Let’s face it—finding time for long workouts can be tough when life gets busy. But the beauty of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is that you don’t need hours to see results.
HIIT workouts are intense (the only way they work is if you push yourself hard!), but the benefits are more than worth it. With just around 12 minutes of all-out effort, you can burn fat, build strength, and boost your endurance. I’ve been including HIIT workouts in my own workout regimen for over a decade for one reason: they work.
The key is to make every minute count. Here are five strategies to help you maximize your HIIT workouts:
1. Start with a Dynamic Warm-Up
Even though your main workout is short, skipping the warm-up isn’t an option. A proper dynamic warm-up prepares your muscles, joints, and cardiovascular system for the intensity ahead while reducing the risk of injury.
Focus on mobility exercises that activate key muscle groups and get your heart rate up. Try bodyweight squats, jumping jacks, hip circles, and planks. Just 3-5 minutes of moving your body through a full range of motion will improve your performance, help prevent injury, and make you feel stronger throughout the workout.
2. Focus on Compound Movements
To get the most out of your HIIT workout, stick to compound exercises—movements that target multiple muscle groups at once. These exercises burn more calories, increase heart rate, and build functional strength in less time.
Include exercises like burpees, push-ups, squats, plyometrics, and kettlebell swings. Because they work multiple muscle groups simultaneously, you’ll be engaging more muscles in less time, which means better overall results.
For specific workout ideas, check out the 12 Minute Athlete HIIT Workouts app for inspiration.
3. Play with Workout Structures
There’s no one way to structure a HIIT workout, and changing up your timing can keep things fresh and challenging. Try experimenting with different intervals to see what suits your fitness level and goals. Here are a few 12-minute formats you can try:
- 30 seconds on, 10 seconds off: A classic interval structure that lets you go hard and get just enough rest to recover for the next round.
- 50 seconds on, 10 seconds off: An advanced interval format that pushes you to your limit with minimal rest.
- 12-minute AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible): Pick 3-5 exercises and aim to complete as many rounds as possible in 12 minutes. This structure is perfect for building endurance and pushing your limits.
- Get creative with these formats to challenge your body in new ways and avoid plateaus. Changing the structure of your workout keeps it interesting and helps you continue making progress.
4. Keep the Intensity High
The effectiveness of a short workout hinges on intensity. Whether you’re doing intervals, AMRAPs, or circuits, you need to give 100% effort during every work period. HIIT works because it pushes you to near-maximal effort, which helps you burn calories and improve fitness faster than traditional cardio.
If you find that you’re breezing through a workout, it’s time to up the intensity. Go faster, lift heavier, add more explosive movements, or aim for more reps. Remember: the more effort you put into your HIIT workouts, the more you’ll get out of them.
5. Track Your Progress
One of the best ways to stay motivated and improve is by tracking your workouts. Whether you’re increasing reps, lifting more weight, or improving your recovery time, tracking progress can keep you focused and committed to your goals.
You don’t need anything fancy—a simple notebook or the notes app on your phone will do. Logging your workouts helps you see where you’ve improved and allows you to make adjustments to keep challenging yourself.
Work Hard, See Results
Just because a workout is short doesn’t mean it can’t be powerful. By following these tips—warming up properly, focusing on compound movements, playing with your workout structure, keeping intensity high, and tracking progress—you’ll get the most out of every HIIT session.
So, lace up your sneakers and get ready to crush it. You’ve got 12 minutes—make them count!