Doing HIIT Workouts To Burn Belly Fat At Home
Going to the gym can be a hassle sometimes – either the travel time to or from your gym is much too long, the membership fees are much too expensive, the equipment you need is always being used right when you want to use it, etc etc. It’s also a rather daunting experience if you’re just starting out. After all, walking into a room of super-fit, super-athletic people going hard on the weights or the treadmill is pretty demotivating, especially if you’re gasping for breath after a 5-minute run.
Don’t worry, gyms aren’t the only place you can get a good workout! If you want to try out some fat burning exercises at home, you’ll be happy to know you can engage in an HIIT workout routine right at home – it’s honestly just as good, if not better, than going to the gym.
What is HIIT Workout?
HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. It’s basically cardio interval training - workouts under this category are short but get the job done. You’ll be pouring with sweat and out of breath at the end of 20 minutes, and you would have burned more calories than if you had been at the gym for an hour!
Basically, good HIIT workouts will involve you exercising in short bursts while putting in all your effort. You will then be given a short recovery time before starting another round of an intense but short exercise.
If you’re new to working out, don’t be discouraged! HIIT workouts are intense, but you can start slow and get used to the rhythm before you step the intensity up. And out of all the workouts you can do at home, HIIT is probably the best because you don’t even need any equipment for it!
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the HIIT workout routines you can engage in at home, as well as HIIT workouts for men and HIIT workouts for women.
HIIT Warm Up
Before you participate in your HIIT workout plan, you must stretch and warm up! As HIIT workouts are high in intensity, there is a risk of you overworking your body and sustaining an injury. Stretching and warming up will get your muscles ready and raring for the following workout.
A good warm up routine for HIIT workouts is to first stretch your body out. Stretch your arms and your legs, as HIIT workouts target all the parts of your body. Then, jog in place for at least one minute.
HIIT Workout at Home: #1 The Beginner
If you’re a beginner to the world of working out, you’ll likely be lacking in stamina. There’s no shame there – everyone has to start somewhere! This beginner HIIT workout is guaranteed to get you fit and ready to take on more challenging workouts.
There are four main exercises in this HIIT workout. The first two are for your arms and are known as Jab/Across/Front. The starting position is with your right foot in front of your left, and your hips turned towards your left. Your hands should be in a boxing position in front of the lower portion of your face. Then, Jab forward with your right arm, throw a punch Across your body with your left arm (your body should rotate accordingly with your back heel slightly off the floor) and turn back to the Front. Repeat with your left arm jabbing and your right arm throwing a punch Across your body (you will have to swap the position of your feet too!).
The third exercise is regular cardio – it’s just jumping jacks! Simply stand with your feet hip-width apart and jump! Your arms should be resting by your side at the starting position and you should raise them as you jump. Do about 10 (if that’s too difficult, do 5).
The fourth exercise is for your legs – it’s called a sumo squat. Start with your feet wide apart – they should be more than hip-width apart – and point your toes slightly outward. Keep your chest up and your back straight and squat. Put your weight on your heels and go as low as you can (your thighs should be parallel to the floor). It helps if you tighten your glutes and quads. Do about 5 (if that’s too difficult, do 3).
You should do each exercise for at least 30 seconds and allow yourself 10 seconds of rest after each one. After completing a whole round of this workout, give yourself a couple minutes to catch your breath, then perform this set of exercises again. Ideally, you should do 3 rounds of this.
Keep working at this HIIT workout at home as this is a great HIIT workout for fat loss. In fact, you’ll see improvements in less than a month!
HIIT Workout at Home: #2 A Challenge
If you’re the athletic sort who’s always looking for a challenge, this is the best HIIT workout for you. Drop any other HIIT workout plans and try this one out!
Keep in mind that this is an HIIT workout with weights, so keep your dumbbells by your side.First, you’ll start with some weighted lunges. Hold a weight in either hand and keep your arms by your side.
Step forward with your right leg and lower your hips until both your knees are bent at 90 degrees. Move your right leg back and repeat with your left leg. Then, put your weights aside and do burpees – do a regular squat and jump back up with your hands stretched towards the ceiling. Then comes push-ups, then planking, then ballet squats (keep your feet together while squatting). Grab ahold of your dumbbells again and do some curls – hold a dumbbell in either hand and keep your elbows close to your torso while your palms face forward. Then, contract your biceps and curl the dumbbells. Do some more pushups and a few more burpees.
In total, this HIIT workout has 8 exercises. You should engage in each for at least 45 seconds and allow yourself 15 seconds of rest before moving to the next exercise. Aim to do 3-5 rounds.
So, whether you’re a beginner or an athlete, you have no excuse – try out an HIIT workout, you won’t be disappointed.
