If you’re looking for an ultimate list of HIIT exercises, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, you’ll see: 1) The bodyweight HIIT exercises list for the home workout, 2)The Dumbbell HIIT workouts list, and 3) The list of HIIT workouts you can do with machines and equipment. You can also download the HIIT exercises list PDF to use it offline.
HIIT Full Form and Definition
HIIT is a short-term of High-Intensity Interval Training. It is a training program where you have to perform exercises in two intervals, high-intense activity followed by a short recovery period—for example, performing as many squats as possible in 30 seconds followed by 30 seconds of rest.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is designed to be performed at 75 to 95 percent of your maximum heart rate. This training aims to improve cardiovascular health, speed up weight loss, boost endurance, and improve overall fitness. You can check out the pros and cons of HIIT to learn more about this program.
Best HIIT Bodyweight Exercises List No Equipment Needed
- Jumping jacks
- Muscles worked: Full-body
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Focus: Mobility, Cardio
- High Knees
- Muscles worked: Hips, Glutes, and Hamstrings
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Focus: Mobility and Strength
- Jump Squats
- Muscles worked: Glutes and Quads
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Power and Strength
- Burpees
- Muscles worked: Glutes, Hamstrings, Core, Triceps, Chest, and Calves
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Power and Strength
- Squat Thrust
- Muscles worked: Glutes, Quads, and Shoulders
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Power and Strength
- Mountain climbers
- Muscles worked: Core
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength
- Jumping Split Squat
- Muscles worked: Glutes, Hamstrings, and Calves
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Explosiveness
- Man maker
- Muscles worked: Chest, Core, Triceps, Glutes, and Hamstrings
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Power, and Explosiveness
- Jumping Split Lunges
- Muscles worked: Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads, and Hips
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Power
- Russian Twist
- Muscles worked: Oblique
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Endurance, and Mobility
- Bulgarian Split Squat
- Muscles worked: Quads and Glutes
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength
- Standard Pushup
- Muscles worked: Chest, Triceps, and Core
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Focus: Strength
- Clapping or Hand Release Pushup
- Muscles worked: Chest, Triceps, Core, and Shoulders
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Power, and Explosiveness
- Crunches
- Muscles worked: Abs
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Focus: Strength, Mobility
- Bodyweight Pushup to Renegade Row
- Muscles worked: Chest, Back, Shoulders, and Arms
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Mobility
- Floor IYT Raises
- Muscles worked: Back, Shoulders, and Arms
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Mobility
- Calf Raises
- Muscles worked: Calves
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Focus: Strength
- Ankle Hops
- Muscles worked: Full body
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Focus: Strength, Agility
- Vertical Jumps
- Muscles worked: Total body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Jump, Agility
- Skater Jumps
- Muscles worked: Lower body
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Focus: Strength, Speed, Mobility
- Plank Jacks
- Muscles worked: Core
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Mobility
- Kneeling Squat Jump
- Muscles worked: Total body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Mobility, Speed
- Shoulder Tap
- Muscles worked: Core and Shoulder
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Mobility
- Push Up Jacks
- Muscles worked: Total body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Mobility, Speed
- Reverse Lunge with Knee-up
- Muscles worked: Total body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Agility, Mobility, Speed
- Frog Squat Jump
- Muscles worked: Lower body
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Focus: Agility, Jump
- Double Leg Butt Kick
- Muscles worked: Full body
- Difficulty Level: Advanced
- Focus: Agility, Jump
- V up Crunches
- Muscles worked: Core
- Difficulty Level: Advanced
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
- Bicycle Crunches
- Muscles worked: Core
- Difficulty Level: Advanced
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
- Step-up
- Muscles worked: Lower Body
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
- Lateral Drill
- Muscles worked: Lower Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
- Bear Crawl
- Muscles worked: Full Body
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
- Squat Pulse Jump
- Muscles worked: Full Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
Dumbbell HIIT Exercises List to Build Muscle and Burn Fat Simultaneously
- Jumping Jacks
- Muscles worked: Full Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
- Dumbbell Burpees
- Muscles worked: Full Body
- Difficulty Level: Advanced
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
- Dumbbell Squats
- Muscles worked: Lower Body
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
- Dumbbell Squat Jump
- Muscles worked: Full Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
- Dumbbell Crunches
- Muscles worked: Core
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
- Dumbbell Surrenders
- Muscles worked: Full Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Power, and Muscle Gain
- Dumbbell Push Press
- Muscles worked: Legs and Shoulder
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Power
- Dumbbell Power Maker
- Muscles worked: Full Body
