One way to improve your physique today is to commit yourself to a high-intensity interval training or HIIT routine along with maintaining a structured diet that is in line with your respective cutting, bulking and performance enhancing goals.
If you are a busy person or someone with little or no time to spare, but you desperately want to stay fit and healthy despite your tight work schedule, you might want to stick around a bit more to learn how you can manage your work with a full-body workout regimen.
This post reveals a 20-minute HIIT workout for a leaner physique that you can do at home today. All you need is ample space indoors or outdoors, an exercise mat, and a timer. Now if you are ready to start your day on a firm footing physically, mentally and even emotionally, you can adopt this home workout.
What’s this 20-Minute Workout All About?
You will run this 20-minute HIIT regimen for six (6) weeks and the circuit consists of nine (9) exercises. You can perform this 20-minute HIIT after a strength training session or as a standalone cardio workout for between three and four times in a week.
Your primary focus while performing the exercises in the circuit will be to execute as many repetitions (reps) as you can within the short time allowed for each exercise before you take a brief rest to catch your breath and compose yourself for the next exercise.
You can expect your heart rate and core body temperature to increase while your body reacts by stimulating your sweat glands to produce more sweat to cool-down your body.
When your body alternates between a high body temperature and a brief cooling down period, your metabolism is increased, you tend to burn more calories and experience lipolysis or fat burning.
The long-term benefits of this 20-minute home workout is that your stamina will improve and you will have a leaner, more attractive physique at the end of the day.
As mentioned already, a typical 20-minute HIIT will consist of nine (9) exercises.
For the first two weeks into your workout regimen, you will spend 40 seconds performing each of the nine exercises while giving yourself a 20 second break at the end of each exercise.
For the third and fourth week, you will progress by spending 45 seconds on each of the nine exercises while only spending 15 seconds rest time between workouts.
In the fifth and sixth week, you will up your workout time for each exercise to 50 seconds while at the same time, you drop your rest time to 10 seconds between exercises.
You should use your rest time well by taking deep breaths and gaining your composure before you move to the next exercise in the circuit.
Note that after you perform the ninth exercise in the circuit, you need to take a 60 second break before you switch and work your opposite foot by repeating the ninth exercise in the circuit and working your way back up to the first exercise at the start of your training following the time-frame allowed for each exercise and the rest time between workouts as highlighted previously.
The Nine Exercises in this 20-Minute HIIT Workout
The nine exercises you will be expected to perform in this 20-minute HIIT Workout are as follows;
#1. Forward Lunge Exercise
You perform the Forward Lunge workout by initiating a long forward step with your left or right leg while the other leg remains at the back.
You then lower yourself to the point where your leading and back legs are at a 90-degree angle. To get back to the starting position (standing), you should push up with the leading leg through the heel of the foot.
The Forward Lunge workout is classified as a bodyweight exercise performed primarily to train your lower body muscles.
#2. Bodyweight Squat Exercise
To perform the Bodyweight Squat exercise you first need to stand upright keeping your feet separated by a shoulder’s width.
You then bend down by bending your knees, and pushing out your hips until your posture appears like someone sitting down on a chair.
With your hips and knees aligned, you then push back up to the starting posture before repeating the exercise for as many reps as you can within the 40, 45 or 50 second period as the case may be.
This exercise will target not just your quad muscles, but your hamstrings and glutes as well.
#3. Mountain Climbers Exercise
You begin the Mountain Climbers exercise by taking up a plank posture, evenly distributing your entire weight across your hands and toes touching the floor.
Make sure that you assume proper form by having your head aligned with your back which remains flat while your abs are engaged and your hands separated by a shoulder’s width.
You then pull up your right knee as far up to your chest as possible.
You should switch your legs by bringing in one knee while the other knee is pulled out.
Ensure that your hips are down even as your knees rapidly move in and out. As you alternate between your left and right leg, try to coordinate your breathing to synchronize with the switching of legs.
Mountain Climbers exercise targets your full body, but mostly your core and the muscles of your quads, arms and shoulders.
#4. Running in Place Exercise
With a Running in Place exercise, you will not only boost your cardiovascular health, but you will equally burn significant calories while at the same time build up your skeletal muscle strength, flexibility and stability.
To perform this workout, your right arm and left foot need to be in sync as you lift them up in perfect harmony. Your knee also needs to be lifted up to the height of your hips.
You then switch up to your other foot (the right one) by rapidly lifting your foot up to the height of your hips.
Make sure that your left arm is forward and facing up while your right arm is behind when you lift your foot up to the height of your hips.
#5. Burpees Exercise
To perform Burpees, you first need to stand upright with your feet spread apart by a shoulder’s width.
You then follow this up by dropping to a squat posture even as you kick back your legs to assume a high plank posture and then lower yourself to the floor.
Get back to the high plank posture then to the squat position and follow this movement with a jump.
Burpees are a full-body workout that can help improve your cardio while training the major muscle groups in your upper and lower body.
#6. High Kick Exercise
To execute a High Kick exercise, you should stand straight up with your feet spread a shoulder’s width apart while your arms stay by your sides.
Lift a leg up as high as you can manage it while at the same time reaching out to touch the toes of your stretched out foot with the fingers of your opposite hand.
While you attempt the High Kick, try to keep a neutral back at all times and avoid a situation where you are forced to lean too far forward when kicking out with one foot and attempting to touch the high foot with the fingers of your opposite hand.
