This Full-Body HIIT Workout Will Fire Up Your Abs and Get You Sweaty

 

This Full-Body HIIT Workout Will Fire Up Your Abs and Get You Sweaty

 

When it comes to short-yet-effective exercise routines, a full-body HIIT workout is tough to beat.

“Probably the number one reason why HIIT workouts are popular is because they’re get-in-and-get-out-quickly kind of workouts,” certified personal trainer Francine Delgado-Lugo, CPT, movement and strength coach and cofounder of Form Fitness Brooklyn, tells SELF.

HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training, and it’s an exercise method that involves bursts of max-effort work followed by shorter periods of rest. There are tons of benefits of regular HIIT training, including increased VO2 max (how much oxygen your body is able to use during exercise) as well as improvements in insulin sensitivity (how responsive your cells are to insulin), cardiovascular function, and blood pressure, as SELF previously reported. Like we mentioned, HIIT is also super-efficient since the high work-to-rest ratio means you can get a vigorous workout in a short amount of time.

Now, what makes a good HIIT workout? First and foremost, it should feature exercises you know how to do well. Delgado-Lugo explains it this way: “The better you know your form to be on a specific movement, the more efficient you’ll be able to be in your movement, and the more work you’ll be able to get done in that short period of time.”

A good HIIT workout also includes movements that work your muscles and joints through multiple planes of motion and not just forward and backward, as this helps improve your ability to move safely and efficiently in pretty much any scenario. Moreover, a solid HIIT routine features compound movements instead of isolation exercises, since the former involves multiple muscle groups working (versus just one) and thus more effectively spikes your heart rate. Focusing on compound moves also ensures your HIIT workout targets your entire body, instead of honing in on just one area.

With all this in mind, Delgado-Lugo created the below five-move full-body HIIT workout that will spike your heart rate, challenge your muscles, and have you sweating in multiple planes of motion. This 20-minute routine is truly total-body: You’ll smoke every major muscle group with moves like the plank up-down, squat, and sit-up to overhead reach.

Important callout: Given all amazing benefits of HIIT, you may be tempted to do this routine for every workout. But Delgado-Lugo recommends slotting HIIT into your schedule just two to three days a week. That way, you still have time for strength training and recovery—two other super-important aspects of a well-balanced fitness program. (Need some ideas for strength training? Consider this four-move upper-body workout, this five-move full-body circuit, or this beginner-friendly core routine.)

Also important: Before you jump into this workout, take a few minutes to gently warm-up your body. Simple exercises like glute bridges, hip circles, squats, and modified jumping jacks can help prepare you for the movements to come and reduce your risk of injury.

Ready for an awesome full-body HIIT workout that’ll leave you sweaty and breathless? Keep scrolling for everything you need to know.

The Workout

What you need: Just your bodyweight. You may also want an exercise mat for comfort.

Exercises

• Jumping jack
• Squat
• Skater hop to floor touch
• Sit-up to overhead reach
• Plank up-down

Directions

• Do each move for 40 seconds, then rest 20 seconds before starting the next exercise.
• After you’ve done all five moves in the circuit, take a short break to catch your breath. How much rest you need will depend on your fitness level and other factors, but in general, aim for 30 to 60 seconds of rest in between circuits.
• Complete 4 rounds total.

·         1

Jumping Jack

o    Stand with your feet together, core engaged, and arms at your sides.

o    Jump your feet wider than hip-width apart and bring your arms up to clap your hands overhead.

o    Jump your feet back together and bring your arms to your sides to return to the starting position.

o    Continue in this way, moving as quickly as you can, for 40 seconds.

This full-body plyometric exercise, which incorporates side-to-side movement, will quickly raise your heart rate, says Delgado-Lugo. Make it low-impact by tapping your feet out to the side one at a time.

2

Squat

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and core engaged.
• Send your hips back and bend both knees to drop into a squat, allowing your knees to bend to at least 90 degrees, so both thighs are parallel to the floor.
• Return to the starting position by squeezing your glutes to stand.
• This is 1 rep. Continue performing reps for 40 seconds.

Make this move especially intense by lowering down slowly and with control, and then driving through your feet to stand up quickly, says Delgado-Lugo.

3

Skater Hop to Floor Tap

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your knees slightly, then jump to the right as far as you can, leading with your right foot and swinging your left leg just behind your right.
• Land on your right foot and bend your knee slightly, balancing on that foot for a second. Your right arm should swing behind you as your left arm reaches down to tap the floor.
• Pause for a moment, then jump back to the left, landing on your left foot, knee slightly bent. Your left arm should swing behind you as your right arm reaches down to tap the floor.
• This is 1 rep. Continue to perform reps for 40 seconds.

This is another full-body, plyometric exercise that incorporates side-to-side movement. As you perform reps, make sure you hinge at your hips and brace through your core. Make it easier by doing a lateral shuffle.

4

Sit-Up to Overhead Reach

• Lie faceup with your arms by your sides, knees bent, and feet flat on the floor.
• Contract your core so that your low back gently presses against the floor. This is your starting position.
• From here, do a sit-up by contracting your core, exhaling as you roll up, and coming all the way with your arms reaching overhead to a seated position while your feet remain stationary.
• Slowly reverse the motion to return to the starting position.
• This is 1 rep. Continue performing reps for 40 seconds.

This dynamic core move works your abs as well as your back and shoulders. As you perform reps, make sure your hips stay aligned and that you don’t round your back, Delgado-Lugo says.

5

Plank Up-Down

• Lower your right arm down so that your forearm is on the floor. Then, do the same with your left. You should now be in a forearm plank position.
• Place your right hand back on the floor to extend your arm, and follow with your left, so that you end back in high plank. This is 1 rep.
• For the next rep, start by lowering your left arm and following with your right.
• Continue performing reps for 40 seconds.

This full-body movement challenges your core as well as your arms and shoulders. Make it easier by doing reps from your knees, or by holding a plank either from your knees or toes.