HIIT - or High-Intensity Interval Training – routines are some of the most popular forms of exercise for good reason. They not only combine strength and cardio training but are brilliant for torching fat and increasing your metabolism too.

Perhaps the greatest appeal of HIIT, though, is that it can be done at anytime, anywhere – so you can easily fit highly effective exercise around your busy life.

Whether you’re looking to get into HIIT or simply freshen up your workouts, we’ve got the perfect training plan for you to try which will work your full body and never get boring - because it’s different every time.

It’s known in the trade – or at least within the Mirafit offices – as the Deck of Cards workout.

HOW DOES DECK OF CARDS WORKOUT WORK?

This is a great exercise routine to do on your own or with others. And all you need are a few pieces of equipment, a list of exercises assigned to different cards (which we’ve provided below), a timer and a standard deck of cards.

To get started, print out our list of exercises. You can swap in your own exercises if you like, to prioritise the area of the body you most want to work.

The exercises we’ve provided are for strength, using a few pieces of equipment, but if you want to swap in your own, to work a specific muscle group or area of the body, we’ve got a long list of exercises for you to try.

HOW TO USE THE DECK OF CARDS WORKOUT

Step 1 - Place your equipment on the ground, within easy reach of the area where you will exercise. Choose an open space where you can work out uninterrupted.

Step 2 - Shuffle the deck of cards and lay them somewhere close, but just away from your workout area.

Step 3 - When you are ready to start, turn over the first card and check which exercise it corresponds to on the table above. E.g. if the card is a two, you will start with push-ups. Ignore the card’s suit.

Step 4 - Start your interval timer, setting the rest time at 20 seconds and the workout time at 40 seconds. In the rest time turn over the next card to reveal which exercise you’ll be doing next.

Do 30 minutes of exercises, or until you’re exhausted. By the end you should have done all of the exercises at least once. Add or remove weight to make the workout more or less difficult.

HOW LONG SHOULD YOU EXERCISE FOR?

You can begin to decrease the rest period as you progress.

A good HIIT workout should keep your heartrate up throughout the session so no matter what exercises you choose, try to include as much pace, power and explosivity into your workout as possible.

WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED FOR HIIT?

In our exercises list for strength training, we’ve included a few key pieces of equipment like Dumbbells, Sandbags and Medicine Balls. But of course, you can do a HIIT without any equipment.

Strength training equipment, which you can store easily at home, enables you to void the dreaded fitness plateau – where you stop seeing improvements no matter how hard you train.

By adding in strength and conditioning kit, the likes of which we’ve include in our Deck of Cards game sheet, you will ensure that HIIT workouts continue to challenge you.

HIIT EXERCISES FOR SPECIFIC MUSCLES

TARGET - HEART

• High-knee skipping with ankle weights
• Bunny hops over aerobic stepper
• Mountain climbers on mat
• Cross-arm skipping
• Toe taps using aerobic stepper and ankle weights
• Fast step ups using aerobic stepper
• Jumping jacks with wrist weights
• Wall runs with ankle weights
• Tuck jumps with ankle weights
• Double jumps over the stepper

TARGET - CORE

• Wood chops using slam ball
• Hula hooping
• Plank
• Side plank with raised upper leg
• Dead bugs using slam ball
• Hip raises using mat
• Toe touches using mat
• Russian twists using slam ball
• Double leg raises holding slam ball between feet on mat
• Jack knives using ankle weights or slam ball

TARGET - ARMS AND CHEST

• Press ups on mat
• Standing overhead slams
• Incline/decline push ups using aerobic stepper
• Side-to-side press ups using slam ball
• Punch ups (above your head) while seated with wrist weights
• Arm circles using wrist weights
• Dynamic planks
• Tricep dips using stepper
• Shadow boxing with wrist weights
• Downward Facing Dog on mat

TARGET - LEGS

• Wall sits with slam ball
• Box jumps with aerobic stepper
• Side lunges with slam ball
• Incline hip raises using stepper and slam ball to work both glutes and hamstrings
• Single leg squat with aerobic stepper behind you – you can hold the slam ball at the same time
• Lateral leg raises while lying down – with ankle weights on mat
• Calf raises with ankle weights
• Jumping lunges with ankle weights
• Goblet squats with slam ball
• Figure-four squats (single leg squats with non-supporting leg crossed over supporting leg and ankle resting on opposing knee – like you were stretching out your glutes). Use the wall to steady you if needed.

TARGET - GLUTES

• Curtsy squats holding slam ball – wear wrist weights to ramp it up a notch!
• Hip raise with 3 second pause using slam ball
• Kick backs on all fours using ankle weights and mat
• Reverse leg raises using ankle weights and mat
• Skating side-to-side with ankle weights
• Floor jacks with ankle weights (lying on stomach, raise arms and legs to do jumping jack movements)
• Single leg chair squat (sit on a chair and stand up and down just using one leg)
• Bent, dog leg raises on all fours
• Hip lift with leg extension
• Pretzel side kicks

TARGET - FULL BODY

• Jumping squats while holding slam ball
• Overhead sit up stand up with slam ball
• Decline Jack planks using the aerobic stepper
• Burpees with ankle weights
• Squat punch with wrist weights
• Sprints Skiing using the stepper – pump arms as you go
• Incline knee raises using stepper with a pull down arm movement – ankle and wrist weights will increase intensity
• Jumping jacks with squats
• Plank jumps

For more information, check out our HIIT beginner guide.

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Tags: Exercise Type > Cardio ; Exercise Type > Conditioning ; Exercise Type > Strength ; Misc > Workout