High-Intensity Interval Training, also known as HIIT, can help you achieve all sorts of different goals. It all hinges around the results you are looking for, and these results are completely different for every person that chooses to begin to work out. Yes, some may want to increase their cardio, strength, conditioning, or endurance. But these are just the basics. Some may want to increase their muscle size while also increasing their aerobic lung capacity. Others may wish to increase their athletic ability in terms of explosiveness, but may not have access to equipment. Yet even others may simply not have enough time in the day to devote an hour or more to the gym. These HIIT calisthenic workouts can help you with most goals that you may have in the world of exercise and fitness. That being said, they aren’t easy. But, nothing worthwhile is ever easy, now is it?
You will learn that the possibilities are endless in terms of HIIT calisthenics exercises. Even when you are speaking in terms of exercising with zero equipment. Or, perhaps you are lucky enough to have access to a pull-up bar and a jump rope. Essentially, these are the only two additional pieces of equipment that you may need to go along with your bodyweight. HIIT concepts really depend on intensity, time, rest periods, and other things such as this. All of this information will be covered in detail.
The beauty of HIIT calisthenics workouts is that you don’t need any fancy gym equipment, an expensive gym membership, or loads of experience in the fitness industry. You just have to be able to devote at least 15 minutes to a workout. Naturally, if you are able to spend more time than that, you will have better results. However, there really aren’t many things that are needed to begin. In the long-run, you will be able to increase your muscle capacity, which means your workouts will be anaerobic in nature. You will also increase your endurance, meaning that your workouts may have some aerobic benefits. There will be a drop in body fat, which will make your body look more defined. All of this can affect your heart. By making your heart stronger, it will be able to pump blood more efficiently, which will lower your heart rate.
You may choose to perform solely HIIT calisthenics workouts. Or, you may decide that you want to use HIIT calisthenics in a way that can enhance your weighted workouts. Either way, these exercises can make you a better athlete, or can just positively affect your health. It is a win-win situation however you look at it. Just be sure that you plan these workouts safely, and don’t overdo it. Start slow, and add difficulty as you progress.
HIIT Calisthenics Info: The Run-down
There are a few different concepts that need to be understood when it comes to HIIT calisthenics workouts. These concepts, or variables, can be manipulated depending on what your goals are, or how much time you choose to set aside to workout on a given day. Don’t get too carried away early on. Start slow and learn, and add to your workouts as you begin to improve. You can manipulate repetitions, rounds (or sets, for those with a background in traditional workouts), and rest time. All of these concepts are based on how much time you can give to your workout for a particular day. Once reps, rest, and rounds have been manipulated, you will know how long you will need to exercise, or how much time it will take to complete the HIIT calisthenics workout of your choice.
Repetitions
Reps are the number of times you are expected to complete a specific exercise. With HIIT workouts, you will usually do fewer reps if you are planning on performing more rounds, as you will end up completing a high number when you think about the overall workload. That being said, you will do more reps if you plan to do fewer rounds. If your goal is to increase power and strength, naturally you will perform fewer reps, as you will be completing more difficult exercises. There are also times where you may be asked to perform an increasing pyramid, decreasing pyramid, undulating pyramid, or “chipper concept”.
Example (increasing pyramid): 2-4-6-8-10-12
Example (decreasing pyramid): 20-19-18-17-16-15
Example (undulating pyramid): 5-1-4-2-3, 5-1-4-2-3 (great for upper/lower splits)
Example (chipper) 100 total reps, as many rounds as it takes to reach the goal
Rounds (Sets)
Often, workouts are created by thinking of repetitions per set. This is very common for traditional workouts that you will find in most mainstream gyms. This isn’t usually the case once you begin to work with HIIT workouts. Sets are replaced with rounds. This is the same general idea, but rounds are completed once all of the exercises are performed. Once a round is finished, a rest period is allowed. From here, another round is completed, and the same occurs again. Keep in mind that the number of repetitions can still be changed within the round.
Rest and Recovery Break:
With HIIT calisthenics workouts, rest breaks are ultimately placed at the end of each round. These rest breaks are most often one to two minutes in length. However, depending on the work being performed, they can be 15, 30, or even 45 seconds in length.
Rest breaks can also be taken between each exercise. This is very common, especially with beginners, or people that are just new to HIIT workouts. The rest breaks between each exercise are much smaller than those that are taken at the end of each round. These are usually 30 seconds or less, and more often around 15 seconds. As you become better acquainted with the stresses of HIIT calisthenics, you will eventually be able to complete one exercise right after the other with no rest between movements.
Set-Up
Set-up should be kept fairly simple. You can perform as few as three or four exercises at a time. If you want, you can complete ten or more exercises at a time. The choice is completely up to you. Exercises can be completed for 30 seconds, with a 30-second break. They can be completed for 15 seconds with a 1-minute break. Again, this is up to you and often depends on how difficult the exercises are (strength/power versus endurance/rep amounts).
