HIIT might have a reputation for being fast, sweaty, and seriously challenging, but you don’t need to jump straight into burpees and all-out sprints to give it a go.
If you’re new to HIIT, starting with simple, lower-impact exercises and giving yourself plenty of recovery time can help you get used to interval training at your own pace. As your fitness improves, you can gradually make those working intervals a bit more challenging.
Not sure where to begin? We’ve put together some easy HIIT exercises for beginners, along with a simple gym workout to help get you started.
HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. Rather than exercising at the same pace throughout your workout, HIIT alternates short periods of harder work with periods of rest or lower-intensity movement.
For example, you might cycle quickly on an upright bike for 20 seconds, then slow down for 40 seconds to recover before repeating the interval.
How ‘high intensity’ your workout feels will depend on your current fitness level. If you’re a beginner, you don’t need to match the speed, resistance or weights used by someone who has been training for years. The important thing is creating a noticeable difference between your working periods and your recovery periods.
That makes HIIT really adaptable. You can change the exercises, timings, resistance, and number of rounds to suit your fitness level and build from there.
“When coaching beginners through HIIT, I focus on creating a clear difference between the working and recovery intervals rather than expecting an all-out effort. Your working interval should feel challenging, but you should still be able to move with control and maintain good form.”
There are plenty of reasons you might want to include HIIT in your gym routine. Some of the benefits of this type of workout include:
Alternating between harder and easier periods of exercise challenges your cardiovascular system and can help improve your fitness over time.
Because HIIT uses focused intervals of work and recovery, you can put together an effective session without spending hours in the gym. That can make it a useful option when you’re short on time.
HIIT isn't one specific workout. You can build intervals around cardio machines, bodyweight movements, and resistance exercises, so there are plenty of ways to keep your training varied.
For beginners, perhaps the most useful thing about HIIT workouts is that they’re easy to scale. A longer recovery, slower pace or lower resistance can make a session more approachable. As your fitness develops, you can gradually ask a little more of yourself.
Choose a combination of upper-body, lower-body, and cardio exercises, and your HIIT workout can challenge muscles across your whole body while getting your heart rate up.
Want to try HIIT with expert guidance? Join a coach-led HIIT class at The Gym Group and build fitness at your own pace.
New to HIIT? These beginner-friendly exercises are easy to adapt to your fitness level and can be used to build a simple gym HIIT workout.
The exercise bike is a great place to start if you're getting used to interval training. You can stay seated throughout and simply change your speed or resistance between your working and recovery periods.
Try cycling at a comfortable pace before increasing your speed for your working interval. Slow back down to recover, then repeat.
As your fitness improves, you can gradually increase the speed, resistance, or length of your working intervals.
Burpees have a reputation for being tough, but they’re very adaptable; you certainly don’t have to fly through them at top speed!
From standing, lower into a squat and place your hands on the floor. Step your feet back one at a time until you’re in a high plank, then step them forwards again and stand up.
Once you’re familiar with the movement, you can increase the pace. You could also jump your feet in and out, add a small jump as you stand, or lower your chest fully to the ground if you fancy challenging yourself with more advanced burpee variations!
You don't have to sprint to use the treadmill for HIIT. Alternating between comfortable and brisk walking can be a simple way for beginners to try interval training.
Walk at an easy pace during your recovery periods, then increase your speed or incline for the harder intervals. Once your fitness builds, you might choose to progress from brisk walking to jogging.
Bodyweight squats work your quads, hamstrings, and glutes, and they're easy to add to a HIIT circuit without needing any equipment.
Stand with your feet around shoulder-width apart. Push your hips backwards and bend your knees to lower into a squat, keeping your chest up. Push through your feet to return to standing.
Focus on controlled reps rather than trying to perform as many squats as possible.
All you need for this exercise is a stable step or box. Step up with one foot, bring the other foot up to meet it, then step back down and repeat.
You can alternate your leading leg as you go. Keep the pace comfortable when you first start and focus on placing your whole foot securely on the step.
Step-ups work your legs and glutes while getting your whole body moving, making them a useful addition to beginner HIIT workouts.
Reverse lunges are another heart-pumping lower-body exercise that can work well in a beginner HIIT circuit.
From standing, step one foot backwards and bend both knees to lower into a lunge. If you can, try to touch your back knee to the floor, but only if this feels comfortable. Push through your front foot to return to standing before repeating on the other side.
Take your time and focus on balance and control. If you're still working on your form, you should complete your reverse lunges at a steady pace rather than trying to move quickly.
High knees can add a livelier cardio interval to your circuit, and you can choose the pace.
