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HIIT Workouts

15-Minute HIIT Cardio Workout (No Equipment)

By: Lindsey Bomgren, CPT | June 8, 2023

A quick and effective, no equipment, HIIT cardio workout at home! You can do these 10 bodyweight exercises anywhere to get your heart pumping and burn fat in a full body workout at home.

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This 15-Minute HIIT cardio workout is one of my favorite no equipment workouts.

This workout is perfect for those days you’re feeling a little sore from strength training, but still want to raise your heart rate (or add it onto a strength training workout as a quick cardio burst).

If you’re looking for a low impact version of this bodyweight workout, I recommend this 15-Minute Low Impact HIIT Cardio Workout (which is also great for pregnancy or beginners). 

A women performing a reverse crossbody crunch with a reverse lunge during a HIIT Cardio Workout.

HIIT Cardio Workout FAQs

What Is HIIT?

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) combines short bursts of intense exercise with short rest periods. It’s a really efficient way to train because ideally you work at your ‘all-out’ pace for short periods of time and then catch your breath before going ‘all-out’ again.

What Are The Benefits Of HIIT Training?

HIIT is a great workout for all fitness levels because it’s efficient! HIIT is a great alternative to longer, steady-state cardio (like a slower-paced run) so it saves time. According to the American Council on Exercise, HIIT workouts are also great for burning calories, increasing endurance and building muscle definition.

How Often Should I Do HIIT Workouts?

HIIT workouts require you to train in high intensity intervals which means you need to give your body time to recover between HIIT cardio workout sessions. Most trainers recommend doing HIIT workouts no more than 2-3 times a week (American Council on Exercise). If you’re looking for a guided workout plan with both strength and HIIT workouts check out my Free Home Workout Plans.

During a HIIT Cardio Workout a women is performing a sumo squat hold and cross body punch.

HIIT Cardio Workout

This 15-minute HIIT workout pairs bodyweight strength exercises with HIIT cardio exercises to increase your cardiovascular endurance.

The result is a no equipment, no running (and no burpee) cardio workout you can do at home to burn calories and improve heart health.

I suggest adding this quick HIIT workout to your weekly workout routine 1-2 times a week.

Workout Equipment:

None, just your bodyweight.

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woman performing a jump

Workout Instructions:

Follow along with the guided, 15-Minute HIIT Cardio Workout on YouTube led by certified personal trainer Lindsey Bomgren. 

Your Workout Looks Like This:

  • 10 Bodyweight HIIT Exercises
  • Timed Intervals (30 seconds per exercise moving from one exercise directly into the next)
  • Repeat All 10 Exercises x2 Sets (taking a 30-60 second rest between sets)

Note: the workout starts with a short guided warm up, but if you need a longer warm up I suggest doing this 10-Minute Dynamic Warm Up: Mobility and Cardio.

Holiday HIIT Workout: Burn Fat in 15 Minutes!

Workout Outline

1. Three Legged Down Dog Knee To Elbow
2. Mountain Climbers
3. Reverse Lunge And Crossbody Crunch
4. Lunge Jumps
5. Air Squat And Calf Raise
6. High Knees
7. Sumo Squat Heel Pedal
8. Sumo Squat Jack And 2 Punches
9. Launcher Plank And Push Ups
10. Skaters

15 Minute HIIT Cardio Workout Video of a women performing a skater jump.

Prefer to Watch On YouTube?

youtube icon HIIT Cardio Workout

10 HIIT Cardio Exercises (No Equipment)

Three Legged Down Dog Knee To Elbow

Targets: Arms, shoulders, back, legs, glutes, hamstrings, quads, hip flexors, lower abs, obliques and core.

woman performing a three legged down dog knee to elbow crunch

How To Do Three Legged Downward Facing Dog Knee To Elbow

  1. Start in a table top position (quadruped) on all fours; shoulders stacked over wrists and hips stacked over knees.
  2. Actively press your hands into the mat as you tuck your toes under. As you exhale, lift your knees off the mat straightening your legs as you press your hips up towards the ceiling to find downward facing dog.
  3. Hold down dog, pressing your chest towards your thighs. Then, send your right toes long to find three-legged dog.
  4. Then shift your weight forward into a high plank as you pull your right knee towards your right elbow; right foot hovering off the mat.
  5. Reverse the movement by sending the right leg long again to return to the starting position and repeat.

