HIIT Workout at Home

(A 20-MINUTE NO-EQUIPMENT ROUTINE WITH A VIDEO DEMO FOR EVERY MOVE)

By Brandon Lee

This HIIT workout at home takes about 20 minutes and needs no equipment: 8 bodyweight moves, each done hard for 20–40 seconds with rest in between, for two rounds (three at the advanced level, about 29 minutes with the warm-up). Every move has a short video demo plus an easier and a harder option, with timings from beginner to advanced.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is one of the most time-efficient ways to train at home, and it needs very little space. Below you’ll also find a no-jumping version for quiet floors, a 10-minute and a Tabata option, a sample week and how to do HIIT safely.

In this guide

• What is HIIT?
• Is HIIT good for weight loss?
• Before you start
• The 20-minute HIIT workout
• Short on time? 10-minute and Tabata versions
• Low-impact HIIT (no jumping)
• How often should you do HIIT?
• Common HIIT mistakes
• Frequently asked questions

What is HIIT?

HIIT (high-intensity interval training) alternates short bursts of hard effort with recovery. You work for about 20–40 seconds at roughly 8 out of 10 effort, breathing hard and unable to talk in full sentences, then recover for 20–60 seconds and repeat. At home, bodyweight moves such as jumping jacks and squat hops are all you need.

HIIT is not magic, but it is efficient. A 2017 review of 13 studies in adults with overweight or obesity found that HIIT and steady moderate exercise produced similar, modest reductions in body fat and waist size, and that HIIT needed about 40% less training time.

Is HIIT good for weight loss?

It can help, mainly because it lets you do a lot of work in a short time. In the 2017 review above, people lost some body fat and waist size even though their body weight did not change much, so track your waist and fitness as well as the scale. Weight loss still depends on your total activity and your eating habits. A sensible week combines 2–3 HIIT sessions with walking, strength exercises and a moderate calorie deficit. For a gentler start, try our home workout for weight loss, a 25-minute beginner routine. HIIT also counts toward the 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity a week recommended by the World Health Organization. If you prefer a steady pace, see our guide to steady state cardio.

Before you start

• Warm up first. Do the 3-minute warm-up below before your first interval.
• Choose your timing. Beginner: 20 seconds of work, 40 seconds of rest. Intermediate: 30/30. Advanced: 40/20.
• Land softly. Use a mat or carpet and wear supportive shoes.
• Check with your doctor first if you have heart disease, high blood pressure or joint problems, or if you haven’t exercised in a long time.

The 20-minute HIIT workout

Do each move for one work interval, rest, and go to the next move. After all 8 moves, rest for 1 minute and repeat the circuit. A 3-minute warm-up plus two rounds takes about 20 minutes. Add 3–4 minutes to cool down.

Workout at a glance

Order: jumping jacks, squat hops, mountain climbers, skaters, high knees, plank jacks, switch lunges, walk-out burpees. Each move takes 60 seconds, work and rest together, so one round lasts 8 minutes.

Level	Work / rest	Rounds	Workout time
Beginner	20 s / 40 s	2	About 17 min plus warm-up
Intermediate	30 s / 30 s	2	About 17 min plus warm-up
Advanced	40 s / 20 s	3	About 26 min plus warm-up

3-minute warm-up

1. 1 minute: march in place, swinging your arms.
2. 30 seconds: arm circles, forward and then backward.
3. 30 seconds: slow bodyweight squats.
4. 1 minute: step jacks, stepping one foot out at a time.

1. Jumping jacks

Why it helps: Gets your whole body moving and your heart rate up.

1. Start with your feet together and arms by your sides.
2. Jump your feet wide as your arms sweep overhead.
3. Jump back in and repeat quickly.

Easier: Do step jacks, stepping one foot out at a time. Harder: Try squat jacks.

Form tips, common mistakes and muscles worked: jumping jacks exercise guide

2. Squat hops

Why it helps: Builds power in your legs and glutes and spikes your heart rate.

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hands clasped in front of your chest.
2. Squat down with your chest up.
3. Push through your feet and jump straight up.
4. Land softly with bent knees and go straight into the next squat.

Easier: Do bodyweight squats without the jump. Harder: Squat lower and jump higher.

Form tips, common mistakes and muscles worked: squat hops exercise guide

3. Mountain climbers

Why it helps: Works your core, shoulders and legs at a fast pace.