- Difficulty Level: Advanced
- Focus: Strength, Speed, and Agility
- Dumbbell High Knees
- Muscles worked: Full Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
- Dumbbell Thruster
- Muscles worked: Full Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Stamina
- Single-arm Dumbbell Swings
- Muscles worked: Full Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Explosiveness
- Dumbbell Step-up
- Muscles worked: Lower Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
- Dumbbell Reverse Crunches
- Muscles worked: Core
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
- Dumbbell Push Jerk
- Muscles worked: Full Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
- Dumbbell Step-up
- Muscles worked: Lower Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Stamina
- Dumbbell Side Bend
- Muscles worked: Oblique
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Focus: Strength
- Dumbbell Squat to Overhead Press
- Muscles worked: Legs and Shoulders
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Power, and Muscle Gain
- Upright Row
- Muscles worked: Legs and Shoulders, and Upper Traps
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Power, and Mobility
- Dumbbell Renegade Row
- Muscles worked: Chest, Shoulders, and Back
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Power, Mobility, and Muscle Gain
- Dumbbell Clusters
- Muscles worked: Full Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Power, Mobility, and Muscle Gain
The HIIT Workouts List You Can Do in the Gym
- Treadmill Run
- Muscles worked: Full-body
- Difficulty Level: Beginner to Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Mobility, and Endurance
- HIIT Rowing
- Muscles worked: Full-body
- Difficulty Level: Beginner to Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Power, Mobility, and Endurance
- Pull-ups
- Muscles worked: Lats, Arms, and Shoulders
- Difficulty Level: Beginner to Intermediate
- Aim: Strength and Mobility
- Bar Dips
- Muscles worked: Lats, Arms, and Shoulders
- Difficulty Level: Beginner to Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Mobility
- Stationary Bicycling
- Muscles worked: Quads, Hamstrings, and Calves
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
- Battle Rope Workout
- Muscles worked: Full Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Goal: Strength and Mobility
- Hanging Knee Raises
- Muscles worked: Abs and Arms
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength
- Sled Training Interval Workout
- Muscles worked: Full Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Power, and Mobility
- Jumping Rope
- Muscles worked: Full-body
- Difficulty Level: Beginner to Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Mobility, and Endurance
- Kettlebell Swings
- Muscles worked: Legs and Shoulders
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Power, Mobility
- Ab Wheel Rollout
- Muscles worked: Core and Lower back
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength and Mobility
- Punching Bag Workout
- Muscles worked: Total Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Power, Speed
- Rowing Machine
- Muscles worked: Total Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Strength, Power, Speed
- Elliptical Trainer
- Muscles worked: Full Body
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Focus: Cardio and Aerobic
- Box Jump
- Muscles worked: Core
- Difficulty Level: Advanced
- Focus: Strength and Endurance
How to design a HIIT workout routine?
You can use the above list of HIIT exercises to design a workout routine. Creating a routine depends on your goal. For example, if your primary purpose is to burn significant calories and increase fat loss, you’ll include fast and intense bodyweight exercises. However, if you want to build muscles while torching calories, you’ll mostly incorporate explosive dumbbell workouts.
Here are examples of bodyweight and weighted high-intensity interval training routines.
1. No Equipment HIIT Workout
Beginner: 1 round, Intermediate- 3 rounds, Advanced: 5 rounds
- High-Knees– 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest
- Burpees-30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest
- Jump Squats– 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest
- Pushups– 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest
- Crunches– 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest
- Planks– 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest
- Jumping Split Squat– 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest
- Pushup to Renegade Row-30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest
- Floor IYT Raises– 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest
- Reverse Crunches– 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest
2. 20-min HIIT at the Gym
- Treadmill – 2 minutes activity, 1-min rest
- Stationary Bicycling – 1-min activity, 1-min rest
- Elliptical Trainer – 1-min activity, 1-min rest
- Jumping Rope – 1-min activity, 1-min rest
- Punches on Punching Bag – 1-min activity, 1-min rest
- Rowing Machine – 2 minutes activity, 1-min rest
- Battle Rope Workout – 30-sec activity, 1-min rest
3. 15-min Dumbbell Weighted HIIT Workout
Exercise | Activity | Rest |
---|---|---|
Squat to Overhead Press | 30-Sec | 30-Sec |
Dumbbell Power Maker | 30-Sec | 30-Sec |
Dumbbell Swings | 30-Sec | 30-Sec |
Dumbbell Clusters | 30-Sec | 30-Sec |
Dumbbell Side Bend | 30-Sec | 30-Sec |
Dumbbell Crunches | 30-Sec | 30-Sec |
Dumbbell Push Press | 30-Sec | 30-Sec |
How Many Times Should You Do HIIT Workouts in a Week?
You can do high-intensity interval training (HIIT) two to three a week, depending on your fitness level, goal, and amount of time you work out.
For example, if your goal is to shed some kilos, you can do intense burst bodyweight HIIT exercises for 30 minutes a day, three to four times a week.
On the other hand, if you want to stay fit, strong, and active, you can do HIIT three days a week.