You guys have been asking for challenging workouts, and I think this one delivers - it definitely kicked my butt and gave me some sore muscles the next day. Even including a very thorough warm up and cool down, the entire routine is under 45 minutes but still provides a serious cardiovascular and strength challenge. This is a routine that I can see myself coming back to and doing at home on my own when I don't have a lot of time but really want to push myself and get the most done in the least amount of time possible.

There are 4 minute rounds of tabata intervals of intense exercises that require 110% of your effort, followed by up to two minutes of a kettlebell strength exercise. The benefit of a HIIT kettlebell workout like this one is that you are building strength and metabolism boosting lean muscle mass, while at the same time you're able to burn off a great deal of calories.

No kettlebell? No problem. You can easily switch out a dumbbell for a kettlebell - And while we're on the subject, to answer a question that we frequently get; we use PowerBlock's Adjustable Dumbbells & Kettlebells, in our videos & at home. They are a bit of an investment up front but worth every penny - for example, we don't even have a membership in our house; these weights are really the only equipment we rely heavily on.

Workout Structure
We start off with a thorough bout of warm up cardio - don't skip this step as we're going to be working hard today and the last thing you want is an injury or strain that you could have avoided. We move directly into the HIIT kettlebell workout. For the tabata style HIIT, we'll be doing two different exercises in an AABB, AABB format; 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, for a total of 8 intervals of four minutes. After that, grab your kettlebell for a 1-2 minute strength interval. Before we're done, we'll also do a very quick cardio burnout round, where we do each exercise in quick succession at only 20 seconds per interval, with no rest at all. Finish off with a long cool down and stretch.

Here's a printable version of the kettlebell and HIIT workout in this video:
HIIT A: Pop Squats
HIIT B: Broad Jumps + Thigh Slaps
Kettlebell: Kettlebell Swings

HIIT A: Switchfoot Mt Climber
HIIT B: Lateral Burpees
Kettlebell: Clean & Press - one minute each side

HIIT A: High Plank Twists
HIIT B: Switchfoot Jumps
Kettlebell: Around the World

HIIT A: Double Burpees
HIIT B: Lateral Jumps + 3 Knees
Kettlebell: Long Lunge + Extension

Burnout cardio Round - 20 Seconds each with no rest
- High Knees
- Jumping Jacks
- Butt Kickers
- Fly Jacks
- Boxer Shuffle
- Toe Touch Crunches
- Torso Twists
- March in Place

Ways to make this workout harder
- Check your form (if it feels easy, you're likely doing it wrong)
- Lift heavier weights
- Move faster
- Contract your muscles to work "against" yourself the entire time
- Do higher impact exercises during the rest intervals
- Wear a weighted vest
- Use a deeper range of motion (for jumps, squats, lunges, etc)

This was my first level 5/5 workout in a long while! If you want more, speak up, let me know!