1. Start in a high plank with your hands under your shoulders.
2. Drive one knee toward your chest, then switch legs quickly.
3. Keep your hips level.

Easier: Do standing mountain climbers. Harder: Go faster.

Form tips, common mistakes and muscles worked: mountain climbers exercise guide

4. Skaters

Why it helps: Trains your legs and balance with side-to-side movement.

1. Bound to the left and land softly on your left foot with your knee bent.
2. Sweep your right leg behind your left and keep your arms bent in front of you for balance.
3. Push off and bound to the right, then keep alternating.

Easier: Step side to side instead of hopping. Harder: Bound farther and stay low.

Form tips, common mistakes and muscles worked: skaters exercise guide

5. High knees

Why it helps: A running-in-place move that works your hip flexors and core.

1. Stand tall with your elbows bent.
2. Run in place, driving your knees up toward hip height.
3. Pump your arms and stay on the balls of your feet.

Easier: Do walking high knees instead of running. Harder: Go as fast as you can.

Form tips, common mistakes and muscles worked: sprint in place exercise guide

6. Plank jacks

Why it helps: Combines a plank with a cardio move for your core and shoulders.

1. Start in a high plank with your hands under your shoulders and feet together.
2. Jump your feet out wide, then back together.
3. Keep your hips level and your core tight.

Easier: Step one foot out and in at a time. If holding a plank is still hard, build up with our guide to planks for beginners. Harder: Speed up.

Form tips, common mistakes and muscles worked: plank jacks exercise guide

7. Switch lunges

Why it helps: A jumping lunge that challenges each leg and your balance.

1. Start in a lunge with one foot forward and your hands on your hips.
2. Jump up and switch legs in the air.
3. Land softly in a lunge with the other foot forward.
4. Keep your front knee over your ankle.

Easier: Alternate reverse lunges without the jump. Harder: Sink lower on each landing.

Form tips, common mistakes and muscles worked: switch lunges exercise guide

8. Walk-out burpees

Why it helps: A full-body finisher for your legs, core and shoulders as you move from standing to a plank and back.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Bend your knees, hinge forward and place your hands on the floor.
3. Walk your hands out into a high plank, with your body in a straight line from head to heels.
4. Walk your hands back to your feet and stand up. Keep a brisk, steady pace.

Easier: Slow down and bend your knees more to reach the floor. Harder: Do a full burpee: jump your feet back into the plank and forward again, then jump as you stand.

Form tips, common mistakes and muscles worked: beginner burpee exercise guide

Cool-down

March slowly for about a minute until your breathing settles. Then hold a standing quad stretch, a single-leg seated hamstring stretch and a calf stretch for 20–30 seconds on each side. For a longer routine, try our full body stretch.

Short on time? 10-minute and Tabata versions

10-minute HIIT: warm up for 2–3 minutes, then do one round of the circuit above. One round takes 8 minutes at any of the three timings.

Tabata-style HIIT: after your warm-up, pick two moves, such as squat hops and mountain climbers. Alternate them for 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest, 8 times in a row, for a 4-minute block. Do one or two blocks with a minute of rest in between. With so little rest, it is harder than the beginner timing, so try it once 30/30 feels comfortable.

The format comes from a 1996 study by Tabata and colleagues. Seven volunteers did seven to eight exhausting 20-second efforts on an exercise bike, with 10 seconds of rest between them, 5 days a week for 6 weeks, and both their aerobic fitness (VO2max) and anaerobic capacity improved. Bodyweight moves at home borrow the timing, not that lab intensity, so don’t expect the same results.

Low-impact HIIT (no jumping)

You can make HIIT quieter and easier on your joints without making it easy. Swap each jumping move for the step version below and keep the same timing. Low impact doesn’t have to mean low intensity: move quickly and use your arms.

Move	No-jump swap
Jumping jacks	Step jacks
Squat hops	Fast bodyweight squats
Mountain climbers	No jump to remove; slow down or do standing mountain climbers
Skaters	Quick side steps, tapping the trailing foot behind you
High knees	Fast march or walking high knees
Plank jacks	Plank step-outs, one foot at a time
Switch lunges	Alternating reverse lunges
Walk-out burpees	No jump to remove; keep them as shown

For a full routine without any jumping, try our low impact cardio workout.

