Beginners No-Equipment HIIT Workout

If you’re ready to work up a sweat, no equipment required, you try our High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout.

What is HIIT? It’s all about combining short bursts of exercise with brief intervals of rest in between. The best thing about HIIT is you don’t need to use complicated moves – all you need is the motivation to push through each circuit. Just put on your favourite upbeat playlist and get to work! And it doesn’t get much more upbeat than disco…

First thing’s first: start with a warmup. 1 minute of high-knee marching and one minute of body weight squats will prepare your muscles for what’s to come.

Next, complete one of the following HIIT exercises for 30 seconds, followed by one of the active recovery moves for 30 seconds. Keep working through the circuit until you’ve done every move. Complete the circuit a minimum of 3 times (and add another round or 2 if you’re really feeling it).

Here are your exercises:

1. Saturday Night Ice Skater

Our routine starts with a classic HIIT Exercise – ice skaters. These are great exercises to activate your leg muscles and get your heart pumping.

Start with your legs slightly wider than your shoulder distance apart. From this position bring your leg behind at an angle in to a reverse lunge and hop from side-to-side switching legs as if your were ice skating. With each hop touch your arm to the opposite standing leg.

Ice skaters are great exercises that focus on quads, hamstrings and calves.

2. Glitter Glute Bridge

Lying active recovery that still allows you to overload the glutes after the ice skater whilst recovering heart rate.

Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and arms by your sides. Raise your hips upwards by pressing your weight down into the floor through your palms and feet. Focus on clenching your glutes throughout the entire movement.

Glute bridges activate the glute muscles and help you perform other lower body exercises more effectively.

3. Boogie Sumo Squat Jumps

High intensity move with the option to speed squat without the jump if needed.

Stand upright with your feet slightly wider than hip distance. Turn your feet out slightly, rotating from the hips. Push your hips back and squat down. Remember to keep your back straight and your upper body tall. Finish by either jumping or standing up straight, squeezing your glutes at the top.

Sumo squats are a quintessential lower body exercise that target the quads, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, calves and lower back.

4. Flutter Kick the Disco Ball

Lying active recovery core drill that will recover your heart rate again.

Lie on the ground on your back with your hands underneath your buttocks. Lift your left leg off the ground slightly past hip height and the right leg to a low hover. Switch the position of your legs making a flutter kick motion. Keep the motion slow and controlled for maximum burn.

Flutter kicks are all about the core muscles, but they also loosen up the hip flexors and can help with improving overall posture, stability, and balance.

5. Mountain Climbing with Flare(s)

Finish round 1 off with an explosive fast core move!

Start on the ground in a plank position with your shoulders directly over your hands and wrists. Bring your left knee in towards your left elbow and back to its starting position while simultaneously bringing your right knew in towards your right elbow. Alternate back and forth, picking up the pace as if you’re “running” in a plank position.

As a compound exercise, mountain climbers will get your whole body moving. From strengthening your arms and shoulders to building endurance in your core, you’ll notice your heart pumping with this exercise — and that’s a good thing!

Recover for 30-60 seconds between rounds – recharge, recover then restart for rounds 2 and 3!

Cool Down

As with any workout, it’s important to take some time to cool down and allow your heart rate to return to normal. Taking a few minutes to stretch will help you avoid too much muscle soreness (a little bit is okay!) and prevent injury.

As you master your form and build up strength, this workout can evolve in any direction you wish. Add a couple more exercises, increase the time or even add equipment — it’s up to you!

If you need a little musical inspiration to power you through this workout, try this disco classics playlist: