HIIT Cardio Home Workout to Keep You Trim This Christmas

We’ve all been there girl.  You need to fit in a fat burning session, but it’s Christmas and you just don’t have time to hit the gym. Fear not fitness fiend, we’ve got a HIIT cardio home workout that will help you melt fat at home this festive season.

You’ve just single-handedly devoured a full box of cookies and you’re in need of a fat melting workout, but you’re not going to make it to the gym. You’re stuck for time, you need to visit the grocery store and you’re still missing half your presents for those awkward distant aunts. Either that or your iron home-from-home has closed their doors for the festive season. Where you gonna sleigh a workout?!

Say hello to HIIT cardio for your Christmas workout.

Baby it’s cold outside. Don’t spend hours pounding the pavement in the snow, trying to stay in shape over the holidays. First, ew. Running is hard. Second, we’ve got a much smarter way to tackle it girl.

HIIT cardio training is proven to target fat and help you lose weight in a more efficient way. Plus, it’s quick and you don’t need loads of equipment to really feel that festive muscle burn. It’s the perfect Christmas home workout to keep you trim this year.

Deck the halls, cos you ain’t stepping foot outside for this workout. To help you drop the pounds without leaving the comfort of your own tinsel-covered home, we’ve designed the perfect no-equipment HIIT cardio workout.

Need a seasonal outfit for your Christmas workout? Of course you do. Check out our favorite festive fitness outfits here.

What is HIIT cardio?

HIIT, or high intensity interval training, is a form of cardio workout that’s based around short bursts of explosive activity, followed by a short rest period. This pattern is then repeated several times.

For example, a simple sprint HIIT cardio workout might consist of 30 seconds sprinting, followed by one minute of walking at a steady rate. This will be repeated 8-10 times for a hard core, lung-bursting workout.

The magic of a HIIT workout is that it only needs to last between 15-20 minutes to have some seriously effective fat targeting results. This makes them just about the most efficient workout you can do when you’re rushed off your feet this Christmas season.

By working as hard as you can for a short period of time, you’re maximizing your energy output, which actually helps you burn 25-30% more calories per minute than endurance sports [1].

So, find a quiet spot away from the festive madness and take just 20 minutes away from wrapping presents or shopping to fit in a super effective workout.

Learn everything there is to know about HIIT with our complete article on the benefits, complete with more workouts.

How does HIIT help you lose weight?

One of the main benefits of HIIT cardio is that it targets right in on the fat in your body, leaving your hard-earned muscle so you can improve your body composition, without sacrificing your gains [2].

Because of the power needed for a HIIT workout, this form of cardio actually helps to maintain the muscle you already have. Because you’re hitting them hard and fast, it stimulates fast twitch fibers which boosts power and tells your body to keep hold of that precious muscle. We all know the more muscle you have on your frame, the more calories you burn. Bonus.

On top of that, you’re pushing your body to the max and using up the energy reserves you have stored away within it. This boosts your metabolism for up to 24 hours after you finish your workout ends, so you’ll continue to burn calories into the next day.

Full body HIIT cardio home workout

You don’t need a gym to benefit from the amazing results of a HIIT workout. With this no-equipment workout, you’ll raise your heartrate, push your body to the max and burn fat all in less than 20 minutes.

Keep moving quickly, maintain a good form and get ready to sweat girl. It may not seem like a lot compared to your usual lifting routine, but this workout will get your whole body pushing to the max and burning fat.

Remember the key to burning fat with HIIT is to keep the intensity high when you’re working, so no taking it easy girl. We’re working off those mince pies here, so you’re gonna need to give it your all.

Perform four sets of each movement before moving on to the next:

Looking for a hardcore leg only variation? Check out this article, girl.

The final rep

Christmas might be a difficult time to hit the gym, you’ve got 101 things to do and about 50 family members to entertain. But that doesn’t mean you can’t fit in a hardcore workout and maintain your gains too.

You might be going stir crazy, you could be worried about maintaining your physique, or you might just need a sweet sweet endorphin hit after spending so much time with family. We’ve all been there.

With this fast AF workout in your back pocket, you’ll have everything you need to stay trim and keep your gains intact this festive season, whilst still eating a full turkey leg to yourself on the big day. Hey, it’s lean meat and a fit chick needs her protein. Even at Christmas.