Understand what a full body HIIT workout is
A full body HIIT workout uses only your bodyweight to train your entire body with short bursts of intense effort followed by brief rest. HIIT, or high intensity interval training, is a framework, not a single style of exercise. You alternate between pushing hard and backing off so your heart rate goes up and down in waves.
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, HIIT work periods are typically performed between 80 and 95 percent of your maximum heart rate, so you are working hard but only for short intervals. Most full body HIIT sessions last 10 to 30 minutes, including warmup and cooldown, which makes them practical even on a busy day.
Because you use bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, push-ups, and core moves, you can do a full body HIIT workout almost anywhere without equipment. This style of training:
- Boosts cardiovascular fitness
- Helps you work toward the recommended 150 to 300 minutes per week of moderate activity
- Engages many large muscle groups at once
- Burns a significant number of calories in a short time
Learn the key benefits
A well planned full body HIIT workout can be a powerful tool for your health and fitness. Research summarized by Cleveland Clinic and Healthline highlights several benefits of HIIT-style training.
Improve heart and lung health
During high intensity intervals, your heart rate rises above 70 percent of your max. Over time, this improves:
- Cardiovascular fitness and endurance
- Oxygen consumption, which is your muscles’ ability to use oxygen efficiently
- Resting heart rate and blood pressure, especially if you currently have overweight or obesity
Studies show HIIT can provide similar cardiovascular benefits to longer, moderate intensity endurance sessions, but in less time.
Support fat loss and a higher calorie burn
Because a full body HIIT workout involves big compound movements and short rests, you burn a lot of energy per minute. Research on adults with overweight or obesity has found that HIIT can help reduce body fat and waist circumference, with results comparable to traditional moderate intensity exercise.
HIIT also increases your metabolic rate for hours after you finish. This effect, called excess post exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), means you continue to burn extra calories beyond the workout itself.
Build and maintain muscle
Steady state cardio can sometimes come at the expense of muscle if you are not strength training. A full body HIIT workout that uses strength focused bodyweight exercises helps you:
- Work many major muscle groups in one session
- Maintain or slightly increase muscle mass if you are not very active yet
- Preserve strength while you are in a calorie deficit
Traditional weight training is still better for maximum muscle growth, but bodyweight HIIT is a solid starting point, especially if you are new to exercise.
Help manage blood sugar and chronic conditions
HIIT has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels, particularly in people with type 2 diabetes or metabolic risk factors. Regular full body HIIT workouts can also contribute to lower resting blood pressure and improved markers related to heart disease and arthritis.
Always talk with your healthcare provider before starting high intensity exercise if you have a chronic condition or have been inactive for a long time.
Know how often to do full body HIIT
Because HIIT is intense by design, recovery matters. Research and expert recommendations suggest:
- Beginner to intermediate: 1 to 2 full body HIIT sessions per week
- Intermediate to advanced: 2 to 3 sessions per week at most
You want at least one rest or low intensity day between hard HIIT workouts so your muscles, joints, and nervous system can recover. Overdoing high intensity training can raise stress hormones and make you feel run down.
On non HIIT days, you can focus on:
- Walking or light cycling
- Traditional strength training
- Yoga or Pilates
- Gentle mobility work
Calculate and monitor intensity
To get the most from a full body HIIT workout, you want intervals that feel challenging, not casual. A simple way to gauge intensity is to estimate your maximum heart rate and work at a percentage of that number.
Estimate your target heart rate
You can use the classic formula:
- Estimated max heart rate: 220 minus your age
HIIT usually aims for at least 70 percent of this number during work intervals, and can reach 80 to 95 percent in more advanced sessions. For example, if you are 35:
- 220 − 35 = 185 beats per minute estimated max
- 70 percent of 185 ≈ 130 beats per minute
- 85 percent of 185 ≈ 157 beats per minute
If you prefer a simpler gauge, use a 1 to 10 effort scale, sometimes called the rate of perceived exertion (RPE):
- 3 to 4: Easy warmup, you can talk in full sentences
- 6 to 7: Breathing heavier, you can talk but not sing
- 8 to 9: Very hard, only a few words at a time
- 10: All out sprint effort, not sustainable
Most high intensity intervals should feel like a 7 to 9 on this scale, with rest or light movement around 3 to 4.
Listen to your body
Numbers are helpful, but your body’s feedback matters more. If you feel dizzy, nauseated, or experience chest pain, stop and rest. Over time, your sense of what “hard but safe” feels like will become clearer.
