It is widely believed that the longer a workout is, the more fat burned, but this isn’t always true.

Many people are doing wrong or inefficient workouts without even realizing it. Research has proven that it’s possible to lose more fat doing 20 minutes of HIIT workouts compared to 40 minutes of regular cardio.

This is great news for anyone who is skinny fat but short on time. Especially since the intensity of the workout boosts metabolism meaning the body continues to burn fat long afterward. For those wondering how many calories HIIT burns, expect to lose between 180-250 calories during a typical 20-minute workout with more being lost once it’s over.

For people that attend a gym that is always busy, finding an available machine or station can sometimes be a major issue. Another benefit of HIIT workouts is that many don’t even require equipment so it’s easy to adapt to what’s available.

Continue reading to make every session in the gym count by learning the best fat burning HIIT workouts below.

Get Moving with These 9 HIIT Workouts

Just before starting, there are few things worth mentioning.

Be sure to do at least a 5-minute warm-up followed by some dynamic stretching (stretch movements that aren’t held in place) to prepare the joints and muscles for the activity to follow. Always end a session with some light stretching after to help the muscles recover.

Also, some of the exercises below are time-based meaning that as many should be performed in the time alloted. While it’s normal to want to reach a high number, always perform the movements with proper form and technique. It will significantly reduce the chance of injury while also ensuring the muscles are strengthened, not weakened.

Overall Instructions

For beginners, rest for 30 seconds between each exercise. For the more experienced, try reducing the rest between exercises to 20 or even 10 seconds.

After doing each exercise, rest for one minute then repeat the entire routine three more times for a total of four sets. Feel free to add more sets or combine workouts for a greater challenge.

Each workout should take roughly 20 minutes but this will be longer or shorter depending on rest time and the number of sets.

A few exercises are timed so make sure to have a stopwatch or timer handy.

1. HIIT That Upper Body

Using nothing but bodyweight, this first workout targets the upper body for serious HIIT results. For anyone that struggles to do these exercises, it’s perfectly fine to modify or just do the negative movements to build up the muscle.

The Routine:

• Regular push-ups: 10-20 reps
• Pull-ups: 8-12 reps
• Tricep dips: 10-20 reps
• Shoulder push up: 10-20 reps

2. Leg Sculpting

Feel the burn and tone those legs, this workout hits each muscle with precision and intensity.

The Routine:

• Jump squat: 40 seconds
• Alternating lunges: 20 reps on each leg
• Stationary sprints: 60 seconds
• Single leg calf raises: 15-25 reps on each leg

3. Tone Those Arms and Shoulders

This fat burning HIIT workout combines dumbbells with bodyweight exercises to help build both strength and stability.

The Routine:

• Dumbbell bicep curls: 10-15 reps
• Single arm plank: alternate between both arms for a total of 30 seconds
• Dumbbell lat raises: 10-15 reps
• Tricep dip: 10-20 reps

4. Abs, Abs, Abs

Shaking and sweating is all part of this routine created to tone the abs and strengthen the core.

The Routine:

• Tuck jumps: 30 seconds
• Hanging knee raises: 5-10 reps
• Mountain climber plank: 60 seconds
• Russian twist: 60 seconds

5. Strengthen the Back

For anyone who sits in an office, it’s essential to strengthen your back to offset the hours spent sitting in a chair. This workout is designed to combine flexibility and toning for a healthy, strong back.

The Routine:

• Superman: Raise and lower without touching the floor for 30 seconds
• Lying glute raises: 10-20 reps
• Alternating arm and leg plank: 30 seconds
• Inverted rows: 10-20 reps

6. Building the Chest

Since the correct form starts and ends in a plank position, push-ups are the perfect way to build chest muscle and burn fat at the same time.

The Routine:

• Wide arm push up: 10-20 reps
• Regular push up: 10-20 reps
• Diamond push up: 5-10 reps
• Dead stop push up: 10-20 reps

7. Weighted Dumbbell Workout

This is a full body HIIT workout that uses weights to target the major muscle groups to build strength and power.

The Routine:

• Dumbbell squats: 10-20 reps
• Dumbbell bench press: 10-20 reps
• Dumbbell deadlifts: 10-20 reps
• Dumbbell military press: 10-20 reps

8. Treadmill Training

This is a simple HIIT cardio workout that is perfect for getting the heart racing and the metabolism working long after it’s over. To maximize the benefits, it’s essential to establish a rest pace that is comfortable and a sprint pace that requires an all-out effort.

The Routine:

• Start with a short walk/jog to warm up
• After 5 minutes, raise the speed to a full sprint and sustain it for 30 seconds
• After 30 seconds, reduce the speed down to a comfortable pace and for 60 seconds before going back up to full sprint. Repeat eight times

9. Get Out the Jump Rope

A staple exercise for many, the jump rope requires focus and coordination while still providing an excellent workout. This HIIT cardio routine is easy to do anywhere and is sure to get the heart racing.

The Routine:

• Jumping: 60 seconds
• Rest: 30 seconds
• Repeat twelve times

Enjoy the HIIT Results

The benefits of HIIT workouts cannot be overstated.

It builds muscle, burns fat, and takes less time compared to other forms of exercise.

Being skinny fat, medically referred to as “sarcopenic obesity,” is something which affects millions of Americans and the numbers are continuing to rise each year.

The problem is increasing because of common ways people calculate their body fat such as using the BMI scale. The issue with these generic calculations is that they ignore many factors meaning people can be misled about their actual health.

The above workouts are the perfect solution to staying out of this statistic and keeping healthy. Just be sure to supplement your workouts with a good diet for maximum results.

Check out our tips for eating healthy and other articles so you can live the healthiest lifestyle possible.