If you’re looking to enhance your cardiovascular health, increase fat loss, and improve your physique composition, you can perform Crossfit HIIT workouts.
Crossfit high-intensity interval training is a training program where exercises are performed at a fast pace followed by short intervals.
You can perform numerous Crossfit HIIT exercises to enhance your endurance, strengthen and tone muscles, improve agility, increase weight loss, and improve your shape.
To help you train in an organized way, I’ve shared various exercises and a few samples of high-intensity CrossFit WODs in this article.
Depending on your fitness level, you can perform some exercises to scale your fitness to the next level.
What is High-Intensity Interval Training?
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a cardio workout where exercises are done at a quick pace followed by recovery period.
The recovery period would be the same or less than the time you spend during a workout.
Consider an example with a 5-min HIIT workout routine:
Do exercises as fast as possible
- Do jump squats for 30 seconds and take rest for 30 seconds
- 30 seconds Burpees, 30 seconds rest
- 30 seconds mountain climbing, 30 seconds rest
- 30-sec jumping jacks, 30 seconds rest
- 30 seconds pushups, 30 seconds rest
You can check out the pros and cons of HIIT.
Now, let’s move on to Crossfit.
What is CrossFit?
CrossFit is a strength, conditioning, and endurance workout program. It includes various activities that we perform in our daily lives, such as pulling, pushing, jumping, running, and squatting.
From plyometrics and cardio to powerlifting and bodybuilding, CrossFit comprises several workouts.
CrossFit includes some fancy terms or acronyms, such as EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute); WOD (Workout of the Day); AMRAP (As many reps/rounds as possible), and Ladder (A series of exercises where you increase one rep in each activity you do.
Difference Between HIIT and CrossFit
1) High-intensity interval training primarily includes bodyweight cardio exercises like running, jumping jacks, burpees, squats, and high knees. On the other hand, CrossFit both weighted and bodyweight exercises.
2) HIIT enhances cardiovascular health and promotes weight loss, while Crossfit supports weight loss, builds muscle mass, increases strength, and enhances overall health.
3) You can do HIIT exercises anywhere you want, like at home, in the gym, or on the ground. However, weightlifting CrossFit workouts require some equipment, such as a barbell, weights, kettlebell, box, and pull-up bar.
4) HIIT workout sessions are shorter than Crossfit. For example, 20 to thirty minutes is optimal for one HIIT session. In comparison, you must spend approximately 45 to 60 minutes for completing different Crossfit WODs, such as Zachary Tellier, Murph, and Michael.
Similarities Between CrossFit and HIIT Workouts
CrossFit and HIIT workouts are both high-intense exercise programs.
Both these programs include bodyweight exercises.
HIIT and CrossFit both help improve cardiovascular health and promote weight loss.
Best CrossFit HIIT Exercises to Do at Home
If you’re one of the fitness enthusiasts who work out at home without equipment, these HIIT Crossfit workouts can be helpful for you.
- Burpees
- Jump Squat
- Box Jumps
- Air Squat
- High Knees
- Pushups
- Mountain Climbers
- Lateral Run/Side Drills
- Jump Split Squat
- Crunches
- Leg Raise
- Squat Pulses Jump
1. Burpees
Burpee is a multi-movement exercise that includes pushup, jump, and half squat. It works on multiple muscle groups from the upper to the lower body and helps improve strength and endurance.
You can also perform burpees for anaerobic conditioning and enhance maximum efforts to do well in sports like baseball, basketball, softball, and hockey. 1Sprint running & burpees: comparison of acute physiological and neuromuscular effects of two high-intensity interval training protocols – Journal of Science and Medicine in Sports
Steps to perform a burpee:
- Standing in the shoulder-width stance, jump in the air, then land softly into a squat with your chest up and head in line with your tailbone.
- Place your hands on the floor in front of you underneath your shoulders and kick your legs behind so you come into the “up” position of a pushup. And then do a full pushup.
- Once you complete the pushup, reverse the movement to complete one rep. And repeat for the desired number of times.
Pro Tips:
- Hold your back flat and chest up when you jump and land into a squat.
- Do it easily and in a controlled fashion.
2. Jump Squat
The jump squat is a high-intensity exercise that burns significant calories while developing strong legs.
It also helps you jump higher and improve athletic performance.
How to do Jump Squat
- Stand upright in the shoulder-width stance with your arms straight at your sides.
- Push your hips backward, and bend your knees to squat down until your thighs parallel the floor.
- Jump explosively in the air as high as possible. And when you jump, your chest will be up, and your arms will swing backward.
- Land softly to return to the standing position. This is your one rep.
