Okay, we appreciate that your time is valuable and you may feel as if you don’t have enough free time to fit in a bit of exercise.
By: ManOnPHI
However, the truth is that if you choose the right kind of workouts you will be able to have a powerful and effective workout that will take no longer than 20 minutes to complete.
The kinds of workouts we are talking about are those that are known as HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training.
These workouts consist of very short, but very intense blasts of exercise with complete rest or active recovery in the form of less intense exercise in-between.
Strength and cardio routines can both be used as HIITs, as they both get your heart pumping fast and switch your metabolism up due to an amazing thing known as after burn – where your body continues to burn calories even when you have finished working out.
In the following article we have gathered together 4 of our favorite HIIT style fat burning workouts that you will be able to do with just 20 minutes to spare.
No matter which one you choose you will experience weight loss that equals or betters workout sessions that take longer and are less intense.
Content
A Super-Fast Workout You Can Do In 5 Minutes
The Fast-and-Furious Cardio Interval Routine
Hiit Workout For Weight Loss Video
Exercise – Rest Exchange Workout Plan
The 15-Minute No-Equipment Workout
#1 A Super-Fast Workout You Can Do In 5 Minutes
If all you have is 5 minutes, then the following workout might just be the thing you are looking for to stay active on even your busiest days.
The routine involves 5 moves completed in 5 minutes with 10 seconds of rest between them.
This is a great workout that uses limited time effectively to increase your heartrate and work your muscles as hard as you can.
Apart from a step-up box and some risers, or alternatives, the only thing you need for this workout routine is the motivation to set aside and make time for it and to put it into action, whether it is at home, in the office or wherever else you may have a few moments spare to exercise.
The moves you need to complete are:
1 – Reverse Lunge
2 – Fast Feet
3 – Squat Thrust with a Hand Walk
4 – Hand Walk with an Offset Pushup
5 – Lateral Shuffle
#2. The Fast-and-Furious Cardio Interval Routine
As mentioned at the outset, if you only have a limited amount of time to exercise, the best way to increase the effectiveness of any workout is by increasing the intensity, so that your muscles and heart are working harder.
It doesn’t matter whether you prefer to walk, hike, bike, run or swim as the following cardio workout plan will help you burn off as many calories as you possibly can in 20 minutes.
First 5 Minutes – Warm up by moving at a slow and steady pace
1 Minute – Go as fast and hard as you can for a minute
1 Minute – Catch your breath and kick start active recovery.
1 Minute 15 Seconds – Repeat everything after the first 5 minutes again five times.
Last Minute and 30 Seconds – Cool down.
Hiit Workout For Weight Loss Video
#3. Exercise – Rest Exchange Workout Plan
The Exercise – Rest Exchange Workout Plan is very simple to follow – choose one of the interval patterns and then complete the exercises in order.
Although both target fat, build muscle and burn your calories, they generate different metabolic responses because of the difference in the work to rest ratios.
By using both interval patterns and alternating them you will speed up the results and stop your workouts becoming stale.
Reps for 30 Seconds, Rest For 30 Seconds
Complete as many reps of each exercise as you can in 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds. Repeat this pattern for each exercise.
If you plan to do more than one round of movements you should rest for 60 seconds after completing the first run.
Reps for 50 Seconds, Rest For 10 Seconds
Complete as many reps of each exercise as you can in 50 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat this pattern for each exercise.
Again, if you plan to do more than one round of movements you should rest for 60 seconds after completing the first run.
The Exercises
T Extensions with Rotation
Begin this move in the traditional pushup position. Engaging your core and keeping your arms straight, move your body’s weight onto your left arm, rotating your torso to the right, before raising your right arm to the ceiling to form a T shape with your body. Hold this position for 3 seconds before returning to the starting position. Repeat this move on the other side.
Forward/Reverse Lunge Alternating Switch
Step forward with your right leg, while bending both your knees into a lunge. Then push through on your right heel until you are standing again, remembering to keep your foot lifted. Then push your right foot back and lower into the lunge position. Press on your left heel to return to standing position.
Skater Hops
Stand with your right foot off the floor ever so slightly and your left foot taking the weight and left knee bent a little. From that position jump right and be sure to land on your right foot, while bringing your left foot off the ground slightly.
Shoulder Press (Inverted)
Put your hands on the floor so that they are outside your shoulders and raise your hips enough off the ground that they are almost perpendicular to the floor. Now lower your body by bending your elbows enough for your head to almost touch the floor. Hold for a second and then push back to the start.
Glute Bridge March
Lie down on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your knees bent. Start by lifting your leg off the floor so that there is a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. Now lift and bring your right knee into your chest, holding it there for 2 seconds before lowering it back down and repeating the same movement with your left leg.
#4. The 15-Minute No-Equipment Workout
Although there are plenty of different exercise machines and pieces of resistance training equipment out there that you can use, relying on them too much may not only make your workouts a little repetitive and boring, but will stop you from properly utilizing the most affect exercise machine you have – your body.
Working hard on squats and pushups means you don’t have to wait for certain machines to be free at the gym, and means that you don’t actually have to attend the gym at all.
However, if you are looking to improve and enhance your no machine routine, you can do this by tweaking just a little.
The following form of bodyweight routine is based around the concept of complex training. Complex training involves coupling strength moves with fast and explosive ones.
According to research, this particular method of training is effectively because it pushes your muscles to work harder than they would with other forms of training.
This type of training not only improves your agility, speed and strength, but also increases your metabolic rate, which enables you to burn more calories not only during your workout but after.
It is recommended that you try this routine at least 2 to 3 times a week. Follow this pattern –
- 1st Move for 30 seconds
- 2nd Move for 30 seconds
- Rest for 1 minute
- Repeat this 3 times
- 3rd and 4th Moves – following the same pattern
Always try to push yourself to increase the number of reps of each movement each time.
Lunge With a Jump
Step your left foot forward into the lunge position and jump straight off the floor. Swing your arms forward and switch legs while in the air, as if they were scissors. Land back into the lunge position, but with your right leg forward.
Squat with a Kick
Begin by standing with your feet apart at shoulder width with your hands behind your head and your elbows facing out to the sides. Bend your knees and sit as far back as you possibly can. Push back up to the starting position and kick your right leg forward with your foot flexed. For the second rep, repeat the move kicking your left leg instead.
The Mountain Climber Cross Body Stretch
Start from the traditional pushup position with your arms straight and then bring your right knee towards your left elbow. Move back to the starting position and then bring your left knee towards your right elbow.
Tweaked Foot Stack Push-up
Start from the traditional pushup position and place a foot on top of the other one so that one foot is supporting your body weight. Now lower your body towards the floor until your chest is nearly touching it. Hold this position for a few seconds and then push back up to the starting position again.
Hopefully you can see from the above examples that it is not so much quantity but quality when it comes to effective workouts. If you only have 20 minutes, you can see that it is possible to burn calories and lose weight.
Let us know your thoughts on the above suggestions or any others you would like to add in the comments section below and if you have any questions, queries or need more information or advice be sure to use the contact form.
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