The 8 Best HIIT Workouts For Weight Loss

If you’re struggling to lose weight, chances are good it’s because you don’t have enough time to fit a full-length workout into your day.

It’s tough to find a full hour (or more) to fit in a proper weightlifting, cardio, and stretching workout into a busy day. So many times, we end up opting for skipping the gym rather than put in a half-effective workout session.

Well, all that is about to change!

In this post, you’re going to learn about HIIT, a game-changing approach to burning a huge number of calories in far less time—a.k.a. a more effective and time-efficient workout! 

For busy, hard-working parents and professionals, it’s the secret to getting in your full training session in a fraction of the time.

Why HIIT is Effective for Weight Loss

HIIT stands for "high intensity interval training". 

HIIT is a training method that combines short periods of high intensity effort with longer periods of low intensity effort.

Your body can only sustain maximum effort (sprinting, lifting weights, etc.) for a limited amount of time before your muscles run out of oxygen and shut down due to high lactic acid production.

HIIT exercise pushes your body to the maximum for a short duration to maximize energy burn. Then it slows down to give your muscles time to flush and recover for your next high-intensity interval.

High intensity interval workouts are highly effective for weight loss because the intense exercise burns a lot of calories in a short amount of time. 

During the high intensity intervals, you burn 200 to 500% more calories than you would during a standard low-intensity interval. 

Because of this, you can end up burning calories much faster with a HIIT program than you would with a regular cardio workout. A 20-minute HIIT workout can burn as many calories as you’d burn in 45 minutes of traditional endurance exercise or moderate intensity workouts (weight training or a cardio session). 

With less time expended, you’re more likely to fit it into your day. And because you’re pushing your body to its absolute limits, your metabolism increases, you build muscle, and your body has to tap into excess fat to burn for energy, which reduces body fat. 

Put that all together, and you’ve got the secret to successfully getting fitter and losing weight!

How to Structure a HIIT Workout 

The way HIIT works is simple: 

• 30 to 60 seconds of maximal effort;

• 30 to 120 seconds of low intensity "recovery" effort; 
• Repeat for 20 to 30 minutes. 

How long each interval lasts and how many cycles you do of each will largely depend on your fitness. The fitter you are, the less rest you’ll need and the longer you can train.  

For that reason, HIIT is incredibly easy to adapt to your ever-changing fitness levels, muscle strength, and endurance. 

Because you’re working out at maximum intensity, you burn more calories per minute during those intervals than you would in a steady-state workout. There’s also a huge metabolic boost and improvements to both your lungs’ ability to absorb oxygen (oxygen uptake volume, or VO2) and your heart’s ability to beat (heart rate, or MaxHR).  

Ultimately, it leads to serious improvements in your fitness and fat loss! 

Understanding Work-to-Rest Ratios of Your HIIT Sessions

We’re starting at a "baseline" of 30/90 (a max work/recovery ratio of 1:3), but you can extend your rest time to up to 120 seconds (1:4 ratio) if needed. 

This work/recovery ratio allows you to push your body to its limits for short bursts of 30 seconds  – the average time a beginner or intermediate-level trainee can typically work at max output. Then, it gives you enough time for your body to flush lactic acid from your muscles and for your heart rate to return to baseline.  

Adjusting HIIT Cardio Intensity Levels Based on Fitness 

To make the workouts harder, try the following: 

• Shorten the "recovery" interval to 60 or even 30 seconds. Short recovery periods between max-intensity intervals maximizes calorie burning and pushes your cardiovascular system harder.

• Lengthen the maximum intensity interval to 60 seconds. This will push your max capacity (both VO2 Max and MaxHR) harder, leading to greater fitness at a higher level.  

The 8 Best HIIT Workouts for Weight Loss to Try at Home

Below, we’ve collected 8 of the best HIIT workouts you can do from the comfort of your home. Some require a bit of equipment (kettlebell, dumbbell, cardio machine, etc.) but many can be done with nothing else but your body. 

Let’s get working! 

HIIT Workout #1: Sprint Training 

You don’t need anything for this workout but a good pair of running shoes and a road, sidewalk, trail, or running track where you can run for 30 seconds without slowing. 

The Workout: 

• Begin with 5 minutes of stretching, followed by 5 minutes of light jogging or running. 

• Sprint at full speed for 30 seconds. 

• Walk/jog for 90 seconds. 

• Repeat 10 times, or for a total of 20 minutes 

• Cool down with 5 minutes of light jogging or running followed by 5 minutes of stretching.  

HIIT Workout #2: Treadmill Sprints  

Even if it’s too cold, snowy, or rainy outside to run, you can still get in a good sprint training workout using a treadmill. 

The Workout: 

• Begin with 5 minutes of stretching, followed by 5 minutes of light jogging or running. 

• Set the treadmill to 1% incline (to simulate outdoor conditions). 

• Raise the speed as high as possible (8 to 10 MPH) for 30 seconds. 

• Return to your light jog (around 4.5 MPH) or run (around 5 MPH) speed for 90 seconds.   

