HIIT Workouts
Three High-Intensity Interval Training Workouts You Can Do from Home
By Jenni Jacobsen
If you have any interest in fitness, you've probably heard about the benefits of high-intensity interval training (HIIT). This form of exercise, which involves alternating bursts of intense activity with lower-intensity recovery periods, has received ample attention lately, and it's for a good reason.
A 2017 report in Obesity Reviews analyzed the results of 13 different studies and found that HIIT reduced body fat and waist circumference just as well as moderate training performed at a steady pace, despite the fact that HIIT required considerably less time commitment.
HIIT is a suitable option if you want to burn fat without spending hours at the gym or on the treadmill. Here, learn about three interval training routines you can incorporate into your workout plan to maximize your results.
Running Intervals
Running is perhaps the most popular mode of HIIT, and a running interval workout can easily be performed from home, either on the treadmill or around your neighborhood.
To perform a running interval routine, begin with a five-minute walk or jog to warm up. Following the warm up, complete a 20-minute interval training session during which you alternate 1 minute of sprinting at maximal effort with four minutes of walking or jogging to recover.
For example, begin a 1-minute sprint after your warm up, and then recover for 4 minutes and begin another 1-minute sprint, continuing the pattern for a full 20 minutes.
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This is how your workout would look:
- Warm up walk/jog
- Minutes 0-1: Sprint
- Minutes 1-5: Recovery walk/jog
- Minutes 5-6: Sprint
- Minutes 6-10: Recovery walk/jog
- Minutes 10-11: Sprint
- Minutes 11-15: Recovery Walk/jog
- Minutes 15-16: Sprint
- Minutes 16-20: Recovery walk/jog (also serves as a cool down)
Cycling Intervals
For a lower impact workout, intervals can also be performed on an outdoor bicycle or indoors on a stationary bike. Similar to the running interval workout, this routine begins with five minutes of easy pedaling.
Following the warm up, complete a 30-second sprint on the bicycle, followed by 4.5 minutes of light pedaling to recover. Repeat this for a total of 6 rounds, keeping in mind that the sprints should be performed at a maximum effort.
A 2016 study in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism found that this type of cycling workout was highly effective for fat loss. Women who completed a cycling interval workout with 30-second sprints lost significantly more body fat and improved their aerobic fitness more when compared to women who cycled at a moderate, continuous pace.
The study lasted for 6 weeks and included three weekly workouts.
Tabata Style
Tabata is a form of HIIT that is becoming more popular, especially at health and fitness centers, but a Tabata style workout can be performed from home. With Tabata, you perform 8 rounds each of several exercises, working at maximal effort for 20 seconds and then resting for 10 seconds before beginning your next 20-second interval.
For example, you might do 20 seconds of push-ups, followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeating this for a total of 8 rounds of push-ups.
A Tabata workout performed from home can involve the following exercises:
- Push-ups
- Squats with overhead shoulder press
- Mountain climbers
- Biceps curls
- Calf raises
- Weighted ab twists
Perform eight rounds of each exercise, following the pattern of 20 seconds of exercise interspersed with 10 seconds of rest.
The research supports this type of Tabata routine for fat burn. A 2013 study in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine found that participants burned as many as 360 calories during a 20-minute Tabata session, making it effective for weight loss.
Incorporating any of these three HIIT workouts into your routine can help you to efficiently burn fat and calories. These workouts can conveniently be performed from home, making them suitable for a busy lifestyle.
About the Author
She is a Certified Personal Trainer and a Health and Fitness enthusiast.
