds
Sprint and Change Direction to Sprint
How to Do It?
Sprint at full speed for 5 yards, immediately change direction and sprint back 5 yards.
Then, sprint 10 yards out and back, followed by 15 yards out and back.
Finally, reverse the sequence: sprint 10 yards out and back, then 5 yards out and back.
Reps: 10 total sprints
Rest: 20 seconds
Rotational Lunge With Resistance Band
How to Do It?
Fix a light resistance band to a high pole, pillar, or immovable structure.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, grabbing the band with both hands and interlocking your fingers.
Move away from the fixture, so the band is tense. Face sideways to where the band attaches and extend your arms straight out, parallel to the ground.
Keep your arms straight, rotate to the left and drop down into a lunge. Pause, then return to the starting position.
Reps: 10-20 on each side
Rest: 20 seconds
Single-Leg Dumbbell Stabilization and Punch
How to Do It?
Hold a light dumbbell in each hand in front of your body using a neutral grip with elbows bent.
Keeping your right knee bent, raise your right leg up high behind you while keeping your left leg straight.
Extend your right leg behind your body and lean your torso forward. While in this position, punch your arms straight out, keeping them parallel to the ground (similar to a yoga airplane pose).
Return to the starting position. That counts as one rep.
Reps: 10-20 on each side
Rest: 20 seconds
10. Sprint Interval Workout
High Level (Professional Athlete Level)
How to Do It?
Sprint 89 yards in 10 seconds.
Rest: 30-50 seconds.
Repeat: 10-20 times.
Average Level
How to Do It?
Sprint 73 yards in 10 seconds.
Rest: 30-50 seconds.
Repeat: 10-20 times.
Workout Breakdown
Warm-Up: Before starting your sprint intervals, ensure you perform a proper warm-up to prepare your muscles and joints. This can include dynamic stretches, light jogging, and mobility exercises to increase blood flow and reduce the risk of injury.
Sprinting Technique: Focus on maintaining good form during your sprints. Keep your head up, shoulders relaxed, and arms pumping at your sides. Drive your knees forward and push off the ground with your toes to maximize speed.
Rest Periods: Use the rest periods to recover fully. During this time, walk around to keep your muscles engaged, and focus on your breathing to help lower your heart rate before the next sprint.
Cool Down: After completing your sprints, take time to cool down with light jogging or walking, followed by static stretching to help with recovery and flexibility.
Benefits of the Sprint Interval Workout
Speed and Power Development: Sprinting intervals are excellent for building explosive speed and power, which are essential for athletes in various sports.
Fat Loss: Sprint intervals can be highly effective for burning calories and reducing body fat due to their intensity and the afterburn effect (EPOC).
Time Efficiency: Sprint workouts can be completed in a short amount of time while still providing significant fitness benefits.
I find sprint interval workouts to be one of the most effective ways to improve my speed and overall fitness. The challenge of pushing myself to sprint at maximum effort is incredibly rewarding, and I always feel accomplished after completing a session!