30-Minute HIIT Workout Routine for Women (Pyramid)

How To Do Side-to-Side Squats

1. Start standing, feet narrow and shoulders stacked over hips. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
2. Step your right foot out so that your feet are hip distance apart or just wider. Left foot remains in place. As you step out, sit back into a squat, lowering your hips parallel to knees. Think about keeping your weight in your heels.
3. Hold this squat position for a second, then drive through your heels and stand tall, stepping your right foot back to center.
4. Repeat, this time stepping out with your left foot as you lower your hips, performing another squat.
5. Drive through your heels to stand tall as you step your left foot into a narrow stance, returning to the starting position.

How To Do Push Presses

1. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, holding dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing in towards each other (neutral grip). Shoulder blades are pulled back and down.
2. Engage your core, slightly tucking your pelvis to protect your low back. Slightly bend your knees, finding a two inch dip.
3. Then, straighten your knees, using the power of your legs to drive the dumbbells overhead. Arms are fully extended, and wrists are stacked over shoulders.
4. Slowly and with control, lower the dumbbells down to the starting position at shoulder level and repeat.

Modification: Alternate arms, pressing one weight overhead at a time.

How To Do Deadlifts, Dumbbell Cleans and Reverse Lunges

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent. Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs, palms facing in towards your body.
2. Hinge at the hips, pushing your glutes back towards the wall behind you as you glide the dumbbells down the front of your legs. Brace your core to protect your lower back.
3. Then, drive through your heels to stand tall. As you stand, bring the dumbbell up towards your chest (this is a dumbbell “clean”). Catch the weights at your shoulders.
4. Then, step your left foot back into a reverse lunge, dropping your left knee down towards the ground as you lower your hips until both knees reach a 90-degree angle, front thigh parallel to the floor.
5. Press through your front right heel to stand tall, stepping your left foot up to meet your right and returning to the starting position.
6. Repeat, alternating legs with each reverse lunge.

Modification: Omit the clean, performing alternating dumbbell deadlifts and reverse lunges.

How To Do Dumbbell Burpees

1. Start in a high plank position, both hands on your dumbbells, shoulders stacked over wrists, core engaged.
2. Perform a push up by lowering your chest to the ground, letting your elbows fall back towards your hips, then exhale, pushing back up to starting position.
3. Then, step or jump your feet up to meet your hands, landing in a low squat position.
4. Press through your heels to stand tall, pulling the dumbbells up your body as your hips drive forward.
5. Then, reverse the movement, bending your knees to place the dumbbells on the ground between your feet.
6. Step or jump your feet back, landing in a high plank position, and repeat.

Modification: Hold one weight horizontally at your chest and perform a squat press out, then a standing overhead press.

How To Do Overhead Pulls, Dumbbell Crunches and Seated Twists

1. Start lying on your back, core engaged, holding a single dumbbell horizontally between both hands. Extend your legs and arms away from each other, floating them off the mat.
2. Squeeze through your upper abs to lift your torso off the mat, crunching the dumbbell from overhead to your chest as you perform a sit up. Plant your heels on the ground for more stability.
3. Hold this seated position, keeping your torso straight and long, as you rotate your shoulders first to the right, twisting through the obliques to tap the ground outside your right hip with the dumbbell.
4. Return to center, then repeat on the left side, tapping the dumbbell to the ground outside your left hip before returning to center.
5. Then, slowly and with control, roll back to the mat and extend your arms and legs away from each other, returning to starting position.

Modification: Omit the crunch and seated twist, performing an overhead pull with alternating heel taps.