What is a HIIT workout? The full-body workout you can do at home

High-intensity interval training involves quick bursts of cardio, followed by low-intensity recovery movements

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As the Covid-19 pandemic forced gyms to shut down, many people who wanted to maintain their regular fitness routine turned to at-home workouts. After months of outdoor walks, Zoom exercise classes, and the rise and fall of Peloton, gyms across England and the US reopened by the summer of 2020.

Still, working out from home offers a type of comfort that gyms could never provide. Plus, you don’t even need pounds of metal equipment to achieve a full-body workout at home. Not when there’s high-intensity interval training.

High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is a style of exercising that involves quick bursts of high intensity cardio, followed by lower intensity recovery movements. HIIT workouts can last as long as 30 minutes, making them a great option for those with busy schedules to pack in a full workout in a short period of time.

“A HIIT workout can be done literally anywhere, at home or at the gym,” said Jenny Jaucian, a certified health coach and fitness trainer. “It is not location dependent, it is simply a style of training that elicits a metabolic response in the body.” Jaucian’s workout videos have gained her over 800,000 followers on TikTok as Jenny J Fitness, where she talks about everything from fitness to healthy eating. “For instance, you can turn your at home workout into a HIIT-style workout simply by doing one to four intense workouts for 45 seconds, then resting in between for 15 seconds,” she told us.

HIIT first appeared on the fitness scene in the early 2000s, and began gaining in popularity once research showed that this type of training improved metabolic health such as cholesterol and blood pressure levels, benefited mental health, and helped decrease body fat more than “steady” exercises like jogging.

According to certified personal trainer Justin Agustin, typical cardio exercises such as jogging, cycling, or the treadmill are known as “steady state.” These exercises are often slow-paced and longer in duration.

“That’s great for building cardiovascular health and endurance, but not the most efficient at burning calories or increasing your metabolic rate,” Agustin told us. “That’s where HIIT thrives. Since the exercises are intense and in most cases full body, you’re utilizing more energy during your workout, but also creating an ‘afterburn’ effect post workout. Your metabolic rate increases and you continue to burn calories even when you’re not working out.”

He called HIIT: “It’s the ‘bang for your buck’ cardio workout.”

Cassey Ho, known as Blogilates on Instagram, is a certified Pilates and fitness instructor whose workout videos have gained her over six million subscribers on Youtube. Ho offers handpicked HIIT workouts on her app BODY by Blogilates, where users can follow along to Ho’s motivational challenges.

“I love to mix Pilates-inspired movements into my HIIT workouts, and I add intensity by using bands or medium to light weights,” she told us. “The best tips to begin is to make sure you have a plan written out, a timer nearby, and plenty of room to move.”

Ho’s preferred at-home workout combines the fat burning intensity of HIIT and the muscle toning power of pilates. For a total of 30 minutes, do 45 seconds of each movement, followed by 15 seconds of rest:

Squat hop

Tricep kick and dip

Push up burpees

Plank twist up

Plie hop

Standing Rollover

For beginners, you may need to increase recovery time in between each movement. That’s why Jaucian recommends reducing recovery time to challenge your stamina and strength. For her, she likes to start every HIIT workout with four to five full body moves — such as squats, pushups, or burpees — and completing each move for 45 to 60 seconds, with 15 to 20 second rests in between. “Once you complete all movements, repeat the circuit three to four times,” Jaucian said.

Just like the name says, HIIT workouts can get pretty intense so it’s important to be careful with your surroundings and start slow. “A lot of routines require jumping, and if you’re not experienced, your chances of getting injured during a HIIT workout are high,” Agustin said. His TikTok videos offer step-by-step tutorials for HIIT exercises paired with their beginner modifications, so if you want to work out with a buddy but aren’t at their level of expertise yet, don’t sweat it.

Well, maybe sweat a little. Isn’t that the best part of working out?