Time Commitment
Typically, a “good” HIIT workout would last 15-20 minutes. If you really go hard, you can complete somewhat of a HIIT workout in under 15 minutes, but that is usually something that is used more as a supplement to the overall workout concept. Or, you can head to the other end of the spectrum and perform a HIIT workout for closer to 25-30 minutes. Once you get beyond 30 minutes of the same HIIT workout, you start to really drain your energy levels, and the mental strain that can be created is fairly intense. You can do these if you wish, I would just be very careful and try not to perform extended HIIT workouts on a daily basis. Extensive HIIT workouts aren’t a bad idea, by any means. It’s just best if they aren’t done every day. That being said, you can definitely perform more than one HIIT workout in a day.
Types
There are many different types of HIIT calisthenics workouts that you can do. We will quickly discuss four different types. The basic circuit can be performed really quickly in a short time or can be designed to last for quite a while. The chipper usually takes a long time to do. The EMOM concept can be designed to take exactly how much time you have available. The last concept is the Tabata concept. This is a short burst of exercise followed by an equally short rest break.
Basic Circuit
Made up of a specific number of rounds
Each round has a certain number of exercises
Each exercise is assigned a number of repetitions
Rest breaks are awarded at the end of each round
EMOM - Every Minute On the Minute
Exercises begin at the top of every minute
Once exercises are complete, the rest of the minute (or two) is used for rest
Exercises are assigned a specific rep range
More than one exercise can be performed
If more rest time is needed, you may consider 2-minute EMOM’s, or Double EMOM’s
Think of every minute as a round, use as many minutes as you have available.
Tabata - Exercise for Time, not Reps
20 seconds of high-intensity exercise
10 seconds of rest
Repeat for 8 total rounds
Great as a warm-up or finisher
Equally great if several tabatas are stacked in a workout
If multiple are used, allow 3-5 minutes rest between Tabatas
Chipper - Total Reps, Regardless of Rounds
High volume concept
A total rep goal is given
You are asked to complete it in as few rounds as possible
Great for few exercises
Can also be a partner exercise with larger rep goals
Assessment/Changes
Assessment and changes for HIIT calisthenics workouts are usually geared more towards strength and endurance while also really elevating the heart rate. So, over time you should be able to exercise harder without your heart rate staying incredibly high. As your heart rate begins to drop, you should consider trying harder exercises. Or, you can start to change up rest breaks, reps, or even the numbers of exercises that you are completing.
HIIT Calisthenics Workout Splits
There are generally two different HIIT calisthenics workout set-ups that work great. Your choice is dependent upon the amount of time that you are willing to set aside each day for exercise. These options are often referred to as “splits”. Simply put, a split is how a workout is designed to cover the course of a week, with rest breaks built-in. A full body split is a great concept and usually allows more free time during the week. An upper body/lower body split is another very basic option that allows days of rest, or days for stretching or cardio. SS means Steady-State cardio. This is a form of cardio that allows for recovery. It is very low intensity, so you should be able to speak as you do it.
Full Body HIIT Calisthenics Workout
Upper/Lower/Abs HIIT Calisthenics Workout
HIIT Calisthenics Exercises and Movements
Exercises are grouped by muscle group and experience level. There are many more exercises than this. However, this list should be a starting place.
HIIT Calisthenics Workouts are amazing if they are used appropriately. You can do workouts such as these at home with very little equipment. It would be a good idea to have access to a pull-up bar at the very least if you want to become better at these exercises. Just remember to start slowly and take your time.
References
1. SKLZ. (2012, July 10). Split Jump Alternating Drill [Video file]. YouTube.
2. Men’s Health. (2016, January 26). Hollow Body Holds [Video file]. YouTube
3. Howcast. (2012, June 12). How to do a JackKnife / Ab Workout [Video file]. YouTube.
4. Livestrong.com. (2015, June 13). How to do Frog Crunches [Video File]. YouTube.
5. Runner’s World Australia & New Zealand. (2016, September 28). RW Weekly Workout: Sprinter Sit-Up [Video File]. YouTube.
6. Orillia Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. (2014, April 8). Single Leg Glute Bridge [Video File]. YouTube.
7. CrossFit. (2015, June 30). The Pistol [Video File]. YouTube.
8. Davis, K. (2012, November 25). Inverted Row with Two Chairs [Video File]. YouTube.
9. Global Bodyweight Training. (2011, December 20). The Pike Push-Up Tutorial [Video File] YouTube.
10. Reebok CrossFit ONE. (2013, February 22). Reebok CrossFit ONE Movement Demo “Bear Crawl” [Video File]. YouTube.
11. PoseTV. (2013, October 23). Front Lunge [Video File]. YouTube.
12. Howcast. (2012, July 31). How to do Leg Flutters or Flutter Kicks / Sexy Legs Workout [Video File]. YouTube.
13. Reebok CrossFit ONE. (2013, February 24). Reebok CrossFit ONE Movement Demo “Hand-Release Pushup [Video File]. YouTube.
14. Mayo Clinic. (2017, August 17). Wellness Wednesday: Build your stair climbing power with step-ups [Video File]. YouTube.
15. Howcast. (2012, June 14). How to do a Russian Twist / Ab Workout [Video File]. YouTube.
16. Reebok CrossFit ONE. (2012, September 13). Reebok CrossFit ONE Movement Demo “Handstand Push-Up” [Video File]. YouTube.
17. Howcast. (2013, September 18). How to do a Dive Bomber Push-Up / Warrior Fitness [Video File]. YouTube.