Begin by marching on the spot and lifting your knees as high as you can in turn. Keep your torso upright and settle into a rhythm that feels comfortable. If you want to raise the intensity, move from marching into a light jog and gradually lift your knees higher.
This makes high knees a great exercise for testing your fitness levels and monitoring your gains as you develop and improve.
Mountain climbers bring your upper body and core into your HIIT session while raising your heart rate.
Start in a high plank with your hands underneath your shoulders. Bring one knee towards your chest, return it to the starting position and repeat with your other leg.
Beginners can perform these slowly, almost like marching from a plank position. As you become more confident, you can increase the pace to make them more challenging.
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Spend around five minutes warming up first. Walking on the treadmill or gently pedalling on an exercise bike will gradually raise your heart rate before the intervals begin.
Then complete:
Exercise bike: 30 seconds
Recovery: 60 seconds
Bodyweight squats: 30 seconds
Recovery: 60 seconds
High knees or marching high knees: 30 seconds
Recovery: 60 seconds
Step-ups: 30 seconds
Recovery: 60 seconds
Slow mountain climbers: 30 seconds
Recovery: 60 seconds
This makes up one round. Try one round on your first attempt and see how you feel. If you have more in the tank and your technique still feels good, go around again. You can work towards three rounds as you become familiar with the session.
Once you’re finished, spend around five minutes moving at an easy pace to bring your heart rate down.
The timings are a starting point rather than a target you have to hit. You might prefer 20 seconds of exercise followed by a full minute of recovery at first. That still gives you the experience of interval training and leaves somewhere to progress next time.
“During your first few HIIT sessions, pay attention to how well you recover, not just how hard you work. If your breathing hasn’t settled or your form begins to slip before the next interval, extend your recovery. The timings should work for you, not the other way around.”
It’s very easy to look across the gym and judge your session against somebody else's workout. Try to resist the temptation. Their fast pace might represent years of training, while your brisk walk or steady set of squats could be exactly the right challenge for you today.
Use your working intervals to push beyond your comfortable recovery pace while staying in control.
The rest periods deserve as much attention as the exercises. They give your breathing and heart rate a chance to settle before you go again.
Beginners may find that a longer recovery makes the whole workout feel much more manageable. Keep it that way while you’re learning. There will be time to shorten the breaks as you develop and continue your training.
HIIT adds the pressure of a timer, so choose exercises you can perform confidently. You’ll enjoy the circuit more when you can concentrate on moving rather than trying to work out where your feet are supposed to go.
The timer can make it tempting to chase as many reps as possible. Instead, find a pace that lets you perform each rep well from the start of the interval to the finish.
If that means five controlled squats rather than ten rushed ones, stick with five.
A few minutes of easy movement before the circuit gives you a chance to settle into the session. Start gently, then gradually pick up the pace until you feel ready for your first working interval.
Do the reverse when you finish. A few minutes of easy walking or cycling gives you a more gradual end to the workout.
After a few sessions, you’ll probably start to notice which parts of the workout feel easier. Use that as your cue to make a small change.
You could spend another 10 seconds on the bike, add an extra round to the circuit, increase the treadmill incline or trim a little time from your recovery. There’s no need to change everything together. Small increases give you a simple way to see how far you’ve come.
It can be. One of the great things about HIIT is that the basic idea – alternating between periods of effort and recovery – can be adapted to lots of different exercises and fitness levels.
HIIT workouts can also be relatively short, which can make them easier to fit into your day. And you don't necessarily need complicated exercises or lots of equipment to get started.
The trick is not doing too much, too soon. If you’re new to exercise or HIIT, choose movements you feel comfortable performing and give yourself enough recovery time between intervals. You can increase the intensity as you get fitter and more confident.
There’s no single perfect workout length.
When you’re starting out, keeping the main interval section relatively short can make it easier to maintain good technique and get used to the demands of HIIT. A 10-15 minute circuit alongside your warm-up and cool-down can be a sensible place to begin. You can then gradually increase the number of intervals or rounds as your fitness improves.
Quality matters more than making your workout as long as possible. If your form starts to suffer or you're struggling to recover between intervals, it's time to ease off.
HIIT gives you plenty of room to grow. A first workout might involve walking intervals and slow mountain climbers; several weeks later, you may find yourself jogging on the treadmill and moving through the circuit with much more confidence.
That progression is part of what makes this style of training rewarding. You can keep the basic format while changing the challenge as your fitness develops.
If you’d like to try HIIT at The Gym Group, you’ll find cardio machines, weights, and plenty of space for your own circuit. You can also join one of our gym classes or speak to a personal trainer for help finding exercises and an intensity that suit you.
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