It is no secret that cardio is not my fave. I will do whatever I can to try and avoid feeling breathless at the gym, however if goals are fat loss- needs must. So if I have to do it, I try and do it in a class so I have that slight bit motivation. Or I try and get it over and done with as fast as I can. Today was one of those days. I was in a rush but I wanted to get a workout in and burn off all the Christmas food (particularly the amount of cheese I ate...) so I started off the new year right (lies) and I did a full High Intensity Interval Training workout in the space of 15 minutes, it only involved 6 movements and includes rest time but is enough to get your heart racing...
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So the structure of this 15 minute workout is pretty simple. Choose 6 compound, high energy movements, pair them up so you end up having 3 circits to work with. Each circuit lasts for 5 minutes: 20 seconds doing exercise 1, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds doing exercise 2, 10 second rest. Repeat this 3 more times and then take a 1 minute recovery before starting your second circuit. Your workout should look something like this:
Each small circuit only takes 5 minutes and you get a total of 2mins 20seconds rest in that period of time. Sounds too good to be true right? Trust me, it is a killer. You just need to find the right compound movements to do to make it effective. The beauty of this workout is that you can customise it to your own abilities and you can make the workout as long or as short as you want by adding or removing circuits. I just think 15 minutes is a realistic time to do a substantial workout that will actually burn some calories.
Some of the movements that I like to pair with this circuit include burpees, box jumps, star jumps, skiiers, planks, weighted squats and lunges, kettlebell swings, high knees, shuttle runs, mountain climbers, bicycle crunches... the list is endless really!
You can do this workout with or without equipment, there is plenty of options available, or if you want to throw in some strength exercises and make this a strength workout you can. I did this structure for a 15 minute abs blast and I was dying! The point is, just have a little bit of inspiration when picking your pairings- if you know you get headrush doing burpees then don't do them, but try and make it challenging for yourself. For example, if you do lunges for exercise 1 then make exercise 2 something that is high speed and will get your heartrate up.
I feel like this kind of workout is suitable for all abilities and is a great workout for everyone to keep in their mind, the structure can work for any part of the body you want to target. It is also ideal if you need something quick and have minimal time to work out but still want something which will make you feel like you have worked hard. So start off the new year with a new workout which gives scope for creativity, flexibility and the will to do what you please in a workout. Just make sure you push yourself!
So the structure of this 15 minute workout is pretty simple. Choose 6 compound, high energy movements, pair them up so you end up having 3 circits to work with. Each circuit lasts for 5 minutes: 20 seconds doing exercise 1, 10 seconds rest, 20 seconds doing exercise 2, 10 second rest. Repeat this 3 more times and then take a 1 minute recovery before starting your second circuit. Your workout should look something like this:
Exercise 1
Rest
Exercise 2
Rest
REPEAT X3
Recovery
Exercise 3
Rest
Exercise 4
Rest
REPEAT X3
Recovery
Exercise 5
Rest
Exercise 6
Rest
REPEAT X3
Recovery and end of workout.
Each small circuit only takes 5 minutes and you get a total of 2mins 20seconds rest in that period of time. Sounds too good to be true right? Trust me, it is a killer. You just need to find the right compound movements to do to make it effective. The beauty of this workout is that you can customise it to your own abilities and you can make the workout as long or as short as you want by adding or removing circuits. I just think 15 minutes is a realistic time to do a substantial workout that will actually burn some calories.
Some of the movements that I like to pair with this circuit include burpees, box jumps, star jumps, skiiers, planks, weighted squats and lunges, kettlebell swings, high knees, shuttle runs, mountain climbers, bicycle crunches... the list is endless really!
You can do this workout with or without equipment, there is plenty of options available, or if you want to throw in some strength exercises and make this a strength workout you can. I did this structure for a 15 minute abs blast and I was dying! The point is, just have a little bit of inspiration when picking your pairings- if you know you get headrush doing burpees then don't do them, but try and make it challenging for yourself. For example, if you do lunges for exercise 1 then make exercise 2 something that is high speed and will get your heartrate up.
I feel like this kind of workout is suitable for all abilities and is a great workout for everyone to keep in their mind, the structure can work for any part of the body you want to target. It is also ideal if you need something quick and have minimal time to work out but still want something which will make you feel like you have worked hard. So start off the new year with a new workout which gives scope for creativity, flexibility and the will to do what you please in a workout. Just make sure you push yourself!
Elisa x
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