Mountain Climbers

Targets: Upper body, shoulders, chest, triceps, back, lower body, glutes, quads, hip flexors, calves, abs and core.

How to do mountain climbers, woman performing mountain climbers from a high plank position. HIIT cardio workout at home.

How To Do Mountain Climbers

  1. Start in a high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists, weight evenly distributed amongst all 10 fingers. Pull your kneecaps up towards your belly, feet hip-width apart.
  2. Pull your right knee into your chest as far as you can.
  3. Then alternate, sending the right leg long as you bring the left knee in towards your chest.
  4. Continue to alternate, “running” your knees in and out as fast as you can, keeping your hips square to the ground the entire time.

Modification: Option to pull the knees in slowly rather than running them in and out as fast as you can. You can also add an incline by placing your hands on a chair or bench to make this exercise easier.

Reverse Lunge And Crossbody Crunch

Targets: Legs, glutes, hamstrings, quads, hip flexors, abs, obliques and core.

woman performing a reverse lunge and crossbody crunch pulling knee to elbow, bodyweight HIIT

How To Do A Reverse Lunge And Crossbody Crunch

  1. Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, hands behind your head.
  2. Step your right leg back into a reverse lunge, lowering your hips until both knees reach a 90-degree angle, front thigh parallel to the ground.
  3. Then squeeze your left leg glute, driving your back, right leg forward as you stand up back to the starting position. As you stand, perform a knee drive and crossbody crunch, bringing left elbow to right knee.

Modification: Option to omit the crossbody crunch and perform a reverse lunge and knee drive.

Lunge Jumps

Targets: The legs, butt, quads, hip flexors, calves and core.

woman performing explosive lunge jumps as part of HIIT Cardio workout

How To Do Lunge Jumps

  1. Stand with feet hip-distance apart, shoulders stacked over hips.
  2. Jump your right leg back into a reverse lunge position; dropping your back right knee towards the ground as you lower your hips until both knees reach a 90-degree angle; front thigh parallel to the floor.
  3. Drive through your front, left leg to explode up as you switch legs in the air, jumping your left leg back into a reverse lunge. Land softy in a bent knee lunge.
  4. Repeat this explosive movement for the timed interval.

Modification: Option to omit jump and perform step back lunges.

Air Squat And Calf Raise

Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, calves, hip flexors and core.

woman performing air squat and calf raise as part of HIIT Cardio workout

How To Do An Air Squat And Calf Raise

  1. Start standing feet shoulder-width distance apart, knees slightly bent, core engaged.
  2. Lower down into a squat position, lowering your hips down parallel with your knees. Drive your knees out toward your outer three toes.
  3. Drive through your heels to stand tall, squeezing your glutes.
  4. At the top, perform a calf raise by rising up onto your toes. Hold for a moment, then lower back down so your heels are flat on the ground.

High Knees

Targets: Legs, quads, glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors, calves and core.

When done at a high intensity, knee drives improve muscular endurance, balance, power, and coordination in the lower body. 

woman performing high knees in a no equipment HIIT cardio workout at home

How To Do High Knees

  1. Stand with feet hip-distance apart, core engaged.
  2. Drive your left knee up in line with your left hip.
  3. Then alternate the movement. As you bring your left foot back to the ground, drive your right knee up in line with your right hip.
  4. Repeat, alternating the knee that drives up. Core is engaged the entire time.

Modification: Option to drive the knees up slowly.