- Do as many reps as you can.
3. Box Jumps
The box jump is a plyometric exercise that bolsters and tones lower body muscles, including the quads, hamstrings, and glutes, and improves speed, endurance, and agility.
How to do a Box jump:
- Stand straight in front of the box, one step away.
- Jump as high as possible and land on the box.
- Jump back on the floor to complete one rep!
- Do this as fast as possible for the desired amount of time.
4. Air Squat
The air squat is one of the basic bodyweight exercises for building strong legs. It strengthens multiple muscles simultaneously, such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, core, and glutes.
A study published by the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine has also demonstrated bodyweight squats help increase weight loss in adolescent boys.
How to do air squats:
- Standing in the hip-width stance, bend your elbows and keep your hands together in front of your chest.
- Maintaining a flat back, push your hips backward and bend your knees simultaneously to squat down until your hamstrings are parallel to the floor.
- Press your heels into the floor and return to the standing position. This is your one rep!
- Your hips will move down and back during the movement.
5. High Knees
The high-knees is a total body Crossfit HIIT workout that fires up multiple muscles throughout the body, including the legs and core, and promote cardiovascular health.
You can also perform high knees to increase your heart rate and blood flow before lifting or running.
How to do high knees:
- Start with standing tall in the hip to shoulder-width stance.
- Keep your chest up and core engaged. That’s the start.
- Bring your knees (alternatively) as high as possible toward your chest.
- You can also hold your hands in front of you with palms down. So you can touch your palms with your knees.
6. Pushups
The push-up is an excellent exercise to fortify several upper body muscles, especially the chest and triceps.
It also helps scale up your strength for performing resistance push exercises, such as bench presses, overhead pushups, and weighted pushups.
Whether your goal is to get shredded or build muscles, you can use it in your Crossfit HIIT WOD.
How to do a pushup
- Get into a high plank position with your arms straight below your shoulder and your body straight from head to heels.
- Bend your elbows and lower your torso toward the floor until your chest is close to the ground. This is your one rep.
- Do as many pushups as you can when you do HIIT CrossFit training.
7. Mountain climbing
Mountain climbing is a super effective exercise for increasing heart rate, strengthening core muscles, and boosting endurance.
You can improve your cardiovascular health and bolster your midsection by doping mountain climbing for a few minutes daily.
How to do mountain climbing
- Get into a high plank position with your arms straight underneath your shoulder.
- Brace your abdominal muscles and slightly raise your hips.
- Now, bring your knees one by one toward your chest, like you’re climbing a mountain.
- Do it as fast and long as you can.
8. Lateral Run/Side Drills
The drill is an intense cardio exercise that helps increase blood flow, warms your body, burns many calories, and leads to a quick sweat.
A study has also shown incorporating lateral runs into circuit training increases agility and enhances performance. 2DIFFERENCE AGILITY LADDER EXERCISE METHOD LATERAL RUN AND CIRCUIT TRAINING TO IMPROVE AGILITY – Research Gate
You can see in this video how you perform lateral drills at your home.
9. Split Jump Squat
The split squat helps build strong legs and tone muscles and annihilate significant calories in a quick time.
How to do split jump squat:
- Stand tall in the hip-width stance with your arms straight at your sides.
- Keep your chest up and core tight. This is your starting position.
- Jump explosively as high as possible and land into a split squat.
- Do it as fast as you can, for 20 to 30 seconds.
10. Crunches
If you want to strengthen your core specifically, you can do crunches.
Crunches help forge abdominal muscles and improve six-pack abs appearance.
Crunches have many variations, such as standard crunches, reverse crunches, toe touch crunches, bicycling crunches, V-up crunches, heel touch crunches, and many more.
Depending on your fitness level and goal, you can do some of them.
If you like, you can check out 15-min HIIT core workout routine, where you’ll perform several exercises to boost your core strength, tone muscles, and torch decent calories.
11. Leg Raises
Leg raise is another core-strengthening exercise that works on the lower abs and improves the six-pack abs definition.
How to perform:
- Lie on the mat with your arms straight at your sides. You can place your hands underneath your glutes for support.
- Brace your abdominal muscles and raise your legs together until your heel faces the ceiling.
- Pause for a moment and then return your legs to the start.
12. Squat Pulses to Jump
Squat pulses to jump is one of my favorite exercises that I perform during cardio as well as before weight training. It is a great exercise for the legs, heart, and almost the entire body.
How to do it:
- Hold your arms together at chest height, bend at your knees, pulse a couple of times, and then jump explosively in the air.
- As you jump, bring your arms lower at your sides. And then reverse the step to return to the squat position and repeat for 30 seconds as fast as you can.
