When you don’t have much time to spare but want to squeeze in a workout, a 10-minute HIIT session can rev up your metabolism and burn calories. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) involves performing quick bursts of intense exercise and taking brief rest periods. It’s an effective way to lose weight and boost your fitness. So, we chatted with an expert who breaks down the best 10-minute HIIT workout for weight loss.
Why is HIIT so productive at torching calories? “HIIT workouts push your body to near-maximal effort, which demands more energy, causing your body to continue burning calories after the workout in a phenomenon known as the ‘afterburn effect’ (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC),” explains Sarah Pelc Graca, a NASM-certified personal trainer (CPT), women’s fitness specialist, and the owner and head coach at Strong with Sarah Weight Loss Coaching. “This elevated calorie burn supports weight loss by maximizing calorie-burning potential in a shorter timeframe. Additionally, HIIT helps build muscle and improve cardiovascular fitness, both of which further support a higher resting metabolic rate.”
Perform each of the below exercises for 40 seconds, followed by a 20-second rest before moving into the next exercise. Complete two rounds total, performing all five exercises in a row and then repeating with no breaks between sets.
Pushup to Shoulder Tap
“[The goal is to keep the] core engaged to prevent the hips from rotating during shoulder taps,” says Pelc Graca. “This [exercise] targets the chest, shoulders, core, and triceps.”
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- Begin in a high plank with your hands below your shoulders and your body straight.
- Lower your chest toward the floor to perform a pushup.
- At the top, tap your right hand on your left shoulder, followed by tapping your left hand on your right shoulder.
Mountain Climbers
- Start in a high plank.
- In a swift motion, drive your right knee toward your chest, then quickly switch legs, bringing your left knee toward your chest and extending the right leg back behind you.
Plank Jacks
- Begin in a high plank with your hands on the floor and feet together.
- Jump both feet out to the sides.
- Jump your feet back in, all while keeping your core tight and holding the plank position.
Burpees
“[The goal is to move quickly] but with control, focusing on keeping your core engaged and landing softly to minimize joint impact,” Pelc Graca tells us.
- Start standing tall.
- Drop into a squat and position your hands on the floor on either side of your feet.
- Jump your feet back into a plank.
- Perform a pushup.
- Jump your feet back up to your hands.
- Explode up into a jump, reaching your arms overhead.
Jump Squats
- Stand tall with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Lower into a squat by bending your knees and pressing your hips back.
- Explode up into a jump, reaching both arms overhead.
- Land softly and immediately lower into the next squat.
