How to Modify HIIT Edition
Happy Sunday everyone!! One of the ways I got into working out so much was because I would either think a workout was too hard or too easy but I wouldn’t know how to modify it to make it work for me. Not every workout that you find is going to work perfectly for you because everyone is different and everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. Being able to modify an exercise makes working out so much more enjoyable. So, I want to dedicate this post to showing you guys how to make different hit exercises easier or harder. I will also be sharing tips on what to improve to get to the harder style.
Overall:
I will break down each exercise, but in general if you speed an exercise up or add weights it will make it harder while if you slow down and take weights away you will make the movement easier. However, sometimes speeding up an exercise and making “harder” actually makes it “easier” because then your form goes out the window. The most important thing is your form and then comes adding in extra steps. You won’t notice any improvement if you try to make everything harder and not focus on the basics like keeping each muscle engaged. I also want to say this loud and clear… doing an easier version is not bad. In fact, it is sooooo much better to do an easier version of something than struggle through a harder version doing the wrong thing, or even hurting yourself. This isn’t an ego workout. The way you get better is by going slow, getting the form down, and understanding the form you are aiming for.
Jumping Jacks: Jumping jacks are a great cardio movement to add to any high intensity workout. The trick to this is focusing on the breath. In through the nose and out through the mouth.
Harder: Adding weights to jumping jacks is one of my favorite activities because you raise your heart rate and get an arm burner in. I like to add 3-5 pounds. Further, you could do a star jump where you come into a tucked squat position and jump out and up with your arms and legs extended.
Easier: Start with your feet together and only step one foot out with one arm at a time. So, come together, step your left foot to the side as well as raising your left arm . Then, bring your feet back to the center and do the same with your right side.
High-knees: I love high knees because if you do it right, it can help increase your endurance. Make sure to engage your core and not lean too far back or too far forward. You want to be straight up and down as your knees come to your chest at a rapid pace. Use your arms to give you more power, moving opposite arm and leg.
Harder: Speed it up, but keep that core engaged.
Easier: Don’t bring your legs up as high. You could either run in place, or continue to do high-knees just not all the way up to your chest and not as fast. If this is till too much, bring one knee up while the other is on the ground just like a march.
Mountain climbers: You should feel this in your core and shoulders. You want to keep your butt up, core tucked in, and arms pressing into the ground. Bring your knees to your chest at a raid pace. Depending on your body, we will each find different exercises harder than others. So, I will give you options.
Cross mountain climbers: These will be more difficult than regular mountain climbers and you want to make sure you are bringing your right knee all the way to your left shoulder and vice versa.
Slow mountain climbers: Bring your knees to your chest, but at a slow pace. This changes the movement into more of an ab focused workout instead of HIIT focused.
Push-ups: Keep a flat back, don’t sink your butt, core engaged, arms pressing, and toes powered up. Go as low as possible.
Harder: There are infinite different versions of push-ups. You could raise one leg and pushup, bring your hands in to a diamond shape, clap pushup, one arm pushup, handstand pushup, etc. You can also go into a downward dog/ pike position and push up with your arms.
Easier: You could drop down to your knees or start in a pushup position, go down to the ground using your arms, once you reach the ground release your arms, and then push back up. One of my favorite ways to modify pushups if I my arms are dying and I can’t do a ton of them in a row, I will do a pushup and then push back into a downward dog position and then back to a pushup and repeat.
Squats (these modifications also work for lunges): Your feet and quads should be pointing forward, knees above your ankles.
Harder: jump squats burn out the legs and make the heart race. To ensure you are doing jump squats to the best of your ability, squat down and use all your power to jump as high as you can. If you want to make it harder but not that hard, alternate doing one squat and one jump squat. Make sure you are going low to the ground and tucking in your core.
Easier: The lower the harder, so the higher the easier. Also, the less of them you do, the less burn on your quads.
Burpees: So many different types of burpees, but you want to go quickly because this is a HIIT exercise. Make sure you are jumping high to the sky when you come up from your pushup.
Harder: Add weights and do the pushup. You can also do it as less of a HIIT movement and more of a strength movement where you don’t jump at the top, but instead keep a squat position so the burn is on the booty and quads the entire time.
Easier: Take out the push up and instead of the jump do a raise at the top or just come up to the top.
Another way I like to modify is changing the entire movement into one that suits you better. For this, I will break each section of the body down and give you some of my favorite exercises.
Abs:
V-ups: Go into a hollow body hold with your legs and arms extended, go as low as you can while keeping your back on the floor. Then reach your hands and toes up and meet in the middle.
Hollow body hold: You can hold or do flutters or scissor kicks while in a hollow body position.
Side plank: Add weights to your top hand and/or raise your side leg in the air.
Bicycle crunches: Make sure you are bringing your arm to your leg not the other way around.
Reverse crunches + leg raise: Lay on your back, lower your legs, do a reverse crunch, and then raise them back in the air.
Regular crunches or sit-ups
Crunch ups: Lay in a hollow body position but with your hands on the ground. Crunch up and down.
Dead bugs: Lay on your back with your hands and feet in the air. You want your legs to be bent with your knees directly over your hips. Tap one leg and the opposite arm down and bring it back up. Then, switch sides and continue.
These are just a few!!
Legs/Booty:
I always recommend playing with angles and pulses while in a glute bridge. If you go into a glute bridge position, you can do raises, pulses, raise one ankle, raise both ankles, etc.
Jump squats: These will forever be a killer to me lol.
Pistol squat
Squat pulses: Use any squat variation and pulse it out.
Bulgarian split squats
Weighted goblet squat
Squat tap togethers: Squat down and tap one arm to the ground then bring both feet together and switch sides.
Arms
Weighted punches
One arm shoulder press
Tricep extensions
Lateral raises