10-Minute Crossfit HIIT WOD for Beginners
- Estimated Calories Burned During Workout: 120-150
- Workout Goal: Helpful for staying fit and productive
- Target Gender: Males and Females
- Frequency: Aim for seven times a week (every morning)
Workout Name: Fantastic Five WOD
Perform each exercise for 15 seconds at high intensity, followed by 15 seconds of rest.
- Air Squats
- Mountain Climbing
- Situps
- Pushups
- Squat Jump
- Repeat Twice
20-Min Full Body Crossfit HIIT Workout at Home
- Workout Level: Intermediate
- Estimated Calories Burned During Workout: 250-300
- Workout Goal: Improve Cardiovascular fitness and Improve Body Composition
- Target Gender: Males and Females
- Frequency: Perform five times a week
How to perform a 20-minute Crossfit HIIT workout?
You’ll do three rounds in 20 minutes.
In the first round, you’ll perform each exercise for 30 seconds, followed by 15 seconds of rest.l
Each exercise will be done in the second round for 20 seconds, followed by a 20-second break.
And in the final round, you’ll perform each exercise for 15 seconds with 30 seconds of rest.
Take two minutes of rest between each round.
Here are the exercises:
ROund 1 | Round 1 | Round 3 |
---|---|---|
Jump Squat | Burpees | Air Squat |
Mountain Climbing | Crunches | Crossbody Mt. Climber |
Reverse Crunches | Pushups | High Knees |
Shoulder Taps | Jump Split Squat | Shoulder Taps |
Alternate Heel Tap | Knee Tap Pushup | Alternate Heel Tap |
Straight-arm to Forearm Plank | Plank Jacks | Kneeling Squat Jump |
High Knees | Flutter Kicks | Plank |
30-Min High-Intensity CrossFit Workouts for Weight Loss
- Estimated Calories Burned During Workout: 400-500
- Workout Goal: Increase weight loss, improve physique, and enhance cardiovascular health
- Target Gender: Males and Females
- Frequency: Three to five days a week
Workout Breakdown
- AMRAP for 5 minutes
- EMOM for 5 minutes
- Ascending the Ladder for 5 minutes
- Descending Ladder for 5 minutes
- AMRAP for 5 minutes
- EMOM for 5 minutes
AMRAP HIIT Crossfit WOD #1
Perform as many reps as possible within 30 seconds:
- Jump Squat – 30 seconds
- Mountain Climbers – 30 seconds
- Box Jumps – 30 seconds
- Lateral Run/Side Drills – 30 seconds
- Pushups – 30 seconds
- Burpees – 30 seconds
- Crunches – 30 seconds
- Jump Split Squat – 30 seconds
- Leg Raise – 30 seconds
- Squat Pulses Jump – 30 seconds
EMOM WOD #2
EMOM for 5 Minutes
- Lateral Run/Side Drills
- Burpees
- Air Squats
- Pushups
- Crunches
Ascending Ladder WOD #3
Ascending Ladder for 5 minutes
- Squat Pulses Jump – 1 rep
- Burpee – 2 reps
- Air Squats – 3 reps
- Pushups – 4 reps
- Box Jump – 5 reps
- Leg Raises – 6 reps
- Jump Squat – 7 reps
- Crunches – 8 reps
- Jump Split Squat – 9 reps
- Burpees – 10 reps
Descending Ladder WOD #4
Descending Ladder for 5 minutes
- Air Squats – 10 reps
- Pushups – 9 reps
- Crunches – 8 reps
- Burpee – 7 reps
- Box Jumps – 6 reps
- Leg Reps – 5 reps
- Pushups – 4 reps
- Burpees – 3 reps
- Pushups – 2 reps
- Squat Pulses Jump – 1 rep
AMRAP WOD #5
AMRAP for 5 minutes
- Jump Squat – 30 seconds
- Mountain Climbers – 30 seconds
- Box Jumps – 30 seconds
- Lateral Run/Side Drills – 30 seconds
- Pushups – 30 seconds
- Burpees – 30 seconds
- Crunches – 30 seconds
- Jump Split Squat – 30 seconds.
- Leg Raise – 30 seconds
- Squat Pulses Jump – 30 seconds
EMOM WOD #6
EMOM for 5 minutes
- Lateral Run/Side Drills
- Burpees
- Mountain Climbing
- Pushups
- Crunches
HIIT Crossfit Home Workouts and Workout Plan PDF
References
- 1Sprint running & burpees: comparison of acute physiological and neuromuscular effects of two high-intensity interval training protocols – Journal of Science and Medicine in Sports
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