This all-in-one 35-minute HIIT workout will hit every part of your body—arms, legs, lungs and heart—no equipment needed. It’s tough AF, but modifiable, and actually (dare I say) FUN.
Bodyweight is the bomb.
I started with a bodyweight-only workout plan back in 2013, when I came in contact with Al Kavadlo, BarStarzz, and Convict Conditioning. It was also the time when I was visiting New York City a lot, a calisthenics hot spot (and we eventually moved here in 2016). I really loved the idea of getting in killer shape with only my bodyweight as resistance.
And, of course, you do use equipment: pull-up bars, steps or chairs, and some sort of dip station, mostly.
It also fit into what I knew. I was a dancer and a gymnastics kid. Gymnastics was something my friends and I would do for fun to kill an afternoon. We’d polish our back handsprings, try a back flip (with a heavy mat) or get that aerial (no-hands cartwheel) down.
A couple of decades later, I took aerial silk classes. I loved it, but couldn’t do anything without upper body strength. So, I bought a pull-up bar to use at home and practiced every day. It was invigorating and fresh to be exercising in order to master certain skills. It took the work out of it.
Bodyweight and calisthenics are also more skill-based, which appealed to me. The harder exercises are feats of agility, balance and strength: handstands, pull-ups, levers, one leg squats, and so on.
Without weight for resistance, you have to get a little creative. And that’s actually fun.
Can you really get a great workout with bodyweight?
YES. Yes, you can.
Most of the exercises you do will be compound exercises, using many parts of your body. Push-ups and pull-ups are some of the best full-body exercises I know. Yes, they target the upper body, but you can get an amazing and tough workout with just those two exercises. You can also get amazing abs with both.
In general, bodyweight exercises will tend to have higher reps than you would with a weighted workout. This means that sometimes the first round feels less challenging, but as long as you keep your momentum going, you should be toast by the end.
Form, form, form.
Good form is always a noble goal to strive for. It will keep injury at bay and your exercises challenging. This is especially important for bodyweight, as you repeat the exercises for many, many reps.
Things to know.
Difficulty.
First of all, this workout is intermediate to advanced as-is. I consider myself intermediate-to-advanced myself, and I’ve been working out like this for over 10 solid years. However, I’m still getting back to where I was after having a baby.
That being said, it’s completely modifiable. If you watch the video (embedded below or on YouTube here), I include modifications for beginners, and even some to make it a bit harder.
You can always make bodyweight harder by adding weights, of course. But…that’s kind of cheating, at least with workouts that are meant to be all bodyweight. There are numerous ways to progress in bodyweight training, it just takes a little creativity.
Format.
This workout is HIIT, or High Intensity Interval Training. It’s an amazing way to work out, and very popular at the moment because it’s efficient, effective and sometimes even fun.
There are, however, a few things to know as far as how to do HIIT correctly to reap the benefits. You do not want to do HIIT every single day, for every workout. It will burn out your system and leave you feeling drained. Sprinkle in workouts that aren’t quite as intense. I like to do this just by changing the format of my workouts, which naturally takes the intensity down a bit.
The basic format is that there are intervals of work, and for that interval, you do that exercise (or exercises) as many times as possible without breaking form. There are usually intervals of rest in there, as well. This workout has periods of 10 seconds for rest. It’s not that long, so if you’re a beginner, you might want to make those intervals 15 or 20 seconds long (so that would be 15&50×8, 15&50×12).
Generally, one long 35 minute HIIT workout isn’t ideal. Because of the intensity of HIIT, I like to break it up in parts. This workout is three parts with two “bridges” in between. The bridges are very short circuits, and they are both the same. I also find that breaking a workout up like this makes it much more enjoyable—I have a short attention span!
I use an interval timer on my iPhone, but I used to have an actual timer from a company called Gymboss. Check out the app store and see what you can find! There are several free and paid versions.
Instructions.
Blood, Sweat and Tears Workout.
This workout is one of my go-to oldie-but-goodies. I made it in 2013 and absolutely loved it. I don’t always repeat workouts, but this one I’ve repeated several times, including a few days ago. It’s about 35 minutes long, HIIT, and a killer workout (hence the name).
Let’s do this!
Part 1:
10&50×8
- jump over push ups
- wide low squat and knee up, curtsy squat and knee up
bridge: 20 reps of: 3 jump lunges and fall to side push up, push back to standing
Part 2:
10&50×12
- dive bomber
- one leg jump up and one leg half squat R
- one leg jump up and one leg half squat L
bridge: 20 reps of: 3 jump lunges and fall to side push up, push back to standing (same as above)
part 3:
10&50×8
- S&M push off and push up (elbows in)
- side jump lunges
See the video for complete instructions:
Jump over push up.
From pike position with legs to one side, jump feet up and over to the other side. Move feet to diagonal plank and do push up. Move feet back and repeat.
Sumo squat and knee up, curtsy squat and knee up.
Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width, and your knees pointing outward slightly. Squat down, lowering your butt towards the ground until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Stand back up while shifting your feet on to one leg while lifting the other knee in the air. Then take that same leg and place it behind the other and bend both knees, like a curtsy, until your knee kisses the ground. Come back up on same leg, again lifting the knee in the air. Instead of a knee up, if you want an extra challenge, jump up. Continue on opposite leg.
3x jump lunges and side fall push up.
Do 3 jump lunges: Go down in a lunge, jump up on both feet and switch legs in the air. Come down in lunge on opposite side. Still in a lunge position, fall on to your hands slightly to the side of the back leg (you might find it’s easier to straighten that back leg and turn that foot). Fall down into a push up, then push yourself off your hands back into the lunge position. That is one rep. Continue. Each rep should be a different side.
Dive bomber.
From a downward facing dog position, dive head down and forward and then up, ending in upward facing dog. Reverse to original position.
One leg (half) squat and one leg jump up.
Squat down on one leg with the other pointing in front of you. Come down so thighs are parallel then come up. Immediately squat down again, almost to parallel on that same leg, the other dangling down and a bit behind. Jump up in the air and land back down on the same leg. Each rep is one squat and one jump up.
S&M push off and push up.
From plank position, lower yourself all the way to the ground. Release weight, lift one leg, and then push yourself back up to a plank, keeping your body stiff. Once you’re back to a plank, lift the hand opposite from your leg in front of you, hold for a beat, and return to the mat. Perform a push up: Lower your chest to the ground, ideally holding your elbows close to your body. Go as close to the ground as possible, but not all the way, then push hands off the floor to return to starting position. Continue, switching arm/leg sides each rep.
Side jump lunges.
From side lunge, jump up and switch legs to do a side lunge on the opposite side. Touch floor with each rep. Be sure to sit back as you go down, pushing through your heel. You should feel this in your glutes.