Tight on time? Can’t hit the gym? Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking you can’t still add some muscle and burn fat at home. Enter this single dumbbell HIIT workout from Strength and Conditioning Coach Jeff Cavaliere, Founder of popular YouTube channel Athlean-X. Not only will it leave your metabolism charged and build total body muscle (if eaten alongside a good diet, of course), but it’ll only take you 16 minutes. No dumbbell? Grab a kettlebell instead.
It’s not just muscle and fat-burning benefits this workout offers either, HIIT can also crank up your cardiovascular fitness. A randomised 2016 control study found that participants who completed four 20 minute HIIT training sessions over five weeks saw their VO2 max improve by 9%. So, if long cardio sessions aren't your thing HIIT may be instead.
Each round of this workout will take you four minutes to blast through. Perform each exercise below on either side of your body, for 30 seconds each. Rest for 20 seconds between exercises and three minutes between rounds, aiming for three in total. If 20 seconds isn’t enough Cavaliere says take longer, as it’s important you perform each movement with good form. In terms of weight, he suggests beginners use either their bodyweight or 5lbs dumbbells, if you’re more intermediate grab 10lbs,15lbs, 20lbs or 25lbs. Here’s your exercises:
- Lunge cleans
- Single-arm dumbbell swings
- Russian Presses (perform a Russian twist on one side followed by an overhead press)
- Renegade row ups
For those in need of a workout that’s a little less intense, try this five-move kettlebell workout instead, it’s a lot more gentle on the joints. If you’re looking for a workout that’s similar though, then this 15-minute kettlebell workout (you can sub this for a dumbbell) is great for building muscle, improving functional fitness, and torching fat.