Sumo Squat Heel Pedal

Targets: Inner thighs (adductors), outer thighs (abductors), glutes, quads and calves.

woman performing sumo squat heel pedal, alternating calf raises in a sumo squat.

How To Do A Sumo Squat Heel Pedal

  1. Stand with feet wider than hips, heels in and toes pointed out (sumo squat stance).
  2. Bend your knees to lower down into a squat, pushing your knees out towards your pinky toes as you drop your hips parallel to your knees. You’ll maintain this loaded sumo squat stance throughout.
  3. At the bottom of your sumo squat, raise your right heel off the ground so you’re balancing on your right toes and left foot (performing a calf raise on the right foot).
  4. Then, lower the right foot so it’s flat on the ground. As you do so, raise the left heel off the ground.
  5. Continue to ‘pedal’ the heels, alternating which is popped as you maintain a loaded sumo squat stance.

Sumo Squat Jack And 2 Punches

Targets: Legs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, inner thighs, calves, shoulders, back, biceps, chest, abs and core.

woman performing sumo squat jack and with punches, bodyweight HIIT cardio workout

How To Do A Sumo Squat Jack And 2 Punches

  1. Start standing, feet hip-distance apart, knees slightly bent, core engaged.
  2. Bring hands or knuckles up to ‘defend’ your face in a guard position.
  3. ‘Jack’ your feet out and lower down into a loaded sumo squat position, knees soft and core engaged.
  4. Perform two punches (one on each arm), alternating punches in front of your face.
  5. Then, ‘jack’ both legs in, bringing you to standing before quickly ‘jacking’ your legs back out and repeat.

Modification: Option step your feet in instead of ‘jumping jack’ your feet in.

Launcher Plank Push Ups

Targets: Chest, shoulders, triceps, back, glutes, quads, abs and core muscles.

woman performing plank launcher push ups

How To Do Plank Launcher Push Ups

  1. Start in a high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists, weight evenly distributed amongst all 10 fingers. Pull your kneecaps up towards your belly, feet hip-width apart.
  2. From this plank position, engage your core as you push your hips back towards your heels; bending at the knees. Then explosively drive your body back into plank position (nose to fingertips).
  3. Hold this plank position, maintaining a straight line with your body, gaze slightly in front of you and perform a push up.
  4. Slowly lower your chest down towards the ground as your elbows fall back towards your hips (not out to the sides).
  5. Once at the bottom of your push up, exhale as you push back up into high plank position.

Modification: Option to take the push ups from your knees, or add an incline by placing your hands on a chair or bench.

Skaters

Targets: Legs, glutes (outer gluteus medius), quads, hamstrings, hips, calves and core.

woman doing side to side speed skaters | hiit cardio workout

How To Do Speed Skaters

  1. Start standing in an athletic stance, feet hip-distance apart, knees slightly bent, core engaged.
  2. Push off your right foot to bound laterally to the left, landing in a loaded skater position on your left foot. Left knee bent, right leg tracking behind your left foot in a skater position.
  3. Then, drive off your planted left foot to bound laterally back to the right. Landing softly on your right foot. Right knee bent, left leg tracking behind your right foot a skater position.
  4. Continue this alternating side-to-side lateral bound.

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6 comments

  1. Firstly thanks for your amazing HIIT workout video. If this routine is followed by a good result in 15 minutes then it will become a magician.

    • Emily! Thank you so much for giving this workout a try! It’s personally a new favorite of mine as well! Love that you knocked it out twice for a 30 minute workout — NICE WORK! It’s a good one. Thanks so much for giving it a try and I hope you come back to try the other full-length workout videos on the blog! -Lindsey

  3. so good. I have enjoyed all of your workouts but have to say I am much more easily motivated with a video! thank you

    • Nicole! Thanks for giving this workout (and other workouts on the blog) a try! Yes, the full length video is always a motivator! I hope you come back and do it again! Nice work! -Lindsey

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