30-Minute Bodyweight HIIT Workout
You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting this or any other fitness program. Do not start this fitness program if your physician or health care provider advises against it. If you experience faintness, dizziness, pain, or shortness of breath at any time while exercising, you should stop immediately.
I miss teaching my Tuesday night HIIT workouts on Facebook Live! I’m thinking about bringing them back because they were so fun for me to teach, but they also kept me in shape before I went back to teaching at the gym!
HIIT workouts are great for so many reasons, but I think the main reason I love them is that I can hit every muscle group and incorporate cardio, core, and resistance training all in 30 minutes (or less!).
I designed this HIIT workout so that it hits every major muscle group, gets your heart rate up, and challenges you.
Warm-Up
You’ll want to start with a good warm-up that gets your heart rate elevated and gets your muscles warmed up. There are tons of great warm-ups online. Here’s one from adidas as an example.
Lower Body
Once you complete the warm-up, you’ll move on to lower body exercises. You are going to pick a side, and you’ll do all of those exercises on that one side; next, you will repeat everything on the other side. You will do the first exercise for 90 seconds straight, then the second exercise for 60 seconds, and the final exercise for 30 seconds. Your recovery occurs at the end of the 30-second exercise.
- 3-count squat: You will slowly count to three on your way down. You should not complete your squat before you get to three! You will slowly count down from three on your way back up. Here is an in-depth guide on proper squat form, in case you’re curious!
- Single-leg squat: Pick a leg, and stick to it for 60 seconds! Here’s an example.
- Side lunge: You will perform this exercise on the same leg. Here’s a video to demonstrate form.
Repeat all of the exercises again, and switch legs when you get to the single-leg squat and the side lunge. Take a 1-minute recovery once you reach the end of the lower body block, but try to keep moving around. Don’t plop down on the floor for a minute! It will be very difficult to get moving again!
Upper Body
This block utilizes the same concept from before (90/60/30 seconds of work). Round one and round two have different exercises, gradually increasing in difficulty. Take a one-minute recovery after each round.
- Inchworm: You can add a push-up or a pair of mountain climbers once you enter the plank position. Never done an inchworm before? Don’t sweat it (well… actually…): Here’s a video of my friend De demonstrating this exercise.
- Walking bear crawl: This is one of my favorites! It’s a great workout for your shoulders, but it’s also a great core workout! Here’s a demonstration.
- Bear plank: Start out in tabletop position, and lift your knees just a few inches off the ground. It should feel like you’re getting ready to go back into that walking bear crawl, but you’re actually going to hold it just like a plank!
- Dead bugs: Another favorite of mine! There are plenty of ways to make this exercise more difficult, but I think it’s great on it’s own for the purpose of this workout! Here’s your demo video.
- Bat wings: There are lots of variations of this one! I suggest an isometric hold, maybe holding for 20-30 seconds at a time during the minute. Here’s an example of the isometric version of this exercise.
- Prayer pulse: These become pretty tough as you hit the 15-second mark, and they don’t get easier! You can do these standing or seated. Here’s another Cassey Ho demo!
Surge Drill
This drill is tougher than it might sound! Pick a song you like, love, or maybe have never heard before. It should be about 4 minutes in length. I like to use this version of P!nk’s “Hustle.” There are plenty of songs you can use for this, but I picked this one because that’s pretty much how I use this song every time that I hear it! You could use any song where the hook or a certain phrase is repeated many times (“Roxanne” would be a great song for this). Any time you hear that specific phrase, choose one of these exercises, and do it! I suggest sticking with the same exercise the entire time:
- 1 Burpee
- 2 Jumping Jacks
- 2 Mountain Climbers
- 1 Tuck Jump
Take a one-minute recovery once the song ends. You’re going to need it!
One-Minute Challenge
The goal is to feel totally drained by the end of this challenge! I like to call this an “Earn Your Shower” or “Drain the Tank” challenge because this is really where you push yourself and feel so relieved and proud of yourself by the end. Pick one of these exercises, and perform it for the full minute:
- Squat jacks
- Burpees
- Plank jacks
- Push-ups plus two mountain climbers
When you’re done with this minute, you’re done with all of the hard work, and you’ve earned a cool down, as well as a shower!
Cool Down
Here’s a simple cooldown that should do the trick after this workout!
Did You Try This Workout? Tell Me About Your Experience!
Leave a comment on this post or send me an email to let me know what you thought about it!
Interested in more of my HIIT workouts? Check out my Facebook Videos for some of my past HIIT workouts.