HIIT or High-Intensity Interval Training is one of the most assured ways of losing your body fat in no time. Where other workout routines are effective and may be of the more luxurious kind, HIIT is a bit stricter, demands more of your energy but gives you that slim look that you always ogle. HIIT helps you lose fat in no time and is extremely strenuous and addictive. Once you are hooked on to this routine, getting the body of your dreams will be no task at all! In today’s post we will discuss 7 best HIIT Cardio Workouts (1).

HIIT is the best way to not only look fit but also feel healthy. This workout helps you to lose fat quickly, to boost your endurance, tone up your entire body structure and build unparallel speed and strength. If your goal is to stay lean or get lean, try the HIIT workout for 1 to 3 times in a week. However, this routine is entirely based on your personally set goals, training intensity and your physical ability and tolerance. You need to also keep in mind how fast you can recover in between sweat sessions (2).

Why is HIIT Cardio Workout Best?

Out of all the fitness routines, and a plethora of options only click away, there have to be some highlighting features of the HIIT workout sessions for you to choose it over all the other ones. HIIT is a fat burning power move. Through HIIT, you get to push yourself in the short intervals. The short durations help you to work even harder than it would have been possible for you in longer bouts of action as that demands far more energy units. The exercise units last only 20 seconds every time, so you are seeking out discomfort from our body in form of speed which s actually not sustainable for more than such tiny intervals. This intense amount of energy revs up your metabolic system because the body does not immediately return back to the original rate of expenditure. The body, instead, normalizes itself over the next few hours, or sometimes, even days. While the body is returning back t the normal, you get a window of opportunity when your body has a higher metabolic rate than before.

The HIIT Workout Structure

The HIIT workout is extremely structuralized. We begin with a short cardio warm up and jump right into the HIIT schedule. The active workout is a period of 30 seconds with 10 seconds active rest periods. The exercises mainly target your glutes, thighs and the core muscles. There is a heavy emphasis laid down on both the cardiovascular endurance as well as the muscular endurance. Cool down and a short period of stretch are also included.

Warm Up Exercises Before  HIIT:

1. Body Rotations and Stretching

This portion is basically an opportunity to activate your body parts. This is essential for you to start working out those body parts that have long been in rest. It is simple. Stand up and with your arms stretched out, rotate your body in the clockwise, followed by the anticlockwise direction. This shall be done for 30 seconds.

Body Rotations and Stretching

2. Slow Spot Jogging

Your body has been pampered by you, sitting on a chair the whole day. It is time to wake up the muscles, especially in your lower body so you can complete the rest of the schedule with perfect finesse. Jog on the spot at a slow pace to activate your lower body. This shall be done for 1 minute.

3. Faster Spot Jogging

Now that you have already activated your lower body with the slow spot jogging, it is time for you to take it to the next level. This is important to send signals to the body regarding the high power workout schedule that s about to begin. Quicken the pace of your spot jogging and continue for 2 minutes.

HIIT Cardio Workouts

1. Standing Pikes

Standing pikes are important for strengthening your stomach muscles. It tones your abs and provides a fat burning cardio workout.

How to do Standing Pikes

1. Stand erect with your feet close to one another and extend your arms vertically, straight over your head.
2. Exhale and kick one leg while you simultaneously bring both your arms down.
3. You may flex your elbows slightly.
4. Your arms should meet your foot in front of your middle chest with your leg parallel to the ground.
5. Do this for 30 seconds.

2. Warrior Jacks

This is an important exercise to keep your glut and your total lower body under control.

How to do Warrior Jacks

1. Stand straight with your legs at a shoulder-width distance.
2. Extend your arms on both sides of your body and alternate from right to left as you bend on one knee keeping the other leg slightly slanted.
3. You shall do this once on your right side and then move on to your left, with no gap in between. This shall be done for the next 30 seconds.

3. Squat Jumps

While regular squats are great, squat jumps are a modern take on this classical form of exercise.

How to do Squat Jumps

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, begin with a normal squat, then engage your core as you jump up powerfully.
2. When you get down from the jump, come back into the squat position in order to complete one rep.
3. The landing must be as quiet as possible and mind you, this needs enough control of your lower body.
4. You must make sure that you are using your entire foot to jump and not just your toes as this reduces the efficiency of the whole exercise.
5. Try to make sure that your shoulders do not land out beyond the level of your knees as this may lead to injury to your back muscles.
6. This, as per usual, will be done for 30 seconds.

