Build muscular strength and endurance in your lower body and core with this efficient workout. We combine HIIT with strength circuits for a sweaty 30 minutes that will leave you feeling strong and accomplished in little time.

For this workout, I wanted to make sure it checked a few boxes — sweaty, efficient, and fatigue-inducing. With these as my “compass” I knew starting with HIIT would be the best way to elevate the heart rate from the beginning. From there, we hold the heart rate steady as we dive into strength circuits that will fatigue the lower body muscles from all different angles and planes of motion. To round out the workout, we end with a tabata glute and core finisher to leave us with a sense of accomplishment.

The Workout

We begin with a 4-minute warmup to mobilize our joints and activate muscles of the lower body and core. From there, we start off strong with a HIIT Circuit. This is a tabata format where we complete 2 exercises for 4 rounds of 20 sec on / 10 sec off. These are both bodyweight, high-impact exercises that involve jumping; however, I offer modifications if you prefer a low-impact option.

Our strength segment consists of 2 circuits with 3 exercises each. We perform the 3 exercises for 2 rounds of 45 sec on / 15 sec off. I recommend choosing medium-heavy (for you) weights here. Tip: preview the exercise list below to get an idea of what weights to use! Your goal is to feel a good level of muscle fatigue by the last 10 seconds of a set.

The final piece of the workout is a Tabata Glute and Core Finisher. We have 4 exercises, performed for 20 sec on / 10 sec off. Each exercise will be performed for 2 rounds before moving on to the next. Once the 2 rounds for a given exercise are complete, we won’t be coming back to it, so give it your all! You’ll have the option to use a light dumbbell in this section, but it’s not required.

Workout Notes/Tips

• Take a look at the strength exercises before pushing play to get an idea of what weights you'd like to use. I recommend selecting medium/heavy (for you) weights for the given exercises.
• As this is a level 4, we move quickly from HIIT to strength and back to HIIT. Don't hesitate to press pause if you need more rest.
• Have fun! Enjoy the variety of movements and segments packed within this short workout.

Equipment Needed

A range of dumbbells from light to heavy (I use 10lb as my light, 15lb as my medium, and 20lb as my heavy for this workout). A mat or comfortable space on the floor is recommended for the core finisher and cooldown.

Warmup (4:00) — 8 exercises; 2 rounds; 30 seconds each
Hip Circles
Dynamic Quad Stretch
Squat + Rotation, alternating
Modified Cossack Squat
Reverse Lunge + Rear Leg Raise - alternating
Squat + Plank + Down Dog
Skiier Swing
Jumping Jacks

Tabata HIIT (4:00) — 4 Rounds; 20 sec on/10 sec off; AABB format
Squat Jump Twist
Alligator Jacks

Strength Circuit 1 (6:00) — 2 Rounds; 45 sec on/15 sec off
1 ½ Squat
Single Leg Deadlift + Reverse Lunge - R/L
Cossack Squat

**Water Break**

Strength Circuit 2 (6:00) — 2 Rounds; 45 sec on/15 sec off
Clean to Front Squat
Sumo Straight Leg Deadlift
Front Lunge + Rotation (optional weight), alternating

Tabata Glute + Core Finisher (4:00) — 2 Rounds per exercise before moving on; 20 sec on/10 sec off; AABBCCDD
Elbow Plank Leg Rainbows
Quad Hover Donkey Kick (RD 1)/Fire Hydrant (RD 2)
Cocoon Crunch
½ Kneeling DB Chop - R/L

**Water Break**

Cooldown (4:00) — 8 exercises; 1 round; 30 seconds each
½ Kneeling Hip Flexor (w/ glute activation) - R
Hamstring Stretch - R
Pigeon - L
Kneeling Adductor Stretch - L
½ Kneeling Hip Flexor (w/ glute activation) - L
Hamstring Stretch - L
Pigeon - R
Kneeling Adductor Stretch - R