Prepare for a bodyweight HIIT session
You do not need fancy gear to do a full body HIIT workout, but a few simple steps make your sessions more comfortable and safer.
Set up your space
- Clear enough floor area to step or jump in all directions
- Use a mat or a carpeted surface for moves on your hands or knees
- Have water nearby
- Use a timer app or watch to track intervals
Warm up before you go hard
A good warmup helps your joints move smoothly and gradually raises your heart rate. Spend 3 to 5 minutes on:
- Marching or jogging in place
- Arm circles and shoulder rolls
- Gentle bodyweight squats
- Hip circles and ankle rolls
You should feel warm and a little breathless, not exhausted, before you start the first interval.
Try a beginner friendly full body HIIT workout
If you are new to HIIT or coming back after a break, start with a simple, low impact routine. This sample full body HIIT workout uses only bodyweight and focuses on form.
Structure
- Work: 30 seconds per exercise
- Rest: 15 seconds between exercises
- Circuit: 4 exercises in a row
- Rounds: 3 rounds total
- Total time: About 12 to 15 minutes including short breaks between rounds
The exercises
- Bodyweight squats
- Stand with feet shoulder width apart.
- Sit your hips back as if into a chair, keep your chest lifted.
- Drive through your heels to stand up.
- Go as low as is comfortable for your knees.
- Incline or knee push-ups
- Place hands on a wall, countertop, or on the floor with knees down.
- Keep your body in a straight line from shoulders to knees or heels.
- Lower your chest toward your hands, then push back up.
- Glute bridges
- Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat.
- Press through your heels, squeeze your glutes, and lift your hips.
- Pause briefly at the top, then lower with control.
- Standing march with opposite knee to elbow
- Stand tall and slowly lift one knee toward your chest.
- Tap it with the opposite elbow while rotating your torso slightly.
- Alternate sides at a brisk but controlled pace.
Repeat all four moves three times. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between rounds.
Modifications
- Reduce work intervals to 20 seconds and extend rest to 20 to 30 seconds if you feel overwhelmed.
- Move more slowly but keep good form if you cannot hit the suggested pace yet.
- Pause completely instead of doing light marching during rest if your breathing feels strained.
Progress to an intermediate full body HIIT workout
Once you can complete the beginner routine without feeling wiped out, you can try a slightly more challenging full body HIIT workout that adds impact and dynamic core work.
Structure
- Work: 40 seconds per exercise
- Rest: 20 seconds between exercises
- Circuit: 6 exercises
- Rounds: 3
- Total time: About 20 minutes with breaks
The exercises
- Squat to calf raise or jump squat
- Perform a regular squat.
- At the top, either rise onto your toes (low impact) or add a small jump (higher impact).
- Reverse lunges alternating legs
- Step one foot back and lower until both knees are bent.
- Push through the front heel to stand and switch sides.
- Keep your torso tall and your front knee tracking over your toes.
- Push-ups with shoulder taps
- From a plank on hands and toes or knees, do one push-up.
- At the top, tap your right hand to your left shoulder, then your left hand to your right shoulder.
- Keep your hips steady and your core braced.
- Mountain climbers
- Start in a high plank with hands under shoulders.
- Drive one knee toward your chest, then switch like a fast march.
- Keep your hips in line with your shoulders.
- Plank jacks or step outs
- From a plank, jump both feet out and in like a jumping jack.
- For low impact, step one foot out to the side at a time instead of jumping.
- Dead bug
- Lie on your back with arms pointing to the ceiling and knees over hips.
- Slowly lower the right arm and left leg toward the floor without arching your back.
- Return and switch sides.
Start with two rounds the first time you try this workout. When that feels manageable, move up to three rounds.
Explore an advanced bodyweight HIIT option
If you already have a solid fitness base and no current injuries, you may enjoy a more advanced full body HIIT workout that includes plyometrics and core challenges similar to those in 22 minute bodyweight routines described in recent HIIT examples.
Structure
- Work: 45 seconds per exercise
- Rest: 15 seconds between exercises
- Circuit: 8 exercises
- Rounds: 2 or 3 depending on your fitness level
- Total time: 22 to 28 minutes with warmup and cooldown
The exercises
- Pop squats
- Start with feet together.
- Jump your feet wider as you drop into a squat, touch the floor lightly between your feet.
- Jump your feet back together as you stand.
- Plyo lunges or reverse lunges
- From a lunge position, jump and switch legs in the air, landing softly.
- If jumping is too intense, perform alternating reverse lunges instead.
- Push-up to side plank rotation
- Complete one push-up.
