13 Best HIIT Workouts For Weight Loss (From Pinterest)

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Are you considering trying HIIT workouts for weight loss?

Many nurses shy away from physical exercise because a nurse’s work is already physically draining. Still, real exercise powers you up rather than drains so movement from work may not actually count as exercise.

With a nurse’s limited time and energy, HIIT is one of the most feasible ways to get exercising and keeping excess weight away.

High-Intensity Interval Training or HIIT is an exercise regimen where intensive anaerobic exercises are alternately done with less intensive recovery periods. With this exercise method, glucose metabolism in the body speeds up along with improvement in overall athletic capacity. As a result, the body’s metabolism rate improves and this aids in continued weight loss.

HIIT workouts can last for 5-30 minutes and can burn up to 400 calories per session. This is perfect for us nurses as squeezing exercise time in our already busy schedule is hard, to begin with.

If you want to try HIIT workouts, Pinterest has hundreds of workout ideas for beginners. Each workout regimen targets specific parts of the body for muscle toning and fat loss.

To help you get started, we collected the best HIIT workouts in Pinterest. Each one has easy-to-understand instructions and can be done at home.

1. HIIT for Beginners

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HIIT appears difficult for beginners. With this workout routine, your body can adjust doing easy HIIT workouts at first.

This workout routine is composed of five exercises – burpees, jumping jacks, squats, raised arm circles and high knees. Do each exercise for 20 seconds to form one circuit. Do 5 circuits and rest for 30 seconds between each one.

2. Quick HIIT Workout You Can Do Anywhere

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Morning is the best time to do HIIT workouts for weight loss. Kickstart your metabolism rate in the morning so you can burn more body fat as you go through the rest of the day.

Emily Skyes, a fitness guru, shared how she starts her day with simple HIIT workouts at home. Her 3-exercise routine looks simple and easy but it’s already a total body workout for fat loss.

To begin, just do 15 reps of alternating spider climb, modified burpee and butterfly kicks. Repeat the circuit three times. Doing this intense workout only lasts for 15-20 minutes.

3. 30-Minute Upper Body HIIT Workout

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Tone every muscle above your waist with this 30-minute HIIT workout for upper body muscles. This workout routine targets biceps, triceps, shoulders and abs with six exercises separated into two circuits.

To do this workout, warm up with moderate cardio exercises. Then start doing 3 rounds of Circuit 1 – twelve reps of overhead press, triceps kickback and chest press. Rest for 30 seconds to 1 minute then run or walk 1/4 mile. Afterwards, do 3 rounds of Circuit 2 – twelve reps of plank with lateral raise, fifteen reps of push-up and fifteen reps of triceps dip. Cool down by doing stretching.

See Also: 10 Super Effective 10-Minute HIIT Workouts For Nurses 

4. 7-Move Circuit

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This 7-move circuit made by Jillian Michaels boosts speed strength and fat metabolism. It’s recommended for those who are training for weight loss but got stuck on their weight plateau.

The circuit is composed of seven exercises – straight line lunge with circle pass, blast off, twisted renegade, hero push-up, wipe and crunch, table hop and armed warrior. Repeat the circuit as much as you can but allow at least 1 minute rest between each.

5. 25-Minute Total Body HIIT

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Buzzfeed released this total body HIIT workout. You will need dumbbells, yoga mats and a small chair to complete the workout routine.

This workout is composed of eight exercises – squat press, jump squats, push-ups, glute bridges, db renegade rows, jumping jack, dips and reverse crunches. Each exercise indicated in the guide is timed. With each circuit lasting 7.40 minutes, doing 3 sets will result to 25-minute full-body workout.

6. No Equipment 30-Minute HIIT Workout

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Do your 30-minute HIIT workout anywhere and anytime with no equipment needed!

This routine is composed of 8 exercises that target major muscle groups. It is composed of lateral walking lunge, rolling forearm plank, 180 squat jump, push up with shoulder tap, single leg glute bridge, inverted press, bench V-situp, and plyometric step up.

Do each exercise for 40 seconds and rest for 20 seconds in-between. Complete 3 rounds with 1-2 minute rest between each round.

7. Incinerate Body Fat with High Intensity Circuit Workout

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This workout maximizes Excess Post-Exposure Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) or afterburn, the most efficient way of burning body fat. Afterburn is the amount of oxygen needed to restore the body’s normal metabolic function. Maximizing the afterburn effect is the key to continued weight loss.

This workout routine is composed of twelve exercises. Each one should be done for 30 seconds. Allow 10-second rest before moving to the next routine. Complete 1 round for beginners, 2-3 rounds for intermediate and 3-4 rounds for advanced level.

See Also: 5 Minute Workout Exercises for Busy Nurses 

8. Body Sculpting HIIT

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My Fit Station’s Body Sculpting HIIT routine is composed of twelve exercises. You have the flexibility to plan the number of reps and circuits you want in completing the routine. HIIT beginners can start with low reps and circuits then gradually increase as you get used to the routine.

Feedbacks from those who tried this workout routine were positive. One blogger claimed losing 15 lbs after doing this routine for three weeks. To make it super effective for your weight loss plan, just increase the number of circuits you will do after every week.

9. HIIT the Stairs

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Doing HIIT has never been this fun! Just find a long set of stairs and you’ll be good to go.

This HIIT workout has 8 full-body exercises you can do in and around the stairs. It is best to do this routine outdoors for fresh air and wider workout area.

Doing the workout routine with some friends also adds to the fun and excitement this workout brings.

10. 20-Minute HIIT Workout

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This is one of the simplest HIIT workouts recommended for beginners. It is composed of 5 exercises you can do anywhere, even at your room.

To begin, do the following for 45 seconds – jump rope, side-to-side plank jumps, alternating lunges with shoulder press, in and out full-body crunches and snowboarders. Take a 15-second rest after completion. Repeat this for a total of 20 rounds.

11. 15-Minute HIIT Cardio Workout Video

If you only have 15 minutes to spend on your workout at home, this one is a must-try. There’s no equipment or running involved. It’s just a heart-pumping cardio routine you can easily do at home.

12. 30-Day HIIT Challenge

In case you are trying to create a healthier routine, this 30-day HIIT challenge might help. Since it’s a plan for an entire month, you won’t have to guess or feel clueless about what you’ll do the next day. The calendar even schedules your rest days to allow your body to heal and recharge.

13. HIIT Workout for Bad Knees

A lot of nurses skip working out because of painful knees. This particular workout, however, doesn’t put a lot of stress on your knees. Plus, it’s so quick to do. You just have to set aside 12 minutes for this one.

No matter how busy we become with our work as a nurse, we are doing ourselves a favor in finding time to exercise. We hope that our top picks of HIIT workouts for weight loss will guide you on your way to weight control.

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