A quick and dirty guide to getting your HIIT on this December.
Can you hear it? That’s the very faint sound of jingle bells as we head into the festive season proper. But despite the lure of office mince pies and cozy nights watching Christmas movies, it’s really important to keep moving. No one expects you to be a festive saint – all of us take a break over the Xmas hols – but giving over the whole month to indulgence and inactivity will leave you feeling horrible come January. That’s why I have put together a quick and easy guide to get your heart pumping this holiday season. Explore these HIIT exercises and add a little sweat to your workout routine.
Plank
Looks easy. Feels hard. Plank is one of those deceptive moves that can hit a number of key muscle groups really quickly. It can help to strengthen your abs, thighs, arms, shoulders, and glutes. It’s also a great way to measure your overall fitness as it gets easier to hold over time – the world record is over 8 hours by the way! To do a plank correctly, you are going to want to take a traditional push up position but rest on your forearms. Keeping your body pushed up on your toes. A great plank is all about maintaining a straight line from head to heel, so imagine an invisible piece of string running between these two points. If it feels really easy, you’re probably doing it wrong! Aim for 30 seconds and build from there.
Jump Squat
S
This takes the traditional squat and adds some explosive power to it. However, it’s fine to start without the jumping part at first. The most important first step is to get your squat form strong. Start with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart with your toes pointed slightly outwards. Keep your chest upright and sink your hips and knees backward into a squat position. Now explode upwards into a jump – landing softly on your toes. Try 8 reps to start and build from there.
Burpee
The king of the HIIT exercises, the burpee is fast furious and will have you sweating faster than you thought possible. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands resting at your sides. Bend your knees and place your palms on the floor. Shift your weight onto your hands. Now jump your legs back into a pushup position before jumping your feet forward again towards your hands. Now raise your hands to the sky and jump explosively into the air. You can take the jumping portions out and replace them with steps to lower the difficulty level here. 3 is a good number to start with for beginners.
I hope you’re feeling inspired to get your fitness gear out and give some of these HIIT moves a try! If you need a little extra support before we head into 2020 then why not get in touch with the amazing FitFusion PT team? We promise there are no grinches here! Just friendly, personalized advice to help you reach your unique goals. Until next time, stay amazing.
