Rev your metabolism with this fat loss HIIT workout from trainer and physio Sam Preston, co-founder of Palm Rock Retreats

If you’re short on time, high-intensity interval training can be just the ticket for working up a sweat – and torching through calories – in 30 minutes or less.

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While weighted exercises can be incorporated into HIIT, this particular session uses nothing but your own bodyweight. Save it on your phone for a fast and furious workout you can do literally anywhere. It’s guaranteed to leave you sweaty and satisfied.

Find out how to lose belly fat

Fat loss HIIT workout warm-up

  • Perform the following 3 exercises for 20 secs each.
  • Take 10 secs to transition between movements.
  • Focus on smooth, quality reps.
  • Repeat the whole warm-up circuit for a total of 4 round (6 mins)

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Greatest ever stretch for fat loss hiit workout

1a. Greatest Ever Stretch

  • Start in the push-up position
  • Drive one knee up towards your head and place the foot flat on the outside of the hand on the same side.
  • Drop the hips towards the floor and keep your chest up.
  • You should feel a stretch through the hip and hamstring.
  • Repeat on the other side.

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prone sky diver stretch

1b. Prone Sky Diver

  • Start face down on the floor with arms overhead.
  • Lift the arms and head as far as you can off the floor, bend the elbows and drive them down towards your back pockets.
  • Imagine trying to make a capital ‘W’ shape with your arms.
  • Feel a squeeze across your shoulder blades.
  • Before resting, drive your arms overhead once more.

ape kang squat

1c. Ape Kang Squat

  • Start standing with a wide stance, knees soft and palms together.
  • Shoot the hips back and keep your tailbone high.
  • With a nice straight back, find the elbows on the inside of the knees.
  • Sink the hips and drive the chest high.
  • You should feel a stretch deep in the hips.
  • Stand up and repeat.

Fat loss HIIT workout main block

  • The main workout follows a 12-minute EMOM (every minute on the minute) format.
  • Set a timer for 12 minutes.
  • You’re going to do 10 reps of each exercise. (Too easy? Simply increase the reps.)
  • Once the timer starts, do 10 reps of the first exercise.
  • Once all your reps are complete, rest for the remainder of the minute.
  • When the next minute begins, start the next minute, and so on.
  • Keep going until your 12 minutes are up.

kneel to stand exercise

Min 1: Kneel to Stand

  • Start standing with hands wherever they are comfortable.
  • Drop one foot back into a half kneeling position, then the other side into a full kneeling.
  • Lead with the foot you stepped back with initially to stand up.
  • Try to maintain an upright torso throughout – and a smooth, consistent pace.
  • Alternate which leg you lead with on each rep.

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man performing press-up

Min 2: Push-up

  • Maintain a stiff, straight torso and try to not allow the elbows to flare out too wide.

straight arm sit-up

Min 3: Straight-arm Sit-up

  • Lie flat, with legs spread wide, arms straight and palms to the sky.
  • Drive your rib cage down, with stiff legs, and lift your torso off the floor.
  • Finish with hands high overhead.
  • If this is too hard, use your arms to whip up and gain momentum to complete the sit-up.
  • Control the downward phase and finish lying flat once more.

ski sit exercise

Min 4: Ski Sit

  • Lean against a wall with knees bent to 90 degrees. Your shins should be perpendicular with the floor, but if you suffer from knee pain shuffle your feet slightly further away so shins are angled towards you.

Fat loss HIIT workout finisher

  • The finisher follows a 4-minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) format.
  • In 4 minutes, simply aim to accumulate as many rounds of the circuit as possible.

burpee exercise

1a. Burpee x 2

  • Start standing with arms behind the head.
  • Drop the hands to the floor and pop (or step) the feet back into a tall plank position.
  • Drop the hips towards the floor, bend the arms and let the shoulders follow.
  • Pop back up, starting by lifting the shoulders off the floor.
  • When the arms are straight, snap the hips to the sky and feet as near to the hands as possible.
  • Stand up tall and repeat.

kick through

1b. Kick-through x 4

  • Start in a tall plank/push-up position.
  • Drive one knee up and across the body, lift the opposite hand off the floor and turn the shoulders.
  • Soften the grounded side knee and pivoting on the grounded hand.
  • Touch the outstretched kicking leg heel on the floor, before returning back to the tall plank and repeating on the other side.

plyo lunge

1c. Plyo Lunge x 6

  • Start standing with hands somewhere comfortable.
  • Drop one foot back, folding both knees into a lunge.
  • Spring out of the bottom of the lunge so as to clear the feet off the floor and switch leading legs.
  • If you suffer from knee pain, just perform an alternating reverse lunge.
  • Aim to get the front knee to bend to 90 degrees.