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Can You HIIT like a Girl? 22 Minute Cardio HIIT Workout Challenge

22 Min • Total Body, Lower Body
  • View on YouTube
    • Training Type Cardiovascular, HIIT, Toning
    • Equipment No Equipment
    • Membership Free

    Overview

    Here’s a challenge for all of you who like to push yourself; can YOU HIIT like a girl?

    If you do this whole routine, you’re looking at burning a whopping 12-15 calories per minute, or 264-330 calories in just over 20 minutes. That’s not even considering the afterburn effect that you get from high intensity interval training workouts that leave your metabolism reeling and revved up for 24-48 hours after you’ve finished the actual workout.

    For that reason, this routine is great for those looking to get lean or stay lean, without spending hours on the treadmill or elliptical (which would actually be far less effective than this short workout in helping you lose or maintain weight).

    All of these exercises are dynamic and demanding full body movements that require a lot of effort, balance, and energy. There are a lot of new combination moves in this routine that we haven’t done before. It might feel a little strange learning the motions at first but all that means is that your muscles are going to be used in new ways that they are not used to, which is a good thing for coordination development and calorie burn.

    Workout Structure
    10 bodyweight exercises that target multiple muscle groups
    20 seconds on; 10 seconds off, X 4
    22 minutes total
    Warm up & Cool Down are not included, but both are recommended

    Exercises in this routine
    Burpees + 2 Reverse Lunges – Deceptively difficult for balance when you are trying to move quickly; do 2 burpees and immediately drop back into a reverse lunge on each leg; repeat.

    2 Momentum Jumps + 2 Counts Quick Feet – Powerful arm movements to generate upward movement + a quick interval of low-squatting quick feet makes for a unique move that challenges the muscles without burning them out completely.

    Rocket Squats – Drop down lower & lower in a 3..2..1 count, and then jump upwards from your squat explosively, bringing your thighs up high enough that you can slap your legs. We also show an easier modification in the video.

    High Knees – A simple, highly demanding cardiovascular challenge. Get those knees up high and move them quickly to make this harder.

    3 Log Jumps + 3 Pulse Squats – Good for coordination, good for all of the lower body muscles; do 3 up & over side to side jumps, tapping the toe of the inside leg in front of the body before jumping back to the center to do 3 low pulse squats.

    Cross Crunch Get Up – Abs, thighs, glutes arms, shoulders, and lower back all pull together to take your body from fully extended in a stretch, to up in a crab position, reaching for the toes of the opposite foot.

    Jack + Cross Toe Touch – A high cardio, high calorie burning exercise that especially targets the muscles of the thighs and glutes.

    Mountain Climbers – Move your feet quickly to make this total body exercise that much more demanding. You can also make it easier by actually placing your feet on the ground under your body, instead of just briefly allowing them to hover there.

    Lateral Jumps + Knees – A regular lateral jump gets a twist that puts more demand on your core and your balance.

    Double Butt Kickers – This. Will. Hurt. But it only lasts briefly and after this last move, you’re done. We have shown an easier modification in the video.

    So, can you HIIT like a girl? Tell us on our Facebook page, YouTube, or below.

    Think it was too easy? Step up the intensity by moving faster (keeping that form solid), or hold onto weights while you do the workout.

    This HIIT workout challenge is great for combining with one of our 20-40 minute strength workout routines for the upper or lower body (or both combined). Remember, for best results you need to combine Fitness Blender cardio workouts 5-7 days a week, with our strength training workouts 2-4 times per week (targeting the upper and lower body muscles each twice a week). Cardio alone will not provide the metabolic boost that strength training does, so make sure that you combine our different types of training for your body’s best health & condition! Our fun and functional stretching workout videos are also an easy way to make sure that you are not neglecting flexibility and range of motion exercises, which should be a priority to every individual, regardless of what your specific fitness goals are.