A good HIIT workout can deliver a lot of what you want from a traditional cardio session, such as burning fat, adding muscle, elevating your heart rate, pushing you to sweat, and improving lung capacity, but in a fraction of the time. This is especially useful for those of us who can’t spend all day in the gym.
However, to get all the benefits, HIIT has to be done correctly, and the intensity has to be high. For those keen to improve their cardiovascular fitness, Eastnine trainer Tashi Skervin-Clarke explains how with her 12-minute full body HIIT workout:
1) Tricep push ups
Bring yourself into a high plank position, with your feet to a bit wider than hip-width apart. Tuck your elbows in and lower yourself, keeping your core engaged. Lift yourself back up and repeat for 45 seconds.
2) Superman
Lie face down on your mat and extend your legs and bring your hands to your temples. Keeping your arms and legs straight, lift your arms and chest up towards the ceiling. Hold for a second and then slowly release. Repeat these for 45 seconds.
3) Commandos
Bring yourself to a low plank position. Leading with your right arm, come up into a high plank position and follow with the left arm. Then, come back down to a low plank position, leading with your left arm. Repeat for 45 seconds.
4) Frog sit-ups
Come to a seated position where the soles of your feet touch. Lift your arms over head and lie back. Come back up to the seated position and repeat for 45 seconds.
5) 180 Burpee
Come back up to standing. With your feet hip width apart, squat and place your hands on the floor. Jump your legs back so you’re in high plank position. Do a press up bringing your chest to the floor. Quickly, push back up into high plank. As you come back up to standing jump 180 degrees so you’re facing the opposite side and repeat the burpee. Do this for 45 seconds.
Round 2:
1) Reverse Lunge and Knee Drive
Bring your right leg back into a lunge position, lower yourself down so your knee is at a 90-degree angle to the floor. Bring yourself back up and drive your back leg forward to your chest. Repat on alternate legs for 40 seconds.
2) Lateral bounds
From standing, jump to the right with your right leg landing on the ground, but leave your left leg elevated. You’re then going to shift your weight as you jump to the left, and this time your right leg stays up. Keep this up for 40 seconds!
3) Squats
Stand your feet hip width apart. Lower yourself down, moving with your hips first. Come back up and repeat for 40 seconds.
4) High Knee Burpee
Come back up to standing. With your feet hip width apart, squat and place your hands on the floor. Jump your legs back so you’re in high plank position. Do a press-up bringing your chest to the floor. Quickly, push back up into high plank. As you come back up to standing, jog on the spot but bring your knees as high as you can. Repeat, doing this for 40 seconds.
Eastnine is a fitness app which motivates, supports and guides people working out. Consisting of experienced personal trainers, professional athletes and even Olympians, the audio and video app is packed with workouts and programmes to support users in getting fitter, toning up and becoming more confident.
The app is currently offering a free trial to new users.