HIIT consists of phases of high-intensity work, followed by phases of moderate or low-intensity recovery. It consistently ranks highly on fitness trends globally.
Here are sample HIIT sessions for beginners (less than 3 months of consistent fitness training), intermediate (~6 months of fitness training), and advanced exercisers (>6 months of fitness training). To inspire your next fitness workout.
Beginner HIIT Session: 1-to-3 Ratio
The total duration of this workout is 24 to 31 minutes, including the warm-up and cool-down.
Warm Up: Start with a 5-10 minute warm up in the BLUE and GREEN zones.
Conditioning Period: Using a cardio or muscular exercise of your choice, perform 8 intervals of 30 seconds of work and 90 seconds of recovery. Aim for YELLOW or RED during the work phase and GREEN during the recovery phase.
Intervals: 30 seconds YELLOW or RED; 90 seconds GREEN
Cool Down: Cool down for 3-5 minutes in the BLUE and GRAY zones.
Intermediate HIIT Session: 1-to-1 Ratio
The total duration of this workout is 23 to 30 minutes, including the warm-up and cool-down.
Warm Up: Start with a 5-10 minute warm up in the BLUE and GREEN zones.
Conditioning Period: Using a cardio or muscular exercise of your choice, perform 5 intervals of 60 seconds of work and 60 seconds of recovery, and 5 intervals of 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of recovery. Aim for YELLOW or RED during the work phase and GREEN during the recovery phase.
Intervals 1-5: 60 seconds YELLOW or RED; 60 seconds GREEN
Intervals 6-10: 30 seconds YELLOW or RED; 30 seconds GREEN
Cool Down: Cool down for 3-5 minutes in the BLUE and GRAY zones.
Advanced HIIT Session: 2-to-1 Ratio
The total duration of this workout is 21 to 28 minutes, including the warm-up and cool-down.
Warm Up: Start with a 5-10 minute warm up in the BLUE and GREEN zones.
Conditioning Period: Using a cardio or muscular exercise of your choice, perform 4 intervals of 40 seconds of work and 20 seconds of recovery, 4 intervals of 60 seconds of work and 30 seconds of recovery, and 4 intervals of 30 seconds of work and 15 seconds of recovery. Aim for YELLOW or RED during the work phase and GREEN during the recovery phase.
Intervals 1-4: 40 seconds YELLOW or RED; 20 seconds GREEN
Intervals 5-8: 60 seconds YELLOW or RED; 30 seconds GREEN
Intervals 9-12: 30 seconds YELLOW or RED; 15 seconds GREEN
Cool Down: Cool down for 3-5 minutes in the BLUE and GRAY zones.
If you'd like to learn more about HIIT ratios, see here. Otherwise, have a blast putting together your own HIIT ratios and sessions!