- Rotate into a side plank, reaching the top arm toward the ceiling.
- Return to center, do another push-up, then rotate to the other side.
- Burpees (with or without push-up)
- From standing, squat down and place your hands on the floor.
- Step or jump your feet back to a plank.
- Optionally add a push-up.
- Step or jump feet back to hands and stand or jump up.
- Lateral shuffles with floor touch
- Take three to four quick side steps to the right.
- Tap the floor with your right hand.
- Shuffle to the left and tap with your left hand.
- Leg lowers
- Lie on your back with legs straight up toward the ceiling.
- Slowly lower your legs together as far as you can without your lower back lifting.
- Raise them back up with control.
- Bicycle crunches
- Lie on your back, hands lightly behind your head, knees bent.
- Bring one knee in as you rotate your opposite elbow toward it.
- Alternate in a smooth, pedaling motion.
- Hollow body hold or tuck hold
- Lie on your back, arms reaching overhead and legs extended.
- Lift your shoulders and legs a few inches off the floor, keeping your lower back pressed into the mat.
- For an easier version, bend your knees into a tuck and hug them lightly while keeping shoulders lifted.
Because this sequence is intense, stay especially aware of your form and breathing. Choose low impact versions for any move that bothers your joints.
Adjust HIIT to your fitness level
One of the strengths of a full body HIIT workout is its flexibility. You can adjust several variables to match your current fitness and goals.
Ways to make intervals easier
Try one or more of these options if you are just starting:
- Shorten work periods from 45 seconds to 20 or 30 seconds
- Lengthen rest periods from 15 seconds to 20 or 30 seconds
- Do fewer total rounds
- Swap jumping moves for stepping versions
- Reduce range of motion if your joints feel tight
For example, walk your feet in and out instead of jumping for plank jacks, or perform walking lunges rather than jumping lunges.
Ways to make intervals harder
If the workouts start to feel easy, increase challenge gradually:
- Add another round of your circuit
- Cut rest intervals by 5 to 10 seconds
- Add a short “finisher” move, such as 30 seconds of high knees
- Move from knee push-ups to full push-ups
- Add tempo changes, such as lowering slowly for three counts and then standing quickly in squats
As you progress, keep at least one to two easier days per week to support long term consistency.
Prioritize form and safety
Good technique is essential during a full body HIIT workout. Because you are working hard and sometimes moving quickly, small form issues can become bigger problems over time.
Keep these guidelines in mind:
- Start new moves slowly so you can feel each part of the motion.
- Stop if you experience sharp or sudden pain.
- Land softly on the balls of your feet on jumping moves, with knees slightly bent.
- Keep your core engaged to support your lower back in planks, push-ups, and leg raises.
- Use modifications without hesitation. They are smart, not a step backward.
If you are unsure about your form, you can practice in front of a mirror or record a short video on your phone to check alignment.
Combine HIIT with strength and recovery
Full body HIIT workouts can be a central part of your routine, but they are most effective when they sit alongside other forms of movement. A balanced weekly plan might include:
- 2 full body HIIT sessions on nonconsecutive days
- 2 strength focused sessions using bodyweight or weights
- 1 to 3 light movement days such as walking or yoga
This approach helps you build muscle, maintain cardiovascular fitness, and reduce injury risk from overdoing any one style of exercise. Some trainers recommend limiting full body HIIT to one or two days a week within a broader mix of training styles so you do not overload your joints or nervous system.
Cool down and recover well
The last few minutes of your workout are as important as the first. Cooling down helps your heart rate gradually return toward resting levels and can make you feel less stiff later.
After your final interval:
- Walk slowly or march in place for 2 to 3 minutes
- Take deep, steady breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth
- Spend 5 minutes stretching the areas you used most:
- Quads and hamstrings
- Hips and glutes
- Chest and shoulders
- Calves and ankles
Later in the day, support recovery with:
- Hydration and a balanced meal or snack that includes protein
- Light movement such as a short walk
- Adequate sleep
Put it all together
A full body HIIT workout using bodyweight exercises gives you a practical way to build strength, boost cardio fitness, and support fat loss in a short window of time. By alternating higher intensity intervals with brief rest, you train your entire body without equipment and can adjust the routine as your fitness improves.
Start with the beginner circuit, focus on clean form, and pay attention to how you feel during and after each session. Over the coming weeks, you can add time, intensity, or more complex movements. Your goal is not to push to the limit every day, but to build a sustainable routine that keeps you active, strong, and confident in your body.
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