• Repeat 10 times, or for a total of 20 minutes 

• Cool down with 5 minutes of light jogging or running followed by 5 minutes of stretching. 

HIIT Workout #3: Bodyweight Resistance Training 

This full body resistance exercise session uses only bodyweight exercises to help you build muscle mass as well as endurance. 

The Workout: 

• Begin with 5 minutes of stretching, followed by 5 minutes of light jogging or running. 

• Do 30 seconds of push-ups (targeting your upper body "Push" muscles), followed by 30 seconds of recovery. 

• Do 30 seconds of pull-ups (targeting your upper body "Pull" muscles), followed by 30 seconds of recovery. 

• Do 30 seconds of squats (targeting your lower body muscles), followed by 30 seconds of recovery. 

• Do 30 seconds of crunches (targeting your core muscles), followed by 30 seconds of recovery.   

• Repeat 5 times, or for a total of 20 minutes 

• Cool down with 5 minutes of light jogging or running followed by 5 minutes of stretching.

HIIT Workout #4: Stationary Bike Sprint 

If you’ve got a stationary bike at home, you can use it to get in a truly epic HIIT session. 

Note: Cycling workouts use RPE, or rate of perceived exertion, rather than speed. 1 is the lightest exertion, with 10 being the max. 

The Workout: 

• Begin with 5 minutes of stretching, followed by 5 minutes of light pedaling (at 2-3 RPE). 

• Adjust the resistance to around 25%. 

• Pedal as fast as you can for 30 seconds. 

• Pedal at a lower speed (3 to 5 RPE) for 90 seconds.  

• Repeat 10 times, or for a total of 20 minutes 

• Cool down with 5 minutes of light pedaling or running followed by 5 minutes of stretching.  

HIIT Workout #5: Kettlebell HIIT Workout 

If you’ve got kettlebells at home, you can use them to get in a truly amazing muscle-building routine and burn fat.  

The Workout: 

• Begin with 5 minutes of stretching, followed by 5 minutes of light jogging or running. 

• Perform kettlebell swings for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of recovery. 

• Perform kettlebell goblet squats for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of recovery. 

• Perform kettlebell deadlifts for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of recovery. 

• Perform kettlebell thrusters for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of recovery. 

• Perform kettlebell lunges for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of recovery. 

• Perform kettlebell bicep curls for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of recovery. 

• Perform kettlebell farmer’s walk for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of recovery. 

• Perform kettlebell good mornings for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of recovery. 

• Perform kettlebell one-legged deadlifts for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of recovery. 

• Perform kettlebell high pulls for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of recovery. 

• Repeat twice for a total of 20 minutes 

• Cool down with 5 minutes of light jogging or running followed by 5 minutes of stretching.  

HIIT Workout #6: Boxing Rounds 

If you’ve got a punching bag and gloves, it’ll make your daily HIIT workout a whole lot more fun and active.  

The Workout: 

• Begin with 5 minutes of stretching, followed by 5 minutes of light jogging or running. 

• Punch the bag at full intensity for 60 seconds.  

• Recover for 90 seconds.  

• Kick the bag at full intensity for 60 seconds. 

• Recover for 90 seconds. 

• Mix kicks and punches at full intensity for 60 seconds. 

• Recover for 90 seconds.  

• Repeat 3 times, for a total of a little over 20 minutes 

• Cool down with 5 minutes of light jogging or running followed by 5 minutes of stretching.  

HIIT Workout #7: Battle Ropes  

Battle ropes are an amazing workout tool! Their weight makes them challenging to use, and your entire body is forced to get involved in moving them. They make one heck of a fun HIIT workout, too! 

The Workout: 

• Begin with 5 minutes of stretching, followed by 5 minutes of light jogging or running. 

• Perform 60 seconds of bilateral waves (right hand comes up while left hand goes down, and vice versa), followed by 60 seconds of recovery.  

• Perform 60 seconds of unilateral waves (both hands moving together), followed by 60 seconds of recovery. 

• Perform 60 seconds of rope slams (lifting the ropes above your shoulder level and slamming them to the floor as hard as possible), followed by 60 seconds of recovery. 

• Perform 60 seconds of alternating wide circles (swinging the ropes in wide outward circles one hand at a time), followed by 60 seconds of recovery. 

• Perform 60 seconds of jumping slams (like rope slams, but including a jump), followed by 60 seconds of recovery. 

• Repeat 4 times, or for a total of 20 minutes 

• Cool down with 5 minutes of light jogging or running followed by 5 minutes of stretching.  

HIIT Workout #8: Rowing Sprint 

Last, but not least, if you’ve got a rowing machine at home, you can use it for a truly epic-level fat-burning HIIT routine.  

The Workout: 

• Begin with 5 minutes of stretching, followed by 5 minutes of light rowing (at 2 to 3 RPE). 

• Raise the resistance to 25 to 50%. 

• Row at 10 RPE for 30 seconds. 

• Slow down your rowing speed to 4 or 5 RPE and recover for 90 seconds.  

