High Intensity Interval Training, commonly known as HIIT, is a workout style that alternates periods of intense exercise with periods of rest. Because HIIT involves maximum exertion during the exercise periods, the workouts are designed to be short – if you can keep up this level for over 30 minutes, it’s likely you’re not working hard enough!

Almost any type of training can be conducted in HIIT format, from running to weightlifting. Today, we’ll be looking at the benefits of doing a 20-minute HIIT workout, and sharing four different HIIT workouts you can do in 20 minutes.

ARE 20 MINUTE HIIT WORKOUTS EFFECTIVE?

A lot of people think that more is more when it comes to working out, but you don’t have to spend hours at the gym each day to see results. In fact, it’s much better to spend 20 minutes working out each day, than 1 hour once a week!

The reason HIIT is so effective in as little as 20 minutes is that it involves maximum exertion when training. Training at this level means your body can't get enough oxygen to the muscle, so to continue exercising, the body uses stored energy. This process is known as anaerobic exercise. After anaerobic training, the body must replace the stored energy over the course of the day. This process uses energy, which translates to burning calories for hours after a HIIT workout, not just during it.

Using the anaerobic system also improves how your body consumes oxygen, which can help build cardiovascular endurance and contribute towards healthy heart and circulatory system. There’s also some evidence that HIIT workouts increase human growth hormone, a hormone which helps to stimulate muscle growth and regulate fat metabolism, which is helpful if you are trying to build muscle or lose fat.

HOW MANY CALORIES CAN I BURN IN 20 MINUTE HIIT WORKOUT?

HIIT workouts can burn some serious calories in a short space of time. While this number will vary depending on factors like your weight, and what type of HIIT you are doing, you can expect to burn around 150-400 calories in 20 minutes of HIIT. And that’s without the extra calories burned throughout the day!

IS 20 MINUTES OF HIIT 3 TIMES A WEEK ENOUGH TO LOSE WEIGHT?

To lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit and the best way to do this is through reducing the amount of calories you eat. While exercise alone is unlikely to cause significant weight loss for most people, it certainly helps. Studies show that people who exercise lose more weight, and are more likely to maintain their weight loss, compared to those who achieve weight loss through diet alone.

Doing three 20-minute HIIT workouts each week can help to increase the number of calories you burn, which can make sticking to a calorie deficit easier. If you don’t have time to workout every day, or spend an hour working out at a time, HIIT is one of the most effective ways to burn calories to support with your weight loss goals.

CAN I DO 20 MINUTES OF HIIT EVERY DAY?

HIIT can be too much of a good thing, and we recommend doing a maximum of 3 HIIT workouts a week.

Due to its high intensity and fast paced nature, HIIT can have a higher risk of injury than other types of workouts. It also triggers the release of cortisol, the stress hormone. Cortisol puts our body in fight or flight mode, and isn’t a bad hormone, however if we have long periods of high levels of cortisol, we can experience negative effects, from chronic fatigue, to anxiety, to weight gain.

Leaving at least 48 hours between HIIT sessions allows the body to fully recover and prevent HIIT from being more of a hindrance than a benefit.

Ideally, you should be doing some form of resistance training each week too, as this will help you to build and preserve lean muscle mass, improve bone density, and a whole host of other benefits. Rather than doing HIIT every day, you would be better off doing a few HIIT sessions and a few weight training workouts.

FOUR 20 MINUTE HIIT WORKOUTS TO TRY

If you’ve made it this far, chances are you’re sold on the benefits of a 20 minute HIIT workout and you want to try some. We’ve shared four different HIIT workouts below to give a go.

20 Minute HIIT Workout With Weights

While HIIT engages the cardiovascular system, it’s entirely possible to do a HIIT workout with weights. To get the benefits of HIIT, make sure you are giving it 100% during the workout period.

For this workout, you’ll need two dumbbells. Having minimal equipment means you can transition between the exercises quicker to stick with the HIIT format.

We’ve included a warm up, and cool down within the 20 minutes, but if you have more time feel free to do a longer warm up and cool down, or repeat the circuit an additional time.

- Warm up - 2 minutes

30 seconds jogging on the spot

30 seconds plank walk outs

• Stand tall, then hinge forward at the hips keeping a straight spine and bring your hands to the floor
• Engage your core and walk your hands forward until you are in a plank position
• Hold the plank for a second and then walk back until you are standing
• Repeat

30 seconds jumping jacks

• Stand with your feet together and arms by your sides
• Jump up and push your feet out so that you land between hip and shoulder-width apart. As you jump, push your arms up to shoulder height
• Jump again, this time bringing your feet back together, and arms by your sides Repeat

30 seconds squat jumps

• Stand with feet hip-width distance apart, feet slightly turned out
• Perform a normal bodyweight squat, maintaining a tall spine and braced core
• As soon as your hip sinks just below the knees, push your heels off the floor by jumping as high as you can, and land softly on your feet

30 seconds punches

• Stand with feet hip width apart and hold your hands in front of your chest as fists, elbows by your side
• Engage your core and punch the right arm forward, driving the movement from the hip
• Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side

- Workout - 16 minutes

Perform each exercise for 45 seconds, with 15 second rest. Do the circuit four times.

