Fitt Happens

FIT doesn't quit, make it HAPPEN

Intense 20 Minute Workout-Full Body, HIIT

dumbbells

Dani S.

person holding barbell

The ACSM defines HIIT as “repeated bouts of high intensity effort followed by varied recovery times”.

This 20 minute workout will make you sweat, make you work and make you BEG for more!

This particular workout is a High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT workout. The American College of Sports Medicine defines HIIT as “repeated bouts of high intensity effort followed by varied recovery times”. Workouts can vary in length and style and you will (almost always) burn more calories than a typical steady state style 20 minute workout.

Various styles of HIIT workouts:

  1. TABATA – A Tabata workout is 4 minutes in duration…that’s right…only 4 minutes long! It involves 20 seconds of ultra-intense, all out effort followed by a 10 second rest period.
  2. EMOM – EMOM stands for “Every Minute On the Minute”. The length of the workout can vary from 5 minutes to 50 minutes (and everywhere in between). Basically, this style workout challenges you to perform an exercise inside of 60 seconds. The time remaining in that minute is your rest period. EMOM workouts help you to work at a high intensity…because, let’s be honest, you’ll want as much of a rest period as possible. Whether it’s a 10 minute or a 20 minute workout, you’re going to work as hard as you can.
  3. AMRAP – AMRAP stands for “As Many Reps As Possible”. With this style, the length of the workout will again vary. It could be a 5 minute workout, a 40 minute workout or a 20 minute workout. An AMRAP workout challenges you to perform as much work as possible and get as many rounds and/or reps inside the allotted time period.
  4. LADDERS – A Ladder workout involves either an ascending rep scheme or a descending rep scheme. Typically the load (or weights) stay the same and the reps will change. For example, you could do an Ascending Ladder workout with Pushups. You might do this in groups of 2 reps. You would start with 2 Pushups, then rest. Followed by 4 Pushups, then rest. 6 Pushups, rest… all the way up to your pre-determined finish point. You could also head “down the Ladder” where you would start with the higher reps and work your way down.
modern stationary bicycles in gym

20 Minute Workout – EMOM Style

Perform each exercise “Circuit Style” (i.e. in order…. exercise 1, then 2, then 3… then repeat for minutes 6-10, minutes 10-15, minutes 15-20)

  1. Minute 1 – 10 Burpees. Make sure to get through these as quickly as possible while still maintaining form.
  2. Minute 2 – 20 Squat Jumps. Try to get your squats all the way down…no “Half Squatties” here!
  3. Minute 3 – 5 Devil’s Presses. Use a weight that is heavy enough but still comfortable to lift through all 5 reps.
  4. Minute 4 – 75 Jump Rope.
  5. Minute 5 – 15 Push-Ups.

Remember, with an EMOM, the faster you perform an exercise, the more rest time you get!

Adjust these exercises according to your current Fitness Level. If you need to modify some and/or all of the exercises listed, here are a few ideas:

  1. Squat Thrusts instead of Burpees. Or, if you can do Burpees, just not 10 reps of them…feel free to drop the number down to something that fits your Fitness level.
  2. If Squat Jumps are a little much, try doing regular Squats. You could also add a Dumbbell or 2 to a regular Squat instead of doing the jump.
  3. If Devil’s Press sounds like it’s namesake…try a Kettlebell swing or, if you don’t have a KB, try swings with a Dumbbell. You could do an Overhead Shoulder press if the Kettlebell swings also sound like the Devil.
  4. If you don’t have a Jump Rope (I highly suggest you get one…check out my Home Gym post), you could do “Faux Jump Rope” or even Jumping Jacks.
  5. There are SO many ways to modify Push-Ups. You could do them on your knees, use the stairs or a countertop or even try a “Hand Release” Push-Up.

If you are unsure how to perform a particular exercise, please feel free to reach out to Fitt Happens and I would be more than happy to help you along. You Tube is also a great resource as you can look up a video and get great pointers on proper form.

Remember…you are stronger today than you were yesterday. Imagine yourself in 6 months if you continue working out…

FIT DOESN’T QUIT, MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Exercise is not without its risks and this or any other exercise program many result in injury. As with any exercise program, if at any point during your workout you begin to feel faint, dizzy or have physical discomfort, you should stop immediately and consult a medical professional. Fitt Happens assumes no responsibility for any injury while performing this or any other exercise program.