A high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout mixes shorts bursts of activity with even shorter rest periods. While it may feel uncomfortable to push your body to go faster and harder for that short time period, the rewards are worth it: HIIT workouts save time, improve cardiovascular health, and benefit mental health. A 2015 study showed that HIIT training can also burn 25 to 30 percent more calories than the other forms of exercise. And your HIIT workout doesn’t need to be long at all! A study published in the American College of Sports Medicine’s (ACSM) Health and Fitness Journal found that a few minutes of training at almost your max can accomplish decreasing body fat and increasing muscular fitness in less time than a traditional workout. How much less? Try just seven minutes total.
The ACSM’s sample HIIT workout includes these 12 exercises, which should be done at an intensity of eight on a scale of one to 10; each exercise lasts 30 seconds, with a 10-second rest in between. Repeat the circuit if you’d like a longer workout. Keeping the intensity up — and the rest periods short — is key, so keep reading to learn the moves and then get going! Most of these are bodyweight moves, but you’ll also need a mat, a wall, and a chair, bench, or box for a few of the moves.
7-Minute HIIT Workout
Equipment needed: wall and a chair, bench, or box
Directions: After a five-minute warmup, complete each of the exercises below for 30 seconds with a 10-second rest in between moves. Repeat two or three times for a longer workout. Cool down with this 10-minute stretching routine.
- Jumping jacks
- Wall sit
- Push-up
- Abdominal crunch
- Step-up
- Squat
- Triceps dip
- Elbow plank
- High knees/running in place
- Lunge
- Push-up and rotation
- Side plank
Get the printable version of this seven-minute HIIT workout here!