You can get in and out of the gym fast and still burn tons of fat. The trick? High intensity intervals (HIIT). Interspersing short bursts of working at your absolute max effort with brief rest periods can seriously rev your metabolism. How? It's an effect called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC, and triggering it can help keep your metabolic rate up for hours after you exercise. Essentially, pushing yourself to your physical limits, even for mere seconds, helps create an oxygen 'debt' and while that doesn't sound like a good thing, it most definitely is when it comes to helping you burn fat. What's more, this type of workout triggers fat-incinerating hormones like the Human Growth Hormone (you produce a lot of it when you're young, but production peters out as you get older and more sedentary.) Since more and more research is piling in confirming these facts, you need as many HIIT workouts as you can get. So, we decided to add to our 8 Amazing Fat-Burning Interval Guide published last year to bring you another 8 to add to your fat-fighting arsenal.
Hope you brought an extra t-shirt and wore your deoderant, because these circuits are no joke.
Courtesy of Meaghan Smith-Hochheimer, owner of Karma Yoga & Fitness Studio, Valrico, FL.
Find online training at KarmaFitness or at @karmayogafitness on Instagram
WORKOUT ONE
>5 minute run (for maximum distance)
Superset (do all exercises one after another and then start the set again) for 2-3 sets:
>20 Push-ups
>50 Bodyweight Squats
>50 Weighted Crunches
>20 Alternating Plyometric Lunges
Rest 1 minute
>Repeat the 5 minute run (for maximum distance)
Superset for 2 sets:
>1 minute Plank
>20 Jump Squats
>50 Bicycle Crunches
>1 minute of Walking Lunges
Rest 1 minute
>Finish with one more 5 minute run (pick up the pace, make this your best run yet!)
WORKOUT TWO
Set your timer for 25 minutes and do as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) of the following exercises in the time allotted.
>15 Squat to Overhead Press with Moderate to Heavy Weight
>10 Push ups
>15 Box Jumps
>10 Burpees
>15 Plate Swings with Moderate Weight
>10 V-Sits (V- Sit-ups)
Keep Track of how many rounds you were able to make it through, and try to beat it next time.
WORKOUT THREE
Plyometric Round:
>10 Single-arm kettlebell swings each arm
>20 Alternating Plyometric Lunges
>10 Jump Squats (Focus on height of the jump as well as soft landing)
>20 Crossover Push-ups on the BOSU
>10 Burpees with the BOSU
Repeat 2 times and then rest for 2 minutes
Strength Round:
>10 Decline Push-ups with feet on bench or step
>20 Triceps Bench Dips
>10 Single-arm Dumbbell Rows (Heavy) each arm
>10-20 Pull-ups
Repeat 3 times and then rest for 2 minutes
Core Round:
>50 weighted crunches
>50 weighted Russian twists
>50 Leg lifts
WORKOUT FOUR
3 sets:
>1 minute sprint
>Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 1 minute (Moderate weight)
3 sets:
>1 minute sprint
>Dumbbell “Arnold” Press: 1 minute (Moderate weight)
3 sets:
>1 minute sprint
>Rear Delt flyes: 1 minute
4 sets:
>1 minute sprint
>1 minute Plank
4 sets:
>1 minute sprint
>1 minute Wall Sit holding a (heavy) plate
4 sets:
>1 minute sprint
>1 minute Walking lunges with Dumbbells (moderate to heavy)
WORKOUT FIVE
Bike 10 minutes for distance
Do 5 sets of 20 reps of the following:
>Bodyweight Squats (feet close/narrow stance)
>Mountain Climbers
>Burpees
>Plank to Push-up (Walk the plank from forearms to hands and back, that’s one rep)
>Hanging knee raises
>Box Jumps
>Ab Rollouts (with bar or ab wheel)
>Speed Skaters (lateral jumps from foot to foot)
Bike 10 minutes for distance
WORKOUT SIX
Warm-up with 10 minute bike or run for distance.
You pick the order, but complete the following number of reps:
>100 weighted crunches
>5 minutes of weighted wall sits
>5 minutes of weighted walking lunges
>100 Bodyweight Squats
>100 Reps on the Leg Press Machine with at least one 45pound plate on each side
>100 Weighted Step Ups on Bench or Box
>Finish with 5 minute bike or run for distance
WORKOUT SEVEN
Row or Jump Rope for 2 minutes
Sprint for 1 minute
>10 sets of 10 reps Dumbbell Military Press (10 second rest between sets)
Row or Jump Rope for 2 minutes
Sprint for 1 minute
>10 sets of 10 Leg Extension Machine (10 seconds rest between sets)
Row or Jump Rope for 2 minutes
Sprint for 1 minute
>10 sets of 10 Hamstring Curls (10 second rest between sets)
Row or Jump Rope for 2 minutes
Sprint for 1 minute
>10 sets of 10 reps Dumbbell Lateral Raise (Moderate, 10 seconds rest between sets)
Row or Jump Rope for 2 minutes
Sprint for 1 minute
>10 sets of 10 Decline Push-ups (10 seconds rest between sets)
Row or Jump Rope for 2 minutes
Sprint for 1 minute
>10 sets of 10 Feet to the Bar or Hanging Leg Raises (10 seconds rest between sets)
WORKOUT EIGHT
Warm up with TRX Squats (get full range of motion) for 1 minute and Bodyweight walking lunges for 1 minute
Straight sets of the following (Finish all reps before moving on the next exercise)
8 sets of 8 reps Deadlifts (60-80% of max)
1 minute of plyometric jump squats with the TRX
8 sets of 8 reps Barbell Squats (deep squats, full range of motion) (60-80% of max)
1 minute of plyometric jump squats with the TRX
8 sets of 8 reps of Hanging Cleans
1 minute of Mountain Climbers on the TRX
8 sets of 8 reps of Flat Bench Press (60-80% max)
1 minute of Mountain Climbers on the TRX
8 sets of 8 reps of Smith Machine Seated Overhead Press
1 minute abdominal Pikes on TRX
8 sets of 8 reps Lat Pull Down (60-80% max)
1 minute abdominal pikes on TRX