Steady-state cardio that generally requires lengthier workouts can be monotonous for many. Lucky for you, there’s a shorter cardio option, which allows you to reap the same benefits as a more time-consuming one. Yep, we’re talking about HIIT cardio workouts!
HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, cardio workouts are those that use short, all-out bursts of exercise, followed by lower intensity, sometimes active, recovery. The goal is to push as hard as possible during the ‘work’ intervals, to get a max number of calories burned in a short amount of time.
With this kind of workout, the options for incorporating equipment are many. You can use cardio machines like the treadmill or elliptical for things like interval sprints, or HIIT can also be done without any special gear, using just your bodyweight for exercises like push-ups and air squats.
Part 1: Rower HIIT Cardio Workout:
After a three- to five-minute warm-up, perform both exercises, then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat for five rounds. Make sure you cool down with some stretches.
1. Rowing
How to:
- Strap your feet into the rower. With bent knees and keeping back straight, lean forward to fully extend your arms and grab the handle in front of your legs (the catch).
- Keeping your back straight and core tight, extend your legs fully (the drive), then hinge from hips slightly backward as you bend elbows to pull the handle towards your chest (the finish).
- For the recovery, reverse the order extending arms back out straight, sitting upright, bending legs and ending back in the catch position.
- Continue rowing for 500 meters.
2. Rower Pike Up
How to:
- Come to the back of the rower. Position the seat of the rower in the middle of the rower, about equally between the front and back.
- Place your hands on the ground about a foot or two from the rower, with enough space so that you can place your feet on the rower’s seat.
- You’re in plank position, but with your feet up on the seat of the rower.
- Bracing your core and keeping back engaged, slide feet on the seat toward the end of the rower or closer to your hands as you pike your hips up toward the ceiling.
- Lower your hips back down.
- Do 10 reps.
Part 2: Body-Weight HIIT Cardio Workout
After a three to five-minute warm-up, perform each exercise, resting for one minute when all exercises are complete. Do three rounds, then cool down.
1. Squat Jump
How to:
- Stand with feet about shoulder width apart, toes pointed slightly outward.
- Pushing knees out, bend knees to sit back and down into a squat, making sure that knees don’t track forward past ankles.
- Keep most of your weight in your heels.
- As you lower, swing your arms past your sides and behind you.
- Swing your arms forward and use that momentum to push through your heels and jump off the ground, with arms extending overhead.
- Land lightly and immediately repeat so the move is one fluid motion.
- Continue repeating for 15 reps.
2. Side Lunge to Plyo High Knee Jump
How to:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart.
- Step the right leg out to the side and bend down into a lunge, toes and knee facing forward.
- Make sure that your right knee doesn’t track forward past your right ankle, your left arm is in front of the body and your right arm is behind you.
- Transfer weight to your left foot as you swing your arms and use momentum to push off your right foot and jump off the ground, pulling right knee into chest in the air.
- Land back into your side lunge and repeat so the move is one fluid motion.
- Continue repeating for 10 reps on one side, then switch sides.
3. Beast Kick Through
How to:
- Come to a tabletop position on all fours, hands stacked directly under shoulders, knees directly under hips.
- Bracing your core, lift shins slightly off the ground for the loaded beast position.
- Staying low to the ground, kick your right leg forward and through your arms as you simultaneously lift your left arm off the ground to open the body up.
- Don’t let your leg touch the ground.
- Come back to the loaded beast position and repeat on the other side.
- Continue alternating for 10 reps on each side.
4. Plank Up Down
How to:
- Start in a high plank position, hands under shoulders, legs extended behind you, balls of feet on the ground, body in a straight line from head to toe.
- Lift your right hand and your bend elbow to place your right forearm on the ground.
- Do the same with the left forearm, coming into the forearm plank.
- Then rise back up to high plank with the right hand and then the left.
- Continue moving from high to low plank, alternating which forearm goes down first each time.
- Keep your hips as stable as possible.
- Do 30 reps.
