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A 15-Minute HIIT Cardio Workout To Supercharge Your Endurance
Welcome to mbg moves! We've been working out at home more than ever lately—and we know our readers are, too. To help keep your fitness routine feeling fresh, we're releasing a new at-home workout every Monday to start your week off strong. Each month will feature routines from a different incredible trainer we adore. Now, let's get moving with our spotlight trainer: Mindy Lai.
In order to be a strong boxer, your fitness abilities need to be top-notch. That means it is important not only to practice throwing punches but also to rev your heart rate and build endurance. That's where high-intensity interval workouts (HIIT) can be super effective and beneficial.
For a little refresher, HIIT routines involve bursts of effort followed by short moments of rest—and they're some of the most efficient workouts you can do. As I explain to the students in my bande fitness classes, in HIIT sequences, certain movements are about recovery, and certain movements are about moving as quickly as you can—to the point where you couldn't possibly have a conversation with someone right next to you.
If you're ready to turn up your heart rate, try out this four-round routine I put together for mbg moves. It involves a short warmup followed by three-minute rounds (the same amount of time a boxer spends in a ring) with 30 seconds of rest in between each round.
Your 4-week challenge: Every week for the rest of this month, I'll be sharing a boxing-inspired workout to get your heart pumping and muscles firing. I challenge you to make it a goal to try something new, get back into a boxing routine, or take your stamina to the next level—aim to do my workouts two to three times a week to really feel the burn.
Workout Summary
- Time: 15 minutes
- Equipment: Yoga mat
- Instructions: Move from one exercise to the next, following the movement prompts for each one. After you've completed one circuit, move on to the next.
Warmup (3 Minutes)
To warm up your body, move through the following exercises:
- Shoulder Stretch
- Sumo Squats
- Lateral Lunges
- Knees-to-Chest
- Single-Leg Knee Hug
- Bicycles
- Jumping Jacks
Round 1
Pop Squats
- Start in a standing position.
- Jump your feet out wide, and simultaneously reach down and touch the ground with your right hand.
- Hop your feet back together, then repeat with the opposite hand.
- Continue for 45 seconds, then continue to bicycles.
Bicycles
- Begin lying flat on your back, with your hands behind your head and elbows out wide.
- Bend your knees to a 90-degree angle and engage your core.
- Lift your shoulders off the mat and extend your right leg out long to hover as you twist your right elbow to your left knee. Repeat on the opposite side.
- For this variation, after you've moved through a single rep on each side, do a double pulse on each side. So it goes: single (L), single (R), double (L, L), double (R, R).
- Continue for 45 seconds, then cycle through the Round 1 sequence once more. Take a 30-second rest before moving to Round 2.
Round 2
Hand-to-Knee + High Knees
- Start in a standing position.
- Lift your arms to the sky, then lift one knee up to hip height, while you energetically bring your hands to meet it. Repeat on the opposite side.
- Then quickly lift your left knee up to hip height, followed by your right, pumping your arms at your sides—like you're running in place. Repeat this four times total.
- Continue for 45 seconds, then move on to shoulder taps.
Shoulder Taps
- Get in a high plank position on your mat, with shoulders stacked over wrists.
- Engage your core to stabilize your body as you lift your right hand off the ground and touch your left shoulder. Repeat with your left hand, making sure to keep your hips stable.
- Continue for 45 seconds, then repeat the Round 2 sequence once more. Take a 30-second rest before moving to Round 3.
Round 3
Plyo Lunges
- Start in a standing position with your hands behind your head.
- Get into a lunge position on one side of your mat, with one leg behind your body, and both knees forming 90-degree angles.
- Jump up, switch your leg position, and move slightly toward the right as you land in a lunge position.
- Continue jumping and lunging as you travel across your mat. Once you reach one end, reverse the direction and return to your starting position.
- Repeat for 45 seconds, then continue to crawl out and jump squat.
- Modification: If the jumping is too much, try reverse lunges instead.
Crawl Out + Squat Jump
- Start by standing at one end of your mat.
- Bend over, place your hands on the mat, and slowly crawl out to a high plank position.
- At the top, move through a jump squat. When you land, continue through crawl-out.
- Continue this movement for 45 seconds. Repeat the Round 3 sequence once more. Take a 30-second rest before moving to Round 4.
Round 4
V-Ups
- Lie on your back with your arms and legs straight.
- Simultaneously raise your arms and legs as high as you can, keeping them as straight as possible. Try to touch your feet to your hands before lowering back down and repeating.
- To make this exercise easier, tuck your knees toward your chest instead.
- Continue for 45 seconds, then continue to high knee shuffle.
High Knee Shuffle
- Start in a standing position.
- Lift your left knee to hip height, then switch legs and jump the right knee up.
- As you alternate your high knees, travel across the mat—you should take three hops total. Reverse the movement and move across the mat in the opposite direction.
- Repeat the Round 4 sequence. If you're feeling strong, you can move through all four rounds once more.
Watch Next
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What Is Meditation?
Box Breathing
What Breathwork Can Address
The 8 Limbs of Yoga - What is Asana?
Two Standing Postures to Open Up Tight Hips
How Plants Can Optimize Athletic Performance
What to Eat Before a Workout
How Ayurveda Helps Us Navigate Modern Life
Messages About Love & Relationships
Love Languages
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