• MOVEMENT

    This Summer HIIT Workout Gives You Time and Energy Back for Living

    By 24Life

Summer brings out the best in life: The best food, best songs and best memories—and that means you need to spend more time living and less time working out. But how do you do this without sacrificing your results and commitment to feeling your best? We got you covered.

This workout delivers all you need packed into a short, sweaty summer HIIT program. HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training, which is not easy—you will have to work for it. So be prepared to bring it—and load you favorite summer hits to motivate your moves. Try this play list for some summertime inspiration from our resident DJ.

MOVEMENT PREP (Quick Warm-Up)

Perform each movement for 30 seconds before moving on to the next move.

Arm Swing

  • Begin standing with your feet under your hips, arms by your sides.
  • Lift both arms directly above your head, rotating from your shoulders, and swing them back down.
  • Repeat in a fluid up-and-down movement, bracing through your core so your body doesn’t swing.

Leg Swing

  • Begin standing with your feet under your hips, hands on your hips.
  • Shift your weight into your left leg to lift your right leg slightly off the ground.
  • Keeping both legs straight and knee soft in the standing leg, swing your right leg out to the side and then across in front of your left leg.
  • Repeat this back-and-forth motion, then switch legs.

Jump Squat

  • From a standing position, sink into a squat and swing your arms back.
  • Hold for a moment, and then press through the balls of your feet and jump straight up as high as you can. Allow your arms to swing up and lift your body.
  • As you land, absorb the impact by bending your knees.
  • In one smooth motion, sink back into a squat and repeat.

TIP: Keep your chest upright throughout the movement.

WORKOUT (Quick)

Perform each strength movement for one minute, then complete one minute of the cardio push followed by one minute of recovery before moving on to the next set. Repeat two rounds.

Strength Move 1: Overhead Split Squat

  • Begin standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms by your sides.
  • Bring both hands up overhead, arms straight. Hold them here as you perform your split squat.
  • Step your right leg back and out, maintaining squat width, and bend your knees to sink into a squat. When your knees are at 90 degrees, push back up to return to stand and repeat.
  • Switch legs.

Strength Move 2: Crouching Squat

  • Begin standing with your feet wider than your hips.
  • Step your right foot back about a foot, then bend your knees to squat down, and bring your right knee to touch the floor alongside your left ankle.
  • Press through your left foot to stand.
  • Repeat on the opposite leg.

Strength Move 3: Lateral Lunge

  • Begin standing with your feet under your hips. Step directly to your right while keeping your left foot pressed into the ground.
  • As your right foot hits the ground, push your right hip back toward the wall behind you.
  • Return to standing by pushing your right foot into the ground and pulling with the inner-thigh muscles of your left leg.
  • Repeat on the opposite leg.

Cardio Push: Loaded Burpee

  • Begin standing with your feet under your hips, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
  • Bend from your hips to place the dumbbells on the ground in front of you, then jump both feet back to come into an extended plank, pressing through the dumbbells into the floor.
  • Jump your feet back in toward your hands, bending your knees, and bring the dumbbells up to press them straight overhead.
  • Repeat.

CORE

Perform each core movement for one minute, then complete one minute of the cardio push followed by one minute of recovery before moving on to the next set. Repeat two rounds.

Core Move 1: Ground-Based Push-Up

  • Begin in a prone position, with your toes tucked under your feet and your hands next to your chest, elbows bent.
  • Perform a push-up by driving the ground away through your hands, then returning down to the ground.
  • Repeat.

Core Move 2: Flying Superman

  • Begin in a prone position, with your arms out flat in front of you and the tops of your feet facing the ground.
  • Lift your arms and legs up to come into Superman, weight resting in your abdomen.
  • Holding this position, bring your hands and feet out wide like you’re making an X with your body.
  • Bring your arms and legs back in, and lower down. Repeat.

Core Move 3: Knee Pull

  • Begin seated, and pull your feet in toward your butt, bending your knees. Place your hands behind you for support, fingers facing you, as you lean back.
  • Pull your feet off the ground, and push your legs out straight, hovering your feet off the ground as you lean farther back.
  • Pull your knees back into your chest as you come forward. Repeat.

Cardio Push: Quick-Feet Climber

  • Start on your hands and toes in a push-up position with your hands placed directly under your shoulders.
  • While keeping your hands on the floor, drive your right knee in toward your right elbow.
  • Quickly reverse the positions of your legs, extending your right leg until it’s straight and supported by your toes while bringing your left foot forward. You’ll feel like you are “running” in place.

ATHLETIC STRETCH (Short and Sweet)

Perform each movement for 30 seconds on each side before moving on to the next move.

Seated Glute Stretch

  • Begin standing with your feet under your hips, hands on your hips.
  • Bring your right leg up and rest your right ankle on top of your left thigh, just above your knee.
  • Sit your hips back and down, keeping your chest upright, and get your left knee as close to 90 degrees as you can, or until you feel a stretch in your right hamstring and glute.
  • Return to stand and switch legs.

Cobra Stretch

  • Begin in a prone position, with your hands next to your chest, elbows bent and the tops of your feet facing the floor.
  • Push through your hands as you lift your chest up, bending slightly through your back, and stretch your abdominals. Your head can come back slightly.
  • Hold, then release back down.

Prone Quad Stretch

  • Begin in a prone position, with your hands next to your face and the tops of your feet facing the floor.
  • Bend your right knee to draw your right foot toward your butt, and reach back with your right hand to grab your ankle or the top of your foot.
  • Gently pull your foot toward your butt to deepen the stretch.
  • Release and repeat on the opposite leg.

Photo credit: Jacob Lund, Adobe Stock
GIFs: Mark Kuroda, kurodastudios.com
Hair & make-up: Katie Nash, katienashbeauty.com
Model: Jenn Nasab, 24 Hour Fitness

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24Life

A mighty and fiercely curious team focused on creating stories and curating ideas for you.