Beginner's HIIT Circuit

FireFae
FireFae Posts: 40
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello everyone!

I want to start HIIT(ing) again, but pretty much all ZWOW exercises are too tough for me (I can do about one regular push-up with bad form and pistol squats are TOTALLY out of the question for me) and working out according to Bodyrock also means doing easier forms of their exercises, which just takes up time, etc. ... so I decided to create my own circuit and I'd like your opinions on it.

Tonight I'm planning to do this 'circuit':

Three sets of the following:

1. 15 Push-ups
2. 10 High knees
3. 20 "Bicycle abdominal crunches" (L knee R elbow and vice versa)
4. 10 High knees
5. 10 Chair dips
6. 10 High knees
7. 10 Ab-crunches (or half-way sit-ups)
8. 10 High knees
9. 20 Butt-flexes (10/10)
10. 10 High knees
11. 10 Squats + Side leg lifts
12. 10 High knees

Any opinions/suggestions? Do you think this would make for a decent beginner's HIIT circuit?

Thank in advance!

:heart:

Replies

  • FireFae
    FireFae Posts: 40
    Bumpity bump bump :D
  • ladykaisa
    ladykaisa Posts: 236 Member
    bumper mcbumperskin
  • FireFae
    FireFae Posts: 40
    Well, I just did the circuit and it was nice - broke a sweat, got my heart rate up, but it wasn't too hard ... I'd up the high-knees to 20 as 10 are just 5 per each leg and it goes by too fast. I had to go down with the push-ups to only 10 as my arms are like spaghetti ... just bad.

    It was a nice addition to my 3 hour walk today :D
  • vtachycardia
    vtachycardia Posts: 374
    Seems okay, but why no lunges. Jumping Jacks are great. I personally would ban all supine crunches and dips because I think they cause more problems than they help.

    So, high knees - add lunges and jumping jacks for variation and planks or power vacuums or standing twists and not crunches. Dips, I would do the press up variant that brings the hands closer together - diamond.

    Mind you, I would do walking lunges whilst out walking.
  • FireFae
    FireFae Posts: 40
    Thanks for the suggestions! I added some reverse crunches and lunges to the circuit :) I might do jumping jacks instead of the high knees every other time. So, for example: 1. Push-ups, 2. High knees, 3. Chair dips, 4. Jumping jacks :D
  • Tilran
    Tilran Posts: 627 Member
    Honestly I would also add butt kicks so you are countering the high knees for stretching.

    So replace some high knees with jumping jacks and some of them with butt kicks.
  • bcdg24
    bcdg24 Posts: 35 Member
    BUMP!
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    It doesn't really matter what you do as long as it's tough enough to make you gasp for breath. To make it a proper HIIT circuit, try a count of 10 between each set you do. So:
    1. 15 Push-ups
    10s rest
    2. 10 High knees
    10s rest
    3. 20 "Bicycle abdominal crunches" (L knee R elbow and vice versa)
    10s rest
    4. 10 High knees
    etc.

    This way, your heart rate zigzags upwards and you really burn the fat. If 10s is too short, increase rest to 20s or 30s. By the end you should really be struggling to do the exercises.
  • radeema
    radeema Posts: 161 Member
    BUMP

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