Total Body HIIT in Under 30 Minutes

Hey busy lady! Looking for a quick, heart-pounding workout that has you in and out of the gym in under 30 minutes? You’re in luck. This total body HIIT Workout will leave you breathless and feeling like a rock star in just 16 minutes.

If you don’t currently work HIIT into your workout routine, you should. I’m a big fan…I try to work HIIT in anywhere from 1-3 times a week.

What is HIIT?

HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training and its super trendy right now, for good reason. HIIT is a style of workout that involves quick bursts of hard work followed by a specific recovery period (usually short). The work intervals can be cardio, strength training, power movements or a combination of exercises and training methods.

HIIT is picking up speed right now because of the myriad of health benefits it provides.

The health and fitness benefits of HIIT

You can get a full, heart-pumping workout in, in a short amount of time. If you’re doing it right, by the time you finish a 20-30 minute HIIT workout, you won’t have much left in the tank to do much more.

You can burn a lot of calories in a minimal amount of time. Compared to a 30 minute bike ride, you might spend less time actually moving during HIIT but when you do move, you are going at, or close to, max capacity. You overall work and energy output can really add up.

You will increase your calorie burn after you’ve finished working out. EPOC, excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, is the metabolic side effect of an intense interval workout like HIIT. Basically, your body works harder and uses more energy (and oxygen), to recover after a HIIT workout and so amps up the caloric burn. *Studies show that your body’s favorite source of energy during EPOC is fat.

HIIT I an excellent way to burn fat without sacrificing muscle. Depending on what type of exercises you include in your workout, you can actually build muscle while burning fat.

What to know before jumping into HIIT

HIIT will push your limits. They are designed to be, well, intense. And though you can certainly do HIIT whether you are a beginner in the gym or an advanced athlete, you should know what you are getting into. Here’s what to know and how to get started before jumping in head first.

Master the basic movements

Before jumping into any workout the requires you to move quickly (even when you start to get tired), you must master basic movement patterns. If you can’t perform basic exercises like squats, pushups, lunges and deadlifts, spend some time learning these movements and getting comfortable with them before hopping into a fast-paced workout utilizing most, if not all, of these exercises. Mastering these basic movement patterns will not only allow you to safely and effectively do a HIIT workout, it’ll lay a solid foundation for the rest of your strength training life.

Stick to body weight movements

Don’t worry about how much weight you are lifting when you first get started. If you’re new to HIIT, stick to body weight movements until you are comfortable with the pace. If you typically squat with a loaded barbell, it’s 100% okay you stick with body weight squats on day 1 of HIIT. Don’t worry, your body will still get a good workout, I promise!

Slow it down

While yes, a lot of the benefits of HIIT result from the intensity level, don’t feel like you have to keep up on day 1. One of the biggest risks of HIIT is overtraining. Go at your own pace. Don’t feel peer-pressured into keeping up with the person next to you. Find your groove, make sense of the movement pattern at a faster pace and only then should you start to focus on speeding it up.

Recover properly

Even if you are taking it slow and not using heavy weights, expect to be sore. Give your body time to recover. 1-2 HIIT workouts a week is definitely enough to see results!

Total Body HIIT in Under 30 Minutes (beginner workout)

Round 1: 30 seconds WORK + 30 seconds REST x 5 intervals; alternate between exercises

Exercise 1: Speed Skaters

Exercise 2: Forearm Plank Hold

Round 2: 30 seconds WORK + 30 seconds REST x 5 intervals; alternate between exercises

Exercise 1: Jumping Jacks

Exercise 2: Dumbbell Curl to Press

Round 3: 30 seconds WORK + 30 seconds REST x 5 intervals; alternate between exercises

Exercise 1: Goblet Squat

Exercise 2: Bicycle Crunches

Total Body HIIT in Under 30 Minutes (advanced workout)

Round 1: 20 seconds WORK + 10 seconds REST x 8 intervals; alternate between exercises

Exercise 1: Ladder Drills

Exercise 2: Medicine Ball Slams

Round 2: 20 seconds WORK + 10 seconds REST x 8 intervals; alternate between exercises

Exercise 1: Battle Ropes

Exercise 2: Kettlebell Swings

Round 3: 20 seconds WORK + 10 seconds REST x 8 intervals; alternate between exercises

Exercise 1: Speed Skaters

Exercise 2: Plank Shoulder Taps

Round 4: 20 seconds WORK + 10 seconds REST x 8 intervals; alternate between exercises

Exercise 1: Goblet Squats

Exercise 2: V-Holds

HIIT Recommendations

I want to leave you with just a few recommendations to make the most from your workout.

Download a free timer app. I use one that is creatively called “IntervalTimer”. You can program in as many interval combos as you want (20:10, 30:30, 45:15…), hit go and not have to worry about watching the clock.

If you are using equipment, gather everything you need before you start. That way you don’t have to search for the right weight during your 15 seconds recovery interval.

Which brings me to…gather a wider variety of weights than you think necessary. You might typically goblet squat with a 30 pound dumbbell, but you might not be able to punch that out once you are 4 rounds in.

Alternate between upper and lower body movements so that you don’t exhaust one muscle or muscle group. I.e. pair squats with pushups, or deadlifts with bicycle crunches.

Follow a well-programmed routine (like the ones above). =)

Or, find more HIIT and Tabata workouts here:

>> Quick Workouts for a Busy Week

>> 20 Minute Total Body Tabata