How to Squeeze In a HIIT Workout Anywhere
When you go on a vacation or on a business trip, you probably go off your daily workout routine. That doesn’t have to be the case! If you bring your sneakers and some stretchy pants, you can get your sweat on anywhere.
But what if you run into problems? You step inside your hotel’s fitness center, and it smells funny. You go outside for a jog, and it’s pouring. You find a 10-story stairwell to race up and down, and it has a creepy, light-flickering vibe.
Here’s what you do: Go back to your room—or find any open space—and be the master of your own HIIT class! No equipment? No problem. All you need is a little determination, roughly 25 minutes, an absorbent towel (cuz you’re gonna drip), and a clock (or get the HIIT Interval Training Timer app).
Wait . . . what’s a HIIT workout?
HIIT is code for “high intensity interval training.” According to dailyburn.com, “HIIT is a training technique in which you give all-out, one hundred percent effort through quick, intense bursts of exercise, followed by short, sometimes active, recovery periods. This type of training gets and keeps your heart rate up and burns more fat in less time.”
If you’re new to HIIT, start with a 1:2 ratio of work to rest. For example, that could be 30 seconds of intense cardio followed by a 60-second recovery period, repeating sets until you’ve reached the 25-minute mark. As your endurance develops, you could flip the ratio: 60 seconds of givin’-it-all-ya-got with 30 seconds of recovery.
What’s the key to HIIT success? INTENSITY!
Push yourself to the max during the “intense bursts of exercise.” You have rest periods waiting for you. And remember to be realistic when determining which HIIT formula to follow. Pick a work/rest ratio you know you’ll actually complete.
What are some examples of high intensity exercises?
Where to begin? The possibilities are endless! But for the sake of this article, we’re talking a “no equipment, small space, you and you alone” kinda workout.
- Jumping Jacks
- Rocket Jumps
- Burpees
- High Knee Jogs
- Star Jumps
- Long Jumps
- Plank Jacks
- Alternate Front Kicks/Back Kicks
- Speedy Punches
- 180 Jumps
- Side Shuffles
- Standing Lunge Switch-Outs
- Power Knee Slaps
What are some examples of “rest period” exercises?
During this time, it’s important to not collapse. Yes, rest, but do so in an “active recovery” sort of way.
- March in Place
- Plank Holds
- Side Planks
- Balance on One Leg, Switch
- Slow Squats
- Squat Holds
- Step Touches
- Alternate Knee Lifts
- Wall Push-Ups
- Bodyweight Deadlifts
- Windmill Arms
- Glute Squeezes
- BREATHE
Oh, one more thing. Don’t exercise without music. Find yourself a motivating playlist!
Checkout this Goomi Playlist we created!