4. Long Lunges

Lunges are the perfect way for you to maintain your legs and your butts. Long lung differs from regular lunges only in execution. Take the lunge out as far as your body permits, however, instead of the back leg lowering down to the ground, it should remain almost straight on the ground. The front leg, like in a normal lunge should be able to achieve the 0 degrees bend. However, if you are new to the world of lunges, you should perfect the regular lunges until you feel comfortable with the work you are doing. You can look at yourself in the mirror while performing this exercise to watch yourself until you get the regular lunge perfectly. Do this for 30 seconds.

5. Plank with Leg Lift

The plank with leg lift is a multifunctional exercise. It improves stability throughout your core, hip region, and the spine. The exercise also improves your hip mobility. There are many different varieties of doing Plank Exercise.

How to do Plank with Leg Lift

1. You should begin at the top of the pushup position. Put your hands directly beneath your shoulders.
2. From your ankle to your shoulders, your body should form a straight line.
3. Tighten your abs and lift one leg off of the ground until it is at the height of your hips.
4. Pause for a moment before you return back to the original position.
5. You should at no point allow your back to round.
6. Squeeze your abs and your glutes to maintain allover stability throughout the course of the exercise.
7. You should not allow your torso to rotate to one side or the other while you lift your leg up.
8. Do this for another 30 seconds before moving on t the next exercise.

6. Push Ups

This is one of the most common and most celebrated of all exercises. Push-ups exercise the pectoral muscles as well as the triceps and anterior deltoids.

How to do Push Ups

1. When down on the ground, set your arms at a distance slightly wider than the normal shoulder width distance.
2. Place your hands in a way that is comfortable to you.
3. Your feet should be placed in a way that is comfortable to you, and keep it at shoulder width apart.
4. Your body should be aligned in form of a straight line.
5. Place your head slightly ahead of you and not straight down.
6. You must keep your arms straight, your butt clenched and abs braced and steadily lower your body until your elbow is forming 90 degrees with the ground.
7. Once your chest touches the floor or your arms go down to a 90 degrees position, pause slightly and come back to the original starting position.
8. Continue doing this for 30 seconds.

7. Jumping Burpees

Jumping burpees do not just concern one region of our body, instead, it is, in itself a full body workout.

How to do Jumping Burpees

1. To perform a jumping burpee, you should stand up straight with your arms by your sides and feet at a distance of your shoulder width.
2. Squat own while placing your palm face down on the floor right in front of you. In this position, kick your legs behind you, now you must be in a push-up position.
3. Do one push up and then pull your legs back under so that you are back into the squat position, with your palms kept face down on the ground in front of you.
4. Stand up and jump in the air, bringing your arms to reach over your head.
5. Once you land, this completes one jumping burpee. Do this till the clock pings at the 30 seconds mark.

HIIT Cardio Workout Tips

Cardio is not an easy genre of workouts. HIIT incorporates few of the basics as well as the most difficult aspects of cardio. It is easy to fall prey to feelings of lack of enthusiasm and motivation. Often times the exercises are s strenuous that it asks for a bit too much and it is no longer in your power to submit to the workout schedule. Before you head out to trying these exercises, take a quick look at these tips that may help you in the workout journey.

1. Stop and Start

Cardio is difficult in itself, so when you give in, give in your cent percent and remember to rest and repeat following the instructions formerly provided.

2. Mix and Match

You need to start thinking beyond the conventional running or cycling. Combining strength training in your cardio routine is one hell of an interesting as well as intriguing form of workout.

3. Add Speed

What is life without some speed and thrill? Incorporate your wild side in the routine as well. Once you start feeling accustomed to your workout schedule, kick start and speed up the number of moves you do in the one-time gap. Use up your energy and push yourself for every time.

4. Hear some Music

Yes, time hardly seems to pass when you do cardio. One great way to keep your time flying by even when you are grueling through the process is to listen to some upbeat motivational songs that might help you to set the pace and also keep the pace up also. Set a playlist and put the volume on high!

5. Breathe

You need to realize that the mantra of every single person doing a cardio workout is to keep your breathing normal. Do not forget to take deep long breathe in between and while you perform your exercises. If your breathing pattern is anything but the normal, you run a high risk of feeling dizzy at the end of your workout, you may even faint or collapse. Keep your breathing in check to avoid any undue circumstances.

The HIIT cardio workout is especially beneficial as it employs no form of equipment at all. You can do this simply at home or even outside when on vacation. It is important for toning and your cardiovascular health. The HIIT workout schedule is an example of working smarter than working harder, as the short duration of workout has a very lasting effect on your metabolism that might continue and affect your metabolic rate even on the days to follow.  Your lower body might feel sore after the first few days, but as it has been accepted by a number of professionals, you will feel great once you go through the entire workout schedule and the results will be evident in just a few days.

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