How often should you do HIIT?

Two or three sessions a week is plenty for most people, with at least one day between sessions. The studies in the 2017 review above averaged three sessions a week for about 10 weeks. Hard HIIT every day leaves too little time to recover. On other days, do an indoor walking workout, strength exercises or stretching.

Day	Sample week
Monday	HIIT (this workout)
Tuesday	Indoor walk
Wednesday	Strength exercises
Thursday	HIIT
Friday	Strength exercises or walk
Saturday	HIIT or low-impact cardio
Sunday	Rest

For a ready-made schedule that includes HIIT days, follow our 30-day home workout plan.

Common HIIT mistakes

• Skipping the warm-up. A few easy minutes raise your heart rate gradually and let you practice the moves before you push hard.
• Going too hard too soon. Start with beginner timing and progress after 2–3 weeks.
• Losing form. Sloppy fast reps stress your knees and back. Slow down rather than collapse.
• Too little rest. If you can’t keep good form, lengthen your rest.
• Only doing HIIT. The WHO also recommends regular muscle-strengthening activity, so pair HIIT with bodyweight exercises for strength, plus daily walking.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a HIIT workout be?

It depends on your fitness level. This routine takes about 10–30 minutes, including the warm-up: one round of the circuit is 8 minutes (about 10 with a short warm-up), two rounds is about 20 and the advanced three rounds is about 29. Start short and add a round as you get fitter.

Is a 20-minute HIIT workout enough?

Yes. For most people, 20 minutes of real effort 2–3 times a week is enough HIIT. Fill the rest of the week with walking and strength work.

Is 10 minutes of HIIT enough?

It’s a good start. One round of this circuit takes 8 minutes, so a short warm-up plus one round is about 10 minutes. The World Health Organization notes that some physical activity is better than none, and vigorous minutes count toward its 75–150 minutes a week. As you get fitter, build up to two rounds, about 20 minutes in total.

Can beginners do HIIT?

Yes. Start with 20 seconds of work and 40 seconds of rest, use the easier versions and focus on good form. If jumping is uncomfortable, use the no-jump swaps.

Can you do HIIT without jumping?

Yes. Swap each jump for a fast step version: step jacks instead of jumping jacks, quick squats instead of squat hops, plank step-outs instead of plank jacks and reverse lunges instead of switch lunges. Keep the work intervals hard and pump your arms. A no-jump session can still be tough, and it’s quieter for apartments.

Is HIIT better than cardio for fat loss?

Research suggests HIIT and steady cardio lead to similar fat loss; HIIT simply takes less time. Choose the one you will keep doing, or mix both.

Does HIIT burn belly fat?

Not directly. You can’t burn fat from one spot: in one study, six weeks of ab exercises alone did not reduce belly fat. HIIT can help lower overall body fat, including around the waist; a 2017 review found that HIIT and moderate cardio led to similar, modest drops in body fat and waist size. Combine it with walking, strength work and a moderate calorie deficit.

What is the difference between HIIT and Tabata?

Tabata is one specific type of HIIT: 20 seconds of very hard work and 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times for a 4-minute block. It comes from a 1996 cycling study by Tabata and colleagues. Because the rest is so short, it is harder than typical beginner HIIT timing, so start with longer rest and try Tabata once that feels comfortable.

Can I do HIIT every day?

It is better not to. Leave at least one day between HIIT sessions so you recover and keep the quality high.

Do I need equipment for HIIT at home?

No. Every move in this workout uses only your body weight. A mat or carpet makes landings softer.

References

1. Wewege M, et al. The effects of high-intensity interval training vs. moderate-intensity continuous training on body composition in overweight and obese adults. Obes Rev. 2017. PubMed
2. Bull FC, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med. 2020. PubMed
3. Donnelly JE, et al. ACSM Position Stand: Appropriate physical activity intervention strategies for weight loss and prevention of weight regain for adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009. PubMed
4. Tabata I, et al. Effects of moderate-intensity endurance and high-intensity intermittent training on anaerobic capacity and VO2max. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1996. PubMed
5. Vispute SS, et al. The effect of abdominal exercise on abdominal fat. J Strength Cond Res. 2011. PubMed

This article is general information, not medical advice. Check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you are pregnant, recently gave birth, or have a health condition, injury or joint pain.