Torch Calories, Build Muscle and Improve Endurance With This 20-Minute HIIT Workout

You shouldn’t have to fit into a diet and fitness plan. The plan should have to fit you. Click here for all the details on our January challenge.

Like peanut butter and chocolate, some things get even better when they're combined. That's the case for high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that blends cardio and strength training — you burn calories and build muscle in a single sweat session.

It gets better: Because HIIT is so intense, you continue to burn calories even ​after​ your workout is complete, per the American Council on Exercise.

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All you need is a few feet of space for this dynamic body-weight HIIT workout, designed by Holly Rilinger, personal trainer, Nike master trainer and creator of The LIFTED Program. The routine alternates between challenging full-body strength moves and cardio — but you can modify to accommodate any fitness level.

"[This workout] gives you the ability to customize work capacity and go as hard as you can go," she says.

Follow along as Rilinger demos this tough-but-rewarding workout.

Make 2021 Your Year, Your Way

You shouldn’t have to fit into a diet and fitness plan. The plan should have to fit ​you.​ Get all the details on our January challenge here.

Start With a Moment of Mindfulness

Mindfulness is an important part of Rilinger's fitness strategy. "Very early on, I realized that my mental game needed to be just as strong as my physical game," she says.

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Before you begin this workout — or any of Rilinger's programs for the 'Your Year, Your Way' Challenge — follow along with this 2-minute meditation to help you stay present and get the most out of every movement.

How to Do This 20-Minute Cardio and Strength HIIT Workout

For the 'Your Year, Your Way' Challenge, Rilinger designed a four-week progression so that your workouts get harder (and you get stronger) throughout the month. Each week, you'll decrease your rest period by a few seconds.

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Do each move for...

Then rest for...

Week 1

30 seconds

30 seconds

Week 2

35 seconds

25 seconds

Week 3

40 seconds

20 seconds

Week 4

45 seconds

15 seconds

Regardless of the week, three things will always remain the same when you do this workout: You'll always start with 60 seconds of jogging in place to warm up, you'll always cycle through the circuit three times and you'll always want to take a few minutes to stretch afterward to cool down.

The Workout

  1. Jump Squat:​ Swing your arms as you jump to help propel you upward, Rilinger says. (If you can't or don't want to jump, do a standard squat instead.)
  2. Bicycle Crunch:​ Keep this movement slow and deliberate, Rilinger says. Hold your shoulders up off the ground the entire time, if possible.
  3. Skater:​ Clear a lot of space so your side-to-side jumps can be big and powerful, rather than delicate and dancer-like, she says.
  4. Alternating Knee Drive:​ Keep your eyes forward during this high-powered skipping movement.
  5. 3-Step Shuffle:​ Bring your knees up high as you alternate taking three steps to the left, followed by three steps to the right.
  6. Crab Toe Touch:​ If lifting your hips is too challenging, keep your butt on the floor.
  7. Cross-Body Climber:​ While you want to go fast on this move, don't sacrifice form for speed. Slow down as needed, Rilinger says.

Tip

Cool down by holding any four stretches you'd like for 30 seconds each. Focus on areas that feel tight.

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