HIIT's (High Intensity Interval Training) are great workouts for every athlete, from beginner on up. Short HIITs like this one are also the only kind of workout we recommend during taper weeks, so you may want to bookmark this and return to it during your next taper.
This HIIT is only 20 minutes long (probably around 25 with warm-up), so it's perfect for busy mornings or to get a quick workout in at the end of your day. This is a bodyweight workout, but you can choose to use a ruck if you're preparing for an Event.
Make sure you set your timer for this workout because these exercises work on a :30 work/:30 rest work model. This also means you'll want to exercise AFAP -- As Fast As Possible. Don't sacrifice form! Just make sure your movements are done well and efficiently.
Perform the warm-up! Don't just jump into high-movement work without warming up the areas you need to get grooving first. Otherwise, it's an injury waiting to happen. Treat yourself better than that! It's five minutes!
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
WODTimer or other workout timing app
WHAT EXERCISES DO I NEED TO KNOW
INCHWORMS Begin by standing. Bend to touch the floor and walk your hands out into a plank. Walk your hands back up to your feet and stand for one rep.
LATERAL LUNGES TLDR: Side Lunges I prefer to start warm-up lateral lunges with my feet wide, like the out-movement of a jumping jack. This gives you a central place to return to. Lunge to your left, knee over ankle, butt sitting back, chest up. Return to center, and perform on the right side.
HIGH KNEES MOD for bad knees: Walk them High knees are a quick run in place. Begin standing tall, feet hip width apart, elbows bent at your sides, hands splayed. Jog your knee up as it hits your hand, and repeat on the other side.
MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS This is a movement I get questions about all the time. "How do I get the right mountain climber form??" Begin in plank position, shoulders strong with the muscles between your shoulder blades arched. Your toes should be curled under your feet. Keeping your hips as low as you can, run your feet in, knee to chest. Mountain climbers are a core exercise! You should feel your abs engaging. If you don't feel them, and instead run your feet with your butt in the air (which is the form I see most often), this tells me one thing: your core isn't strong enough. I'd rather you do them slow to learn the right muscle patterns than perform mountain climbers like a weird butt-up-pike-run.
SIT-UPS Mod: Butterfly sit-ups (harder) or assisted (a partner, sandbag on your feet, etc) Most everyone knows how to do a sit-up since grammar school, so my only reminder here is to not pull your neck, but find a spot on the ceiling at a slight diagonal to focus on.
Warm Up
- 10 x Inchworms
- 10 x Walking Lunges each side
- 10 x Lateral Lunges each side
- 25 x High Knees
WORKOUT x :30 seconds on / :30 seconds off x 4 Rounds
- Burpees
- Push-Ups
- Mountain Climbers
- Sit-Ups
- Plank
