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A 12-Minute HIIT Workout You Can Do Anywhere

Krista Stryker, NSCA-CPT
Author:
September 09, 2014
Krista Stryker, NSCA-CPT
Certified Personal Trainer
By Krista Stryker, NSCA-CPT
Certified Personal Trainer
Krista Stryker, NSCA-CPT is the author of The 12-Minute Athlete: Get Fitter, Faster, and Stronger Using HIIT and Your Bodyweight and a leading expert on HIIT and bodyweight fitness. She lives in Venice, California, and is a certified personal trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
September 09, 2014

Want a killer workout but don’t have any equipment? Look no further than high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and your own bodyweight for a workout that will get your heart pumping and sweat pouring in no time.

This quick HIIT workout will make your muscles burn, and it only takes 12 minutes to complete. The key to making it effective is to work as hard as you possibly can during every interval — if you’re not exhausted by the end, you’re not working hard enough!

How to do the workout

To do this workout, you'll need to set an interval timer for 18 rounds of 10 second and 30 second intervals. You’ll be resting on the 10 second intervals, then working as hard as you possibly can on the 30 second ones.

You’ll end up going through the following circuit three times:

1. Burpees

2. Air squats

3. High knees

4. Reptile push ups

5. Jump lunges

6. Pike plank jumps

And remember, don’t hold back! The harder you work, the faster you'll start to see results. You can do this workout three to five times a week or add it to your other HIIT training to get in awesome shape before you know it.

Exercise Descriptions

Here’s how to do each of the exercises in the workouts along with photo demonstrations:

1. Burpees

Get into a squat position, then put your hands on the floor in front of you. Kick your feet back quickly and land so that your chest hits the floor. Bow your chest up slightly, then jump your feet back toward your hands and immediately jump up and get some air, adding a clap at the top position for enthusiasm!

This type of burpee focuses more on conditioning, but you can also do burpees with a full push-up if you want to put more of an emphasis on your arms and chest.

2. Air squats

Stand with your feet hip-width apart, pull your shoulders back and engage your abs. Push your butt and hips back as if you were sitting in a chair, then lower down as far as possible while keeping your weight on your heels.

If you can't quite get all the way down yet, don't worry — keep working at it and with time and practice you'll build the strength and flexibility you need to get there.

3. High knees

Drive your left knee toward your chest as high as you can get it, then immediately bring it to the ground and replace it with your right knee.

Try and focus on keeping your body as tight as possible and use your arms to pump you and move you faster, just as you would if you were sprinting.

Focus on intensity and go as fast as you can!

4. Reptile push-ups

Start in a push-up position with your shoulders directly over your hands.

Tighten your abs, glutes and thighs as you lower your chest to the floor. At the same time, bring one knee toward your elbow on the same side of your body, then push yourself back up and repeat on the opposite side.

If you're a beginner, you can do reptile push ups with your hands on an elevated surface or while on your knees to make the exercise easier.

5. Jump lunges

Get into a lunge position with one leg bent forward in a 90-degree angle and the other bent behind you.

Jump up explosively with your front leg, switch positions in the air and land with the opposite leg forward.

Try to focus on your form at first then eventually speed up your jump lunges so you do them as quickly as possible.

6. Pike plank jumps

Start in a downward dog position and walk your legs to one side of your body. Lean forward so that your hands are over your shoulders and jump your feet up in the air, landing on the opposite side of your body.

Jump back to the starting position as quickly as possible, then continue jumping as fast as you can (your eventual goal should be not to pause between jumps).

Work hard, and have fun!

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