Are 20 Min HIIT Workouts Effective | Calories Burnt | HIIT To Lose Weight | HIIT Every Day | Four HIIT Workouts

High Intensity Interval Training, commonly known as HIIT, is a workout style that alternates periods of intense exercise with periods of rest. Because HIIT involves maximum exertion during the exercise periods, the workouts are designed to be short -- if you can keep up this level for over 30 minutes, it's likely you're not working hard enough!

Almost any type of training can be conducted in HIIT format, from running, to weightlifting. Today, we'll be looking at the benefits of doing a 20-minute HIIT workout, and sharing four different HIIT workouts you can do in 20 minutes.

You can learn more about HIIT and its benefits here.

Are 20 Minute HIIT Workouts Effective?

A lot of people think that more is more when it comes to working out, but you don't have to spend hours at the gym each day to see results. In fact, it's much better to spend 20 minutes working out each day, than 1 hour once a week!

The reason HIIT is so effective in as little as 20 minutes is that it involves maximum exertion when training. Training at this level means your body can't get enough oxygen to the muscle, so to continue exercising, the body uses stored energy. This process is known as anaerobic exercise. After anaerobic training, the body must replace the stored energy over the course of the day. This process uses energy, which translates to burning calories for hours after a HIIT workout, not just during it.

Using the anaerobic system also improves how your body consumes oxygen, which can help build cardiovascular endurance and contribute towards healthy heart and circulatory system. There's also some evidence that HIIT workouts increase human growth hormone, a hormone which helps to stimulate muscle growth and regulate fat metabolism, which is helpful if you are trying to build muscle or lose fat.

How Many Calories Can I Burn In 20 Minute HIIT Workout?

HIIT workouts can burn some serious calories in a short space of time. While this number will vary depending on factors like your weight, and what type of HIIT you are doing, you can expect to burn around 150-400 calories in 20 minutes of HIIT. And that's without the extra calories burned throughout the day!

Is 20 Minutes of HIIT 3 Times A Week Enough To Lose Weight?

To lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit and the best way to do this is through reducing the amount of calories you eat. You can read more about calories and weight loss here.

While exercise alone is unlikely to cause significant weight loss for most people, it certainly helps. Studies show that people who exercise lose more weight, and are more likely to maintain their weight loss, compared to those who achieve weight loss through diet alone.

Doing three 20-minute HIIT workouts each week can help to increase the number of calories you burn, which can make sticking to a calorie deficit easier. If you don't have time to workout every day, or spend an hour working out at a time, HIIT is one of the most effective ways to burn calories to support with your weight loss goals.

Can I Do 20 Minutes of HIIT Every Day?

HIIT can be too much of a good thing, and we recommend doing a maximum of 3 HIIT workouts a week.

Due to its high intensity and fast paced nature, HIIT can have a higher risk of injury than other types of workouts. It also triggers the release of cortisol, the stress hormone. Cortisol puts our body in fight or flight mode, and isn't a bad hormone, however if we have long periods of high levels of cortisol, we can experience negative effects, from chronic fatigue, to anxiety, to weight gain.

Leaving at least 48 hours between HIIT sessions allows the body to fully recover and prevent HIIT from being more of a hindrance than a benefit.

Ideally, you should be doing some form of resistance training each week too, as this will help you to build and preserve lean muscle mass, improve bone density, and a whole host of other benefits. Rather than doing HIIT every day, you would be better off doing a few HIIT sessions and a few weight training workouts.

Learn more about weight training and how to get started here.

Four 20 Minute HIIT Workouts To Try

If you've made it this far, chances are you're sold on the benefits of a 20 minute HIIT workout and you want to try some. We've shared four different HIIT workouts below to give a go.

20 Minute HIIT Workout With Weights

While HIIT engages the cardiovascular system, it's entirely possible to do a HIIT workout with weights. To get the benefits of HIIT, make sure you are giving it 100% during the workout period.

For this workout, you'll need two dumbbells. Having minimal equipment means you can transition between the exercises quicker to stick with the HIIT format.

We've included a warm up, and cooldown within the 20 minutes, but if you have more time feel free to do a longer warm up and cool down, or repeat the circuit an additional time.

If you enjoy this workout, we've shared more ideas for a HIIT workout with weights here.

20 Minute HIIT Treadmill Workout

We've not specified the running pace for this workout as it will depend on your current level of fitness. Choose a speed where you can run for the specified time, but only just.

The treadmill takes a few seconds to get up to maximum speed so change speed just before the running time starts.

If you have the time, try adding these warm up stretches for runners after your 4 minute treadmill warm up.

20 Minute HIIT Workout For Beginners

If you're new to HIIT, it can be helpful to start with a basic routine so you can get used to the pace and style of workout. If you haven't exercised before, or in a while, build up your endurance with steady cardio and lower intensity interval training first.

20 Minute HIIT Stationary Bike Workout

Cycling is a great form of cardio that is low impact and knee friendly. If you've ever been to a spin class, you'll know how hard HIIT cycling can be!

If you can stretch to 30 minutes, why not try one of our cycle classes? Our instructors will make sure you work your hardest and get the most out of this session. We've also shared some 30 minute HIIT workouts here.

If you find yourself inspired to try more HIIT workouts, check out our HIIT workouts for beginners blog. Plenty of our fitness classes follow a HIIT format too -- find your nearest gym and join one today!