Switch to your other leg and repeat the exercise. When executing a High Kick exercise, you will activate the anterior musculature of the lifted leg when you are in the high kick phase of the workout.
At the same time, the posterior side of the lifted leg will get a good active stretch in the process.
#7. Hand Chest Press and Row Exercise
When performing the Hand Chest Press and Row exercise, you need to straighten out your arms in front of you and make out a couple of fists with your hands before simulating a rowing movement.
As you engage in this rowing motion, act like your hands are holding onto huge weights while you squeeze your back muscles as you come to the end of the rowing movement.
This exercise will help to strengthen your core while at the same time building and toning the muscles of your arms, shoulders and chest.
#8. Sit Up Exercise
Sit Ups will strengthen your core as well as your hips and abdominal muscles amongst other benefits. To perform this exercise, you need to lie on the floor with your back to the ground.
Flex your knees upwards while your feet are flat on the floor. Have your hands placed on either side of your head or behind you can interlock the fingers of your hands whilst they are behind your head.
You should decide on which posture is the most comfortable for you. Once you have assumed your hand position, flex both your waist and hips in order to lift your body from the floor.
Keep your chin from touching your chest even as you lift your head so that you look straight ahead whenever you lift yourself up during your Sit Up exercise.
#9. Bicycle Exercises
Bicycle exercises help your cardiovascular health by reducing your blood fat levels, lowering resting pulse and even strengthening your heart muscles.
To perform a Bicycle exercise, you simply need to lie flat on the floor with your back to the ground. You then flex your knees while you lift up your feet from the ground.
Raise up your shoulders and head from the floor with your hands to the sides of your head or with the fingers of your hands interlocked behind your head.
Alternate between your legs by bringing up each of your knees one after the other to your chest height while touching the lifted knee with the elbow of your opposite arm.
So if your left knee is brought up to your chest level, then your right elbow will touch it and vice-versa. By doing so, your legs will achieve a cycling motion which is characteristic of the Bicycle exercise.
20-Minute HIIT Workout Regimen
Each of the exercises in this 20-Minute HIIT workout regimen should be performed a total of two times.
You start by executing the nine exercises in the table below according to the exercise and rest time allowed. Once you are done with the nine exercises, you rest for 60 seconds only before starting afresh, but this time around, you will begin from the ninth exercise working your way up to the first workout routine.
| S/N | EXERCISES | TIME PERIOD PER EXERCISE | REST PERIOD BEFORE NEXT EXERCISE |
| 1 | FORWARD LUNGE EXERCISE | WK 1-2: 40 seconds
WK 3-4: 45 seconds WK 5-6: 50 seconds |
WK 1-2: 10 seconds
WK 3-4: 15 seconds WK 5-6: 20 seconds |
| 2. | BODYWEIGHT SQUAT EXERCISE | WK 1-2: 40 seconds
WK 3-4: 45 seconds WK 5-6: 50 seconds |
WK 1-2: 10 seconds
WK 3-4: 15 seconds WK 5-6: 20 seconds |
| MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS EXERCISE | WK 1-2: 40 seconds
WK 3-4: 45 seconds WK 5-6: 50 seconds |
WK 1-2: 10 seconds
WK 3-4: 15 seconds WK 5-6: 20 seconds |
|
| RUNNING IN PLACE EXERCISE | WK 1-2: 40 seconds
WK 3-4: 45 seconds WK 5-6: 50 seconds |
WK 1-2: 10 seconds
WK 3-4: 15 seconds WK 5-6: 20 seconds |
|
| BURPEES EXERCISE | WK 1-2: 40 seconds
WK 3-4: 45 seconds WK 5-6: 50 seconds |
WK 1-2: 10 seconds
WK 3-4: 15 seconds WK 5-6: 20 seconds |
|
| HIGH KICK EXERCISE | WK 1-2: 40 seconds
WK 3-4: 45 seconds WK 5-6: 50 seconds |
WK 1-2: 10 seconds
WK 3-4: 15 seconds WK 5-6: 20 seconds |
|
| HAND CHEST PRESS AND ROW EXERCISE | WK 1-2: 40 seconds
WK 3-4: 45 seconds WK 5-6: 50 seconds |
WK 1-2: 10 seconds
WK 3-4: 15 seconds WK 5-6: 20 seconds |
|
| 8. | SIT UP EXERCISE | WK 1-2: 40 seconds
WK 3-4: 45 seconds WK 5-6: 50 seconds |
WK 1-2: 10 seconds
WK 3-4: 15 seconds WK 5-6: 20 seconds |
| 9. | BICYCLE EXERCISE | WK 1-2: 40 seconds
WK 3-4: 45 seconds WK 5-6: 50 seconds |
60 seconds |
Conclusion
Remember that you will be able to burn calories and lose body fat with this six week 20-minute HIIT workout regimen.
You can perform the exercises in this circuit at home or outside your home with only an exercise mat and clock needed.
What’s more, this workout is perfect for beginners looking to perform a standalone cardio workout. However, if you are actively into weight training, you can make this your cardio routine three or four times a week.
If you need more information on how this 20-minute HIIT workout can help tone your muscles, build your flexibility, strength, and endurance, you can chat with an IFBB PRO at Anabolic Coach today.