Squat to overhead press

• Grab a dumbbell in each hand and hold in front of your chest, then adopt a hip to shoulder width foot stance
• Squat down by sinking the hips down to parallel
• As you return to standing, push the dumbbells up to the ceiling by extending your arms
• As you squat down, bring the dumbbells back to chest height
• Repeat

Push up to renegade row

• Set up in a high plank position, but holding onto dumbbells rather than hands flat on the floor
• Perform a push up by bending at the elbows to lower your chest, then pushing back up to plank position
• Shift your weight onto the right hand and then row the left dumbbell up to your side by bending the elbow towards the ceiling
• Return to plank and switch sides
• Repeat

Reverse lunges

• Hold a dumbbell in each hand by your sides and assume a hip width stance
• Shift your weight into your left foot and step your right foot back
• Bend your left knee until your right knee is just off the floor, both knees at a 90 degree angle
• Push up through the left foot and bring your right foot hip width apart
• Repeat on the other side

Mountain climbers

• Get into a high plank position, making sure hands are shoulder width apart and core is engaged
• Pull your right knee forwards by squeezing it as close your chest as you can
• As you return the right leg, pull the left knee in, so that you switch legs at the same time

- Cool down - 2 minutes

30 seconds jogging on the spot 30 seconds walking on the spot 30 seconds down dog 30 seconds child pose

20 Minute HIIT Treadmill Workout

We’ve not specified the running pace for this workout as it will depend on your current level of fitness. Choose a speed where you can run for the specified time, but only just.

The treadmill takes a few seconds to get up to maximum speed so change speed just before the running time starts.

- Warm up - 4 minutes

Walk at a moderate pace (around 4-5 mph) for 2 minutes Increase speed by 1 mph and walk for a further 2 minutes

- Workout - 12 minutes

Run at maximum speed for 30 seconds Walk slowly (around 3 mph) for 30 seconds Repeat 12 times

- Cool down - 4 minutes

Walk at a moderate pace for 2 minutes Decrease the speed and walk for a further 2 minutes

20 Minute HIIT Workout For Beginners

If you’re new to HIIT, it can be helpful to start with a basic routine so you can get used to the pace and style of workout. If you haven’t exercised before, or in a while, build up your endurance with steady cardio and lower intensity interval training first.

- Warm up - 3 minutes

3 minutes on the treadmill, bike, or crosstrainer at moderate intensity

- Workout - 15 minutes

Perform each exercise for 30 seconds at max speed, followed by a 30 second rest. Repeat the circuit 3 times.

Squat jumps

• Stand with feet hip-width distance apart, feet slightly turned out
• Perform a normal bodyweight squat, maintaining a tall spine and braced core
• As soon as your hip sinks just below the knees, push your heels off the floor by jumping as high as you can, and land softly on your feet

Mountain climbers

• Get into a high plank position, making sure hands are shoulder width apart and core is engaged
• Pull your right knee forwards by squeezing it as close your chest as you can
• As you return the right leg, pull the left knee in, so that you switch legs at the same time

Jumping jacks

• Stand with your feet together and arms by your sides
• Jump up and push your feet out so that you land between hip and shoulder-width apart. As you jump, push your arms up to shoulder height
• Jump again, this time bringing your feet back together, and arms by your sides
• Repeat

Burpees

• Start by standing with feet hip width apart
• Squat down and place your hands on the floor in front of your feet
• Place your weight into your hands and kick both feet back into a high plank position
• Perform a push up, then jump your feet back behind your hands and resume a squat position
• As you stand back up, jump and reach your arms overhead
• Land back into a squat position and repeat

Bicycle crunches

• Lie down on your back, feet on the floor with knees bent towards the ceiling, and hands on the back of your head
• Brace your core to press your lower back against the floor, then lift your head and neck off the floor
• Pull your knees towards your chest to raise your feet off the floor
• Exhale and bring your right elbow and left knee towards the mid chest until they touch. At the same time, straighten your right leg, making sure to keep your foot off the floor
• Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side

- Cool down - 2 minutes

2 minutes on the treadmill, bike, or crosstrainer at low intensity

20 Minute HIIT Stationary Bike Workout

Cycling is a great form of cardio that is low impact and knee friendly. If you’ve ever been to a spin class, you’ll know how hard HIIT cycling can be!

- Warm up - 3 minutes

Cycle at a medium pace on a light resistance

- Workout - 14 minutes

We’ve split this workout into two parts: sprint intervals and hill intervals:

Sprint intervals:

• 30 seconds pedaling as fast as possible at medium resistance
• 30 seconds pedaling slowly at light-medium resistance
• Repeat 7 times

Hill intervals:

• 40 seconds pedaling as fast as possible at high resistance
• 20 seconds pedaling slowly at light-medium resistance
• Repeat 7 times

- Cool down - 3 minutes

Cycle at a medium-slow pace on a light resistance

If you can stretch to 30 minutes, why not try one of our cycle classes? Our instructors will make sure you work your hardest and get the most out of this session. If you find yourself inspired to try more HIIT workouts, plenty of our fitness classes follow a HIIT format too – find your nearest Pure Fitness and join one today!