As always you should consult your doctor before starting any exercise program. But because the intensity is high, you should limit yourself to two to three HIIT workouts per week. Perform the workouts on nonconsecutive days to give your body time to recover in between sessions, says Aimee Nicotera, an ACSM-certified personal trainer in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has been one of the most popular workouts for several years running. It ranked in the top 10 in the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) worldwide survey of fitness trends for 2023.
There are various structures for HIIT workouts, including REHIT and Tabata, and you can do HIIT on lots of different types of equipment, including treadmills, bikes, and rowers. You can also do HIIT running outside, bodyweight HIIT cardio on the floor, or even add weights for HIIT strength. No matter which type of HIIT workout you prefer, make sure you’re giving yourself plenty of rest—and stick to three high-intensity workouts a week, maximum, to avoid injury and burnout.
An ideal workout plan will incorporate weight training (or resistance training of some sort – i.e. bodyweight calisthenics), HIIT, and cardio. Similarly, a study on mostly male subjects found similar results. Participants going through a 16 minute HIIT cycling session (1 minute work, 1 minute rest) on average burned 209 calories.

Although the increased application of HIIT in the health and medical fields is expected, its feasibility and safety should be further evaluated in the near future. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is the fastest, most effective way to torch fat and build muscle—backed by science and trusted by top trainers worldwide. HIIT workouts are among the best ways to burn fat, build muscle, and boost overall fitness—all in less time is madmuscles safe than traditional routines. Whether you have 10 or 30 minutes, these HIIT sessions fit any schedule and deliver real, visible results.
HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, is a style of exercise where you alternate between quick bursts of activities, like high knees, speed squats and mountain climbers, with short periods of rest in between. This spikes your heart rate, improving endurance while building strength. It has been consistently shown that a single 30-s Wingate sprint can reduce muscle glycogen stores in the vastus lateralis by 20%-30%[61,69-72]. What is intriguing, however, is that glycogenolysis is only activated during the first 15 s of the sprint and is then strongly attenuated during the final 15 s[72].
30 moves in 30 minutes keeps this workout interesting and challenging. Using weights to up the burn, follow Heather for a super-sweaty sculpting sesh. Build strength and mobility top to toe with a full-body dumbbell workout designed to get you sweaty and strong.
The highest numbers I saw in the research ranged from 240 to 360 calories for a 20-minute bodyweight HIIT workout in male subjects. Thanks to Nourish Move Love, getting in a quick-HIIT workout at home has never been easier. With a mix of bodyweight strength exercises and cardio exercises, you’ll work hard while building strength. But beware, there’s no rest between exercises, so go at your own pace.
The duration of 1 min at 89% (80%-104%) PPO[51] might be rather short because the target heart rate cannot be attained within that time. Again, HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training, which refers to the short bursts of intense exercise alternated with low-intensity recovery periods that make up the protocol. HIIT is quick and anything but boring, as its exacting work-to-rest ratios make it arguably the most time-efficient way to exercise and burn calories. You can use the HIIT protocol to build your entire workout, or apply it to just a few sets to create super-charged finishers. More studies are warranted to establish the most efficient protocol for each target subject according to clinical characteristics and fitness level, to improve aerobic capacity and to establish higher adherence.
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When it comes to recovery on the floor, don’t feel like you have to keep moving as you might on a bike or treadmill. “Just standing and breathing before your next effort is a great way to prepare for what’s next,” Olivia says. Find out how to structure a HIIT workout, the different types of HIIT to try, and how often to add one to your workout routine.
Moreover, activation of glycogenolysis is inhibited in subsequent repeated sprints[72]. This suggests that the classic SIT (4-6 repeated 30-s Wingate sprints) may be unnecessarily strenuous, as similar glycogen depletion may be achieved with 1–2 sprints of a shorter duration (15-20 s)[61,73,74]. In turn, this would https://madmuscles.quora.com/ make the training sessions more time efficient, less strenuous, and more applicable to the sedentary general population.
Or, you could also use a combination of them for some variety. And for your rest periods, slow jogging in place or jumping jacks at a slow pace would work perfectly. For a longer plan, may we suggest our exclusive to WH four-week HIIT plan, designed by PT Gauri Chopra. You won’t need any equipment, just a yoga mat, a water bottle and commitment to the short, effective workouts three times a week.
Small, quick movements/steps on the balls of your feet.
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Complete these eight exercises for 30 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest for a heart-racing HIIT workout. When comparing a 30 minute HIIT, weight training and running workout, research proves that HIIT is king for burning calories and improving metabolism. A bonafide fitness superstar, PT Krissy Cela is ready to torch some serious cals in this short HIIT workout.
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HIIT workouts are comparable to traditional endurance workout in terms of metabolic rate, but they can be done in much less time. For more advanced fitness levels, you could do 40/20 (40 seconds work, 20 seconds rest). By definition, sprinting is running at full speed, which means you will be giving it your max effort at every sprint. We are covering all the bases of HIIT, and the good news is, it isn’t complicated. However, HIIT workouts, even with beginner exercises, will be brutal.
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Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) physical activity guidelines. Per the guidelines, all adults should aim for a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity cardio every week, along with two weekly full-body strength sessions. What’s more, HIIT’s flexibility is a major part of its appeal.