• Repeat 10 times, or for a total of 20 minutes 

• Cool down with 5 minutes of light rowing (at 2 to 3 RPE) followed by 5 minutes of stretching.  

Tips to Maximize Your HIIT Workouts 

To make the most of your HIIT exercise routine, you can use the following tips:

• Always use a timer. You can download a HIIT timer app for your phone or just use a regular stopwatch. But always use a timer to make sure you’re pushing for the full duration of the high-intensity intervals, and resting only as much as is necessary to push toward the next one.
• Ease into it. Don’t go so hard on your first HIIT training day that you injure yourself. Start working at a 1:3 or 1:4 work ratio, and set your initial max at 80 to 90% of what you believe you’re capable of (in terms of speed, weight, and reps). Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, work your way up to your true max and shorten the rest periods.
• Drink lots of water throughout. You’re going to feel the effects of the workout, especially initially, and staying hydrated will help you perform at optimal capacity for the duration of your training session.
• Prioritize good form. Proper form—whether running, cycling, stair climbing, or lifting weights—will reduce your risk of injury and maximize the effectiveness of each workout. Avoid sacrificing good form to complete an extra rep or two or push to the final seconds of your high-intensity interval.
• Push hard. It’ll be tough to get used to at first, but as you do, keep finding new ways to challenge yourself. Increase the amount of weight you lift. Shorten your recovery time or extend your high-intensity interval. The harder you push, the more your fitness will improve. 

Keep these tips in mind as you get into HIIT, and you’ll find every training session is more effective—not to mention safer, too!

How to Progress and Avoid Plateaus 

The key to avoiding plateaus and always progressing is to keep tracking. 

Monitor your performance at every workout, and take notes of how you felt before, during, and after the session.

Evaluate what factors in your life—be it when or what you ate, stress, time of day, or even weekday vs. weekend workouts—affect your workouts, and make it a goal to workout when conditions are optimal.

Tracking your progress will help you realize when you’re allowing yourself to slow down, or when you’re capable of pushing harder. 

Always challenge yourself to do just a little more with every training session, be it lifting heavier, pushing harder, or resting less. 

Cool-Down and Stretching After HIIT 

You absolutely have to spend at least 5-10 minutes warming up before your workout, as well as 5-10 minutes cooling down afterward.

Prior to your training, your muscles may be tight and your joints stiff. If you leaped right into the workout, you could injure yourself. Spending a few minutes to get blood flowing to your muscles and loosen up tight joint tissue will drastically reduce injury risk.

Cooling down after your workout has the same effect. A post-workout stretch session will help flush lactic acid from your muscles and speed up recovery. It’ll also loosen up muscles or joints that may have tightened or stiffened during the training.

Do not skimp on your workouts or cool-downs—research [1] has shown it drastically increases muscular system performance and can increase muscle growth.

Importance of Recovery for Muscle Repair 

DO NOT do HIIT workouts back to back.  

That means not only should you not work out the same muscles/muscle groups every day, but you also shouldn’t do HIIT every day.

Your body needs time to recover from the high-intensity exercise and make repairs to your muscles, which sustained microscopic damage during the HIIT training. Doing HIIT every day increases your injury risk significantly. 

It also pushes your metabolism very hard, and if you don’t give your body time to recover and replenish the energy it burned, you may experience fatigue and weakness.

Aim to do no more than 3 HIIT workouts a week, with a minimum of 48 hours of recovery time between. That, paired with a balanced diet, is the key to avoiding exercise-related injury and giving your muscles time to repair damage. 

Conclusion: Start Your HIIT Journey Today 

HIIT can be an absolute game-changer for your fitness because it delivers more effective training in a fraction of the time. 

Think you’re up for the challenge? The workouts we shared above are guaranteed to push your body hard. In doing so, you will expand your fitness in every aspect—not just your cardiovascular endurance, but also your muscular strength, endurance, and metabolic rate, too. 

As a result, you’ll be a fitter, tougher, and more resilient athlete in every activity you do.  

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is HIIT really better than cardio?

HIIT is similar to cardio in that it pushes your heart to pump more blood, your lungs to absorb more air, and your blood vessels to widen to allow for more efficient circulation. However, instead of maintaining low-intensity effort for long periods (similar to jogging or slow-paced cycling), it pushes your cardiovascular system to its maximum function for short periods. It will help increase your maximum oxygen uptake and max heart rate while also increasing cardiovascular health.  

What are the disadvantages of HIIT training?

The disadvantages of HIIT exercise training includes a higher risk of injuries, greater potential for overtraining, an increased strain on your body (particularly your joints), and longer recovery time between workouts (you can do cardio every day, but not HIIT). However, these disadvantages do not negate the benefits in the slightest.  

Who should not do HIIT?

Pregnant women should avoid HIIT training, as should anyone who is returning to exercise after long periods of inactivity. People with serious medical conditions (particularly cardiovascular or skeletomuscular issues) should approach HIIT exercises with caution.