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15-Minute Total Body HIIT: Body Weight Interval Workout

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Hi Everyone!

This is a fun and fast total body workout routine. This workout uses some of the best body weight exercises to maximize your workout in a short period of time. The workout video and exercise breakdown are below.

I filmed this workout 9-years ago as part of my prep for an NPC Naturals fitness competition in the Bikini division. It’s fun to look back on this time period, and very motivating. At that time I was very strong, healthy and fast. I recently came across one of my workout notebooks from that time, and I was blown away by how quick my running times were. I found my times from an 800-meter (half mile) repeat workout for a total of 3-miles. If you can read my handwriting below you can see the workout breakdown.

Right now I’m at a different place in life (parenting two young children and never seeming to get enough sleep.) While I wouldn’t trade a moment of my time with my family, I’m also tired of feeling sluggish and sleepy all the time. Which means I need to make some changes. This old notebook and video served as a great motivation and reminder to myself of two things.

  1. I know what I am capable of and how to do it.
  2. Short workouts are super effective, especially when you make sure you are working at a good level of intensity. Even though my life is crazy busy right now, refocusing on short but super efficient workouts will help me get back on track.

Here’s the thing, I’m not in bad shape as far as my level of fitness goes. I might not be as fast, but I can go outside and run a few miles without stopping. I’m not uncomfortable in my own skin or with what I see in the mirror. I’ve stayed generally active with my workouts and martial arts. But lately I’ve struggled with my consistency, with making time for myself for exercise and filming and with my overall energy level. For the past two days I was completely derailed by the most horrible menstrual cramps I’ve ever had in my life and my stomach has not been happy with the nutrition choices I’ve been making.

I know that I can feel better, healthier and more energized than I do at this moment in time. And luckily, I know exactly what to do about it. I’ve been sharing that journey here for the past ten years. I just have to recommit to giving myself some small blocks of time to work on my health.

I hope that you enjoy today’s workout. Let me know in the comments what you thought about it. I also want to know about your goals. What holds you back and what small steps can you take to move forward?

Don’t forget, I’ve been posting some new workout tutorials on Pinterest, and I’m *starting* to learn TikTok. I’m so late to the game on this one, but I only have so much time in my day. But be sure to check those out too!

See you soon,

Melissa

You can find me on Social Media: @BenderFitness and on Facebook: @MelissaBenderFitness Pinterest: Pinterest.com/BenderFitness TikTok: @BenderFitness

If you want to help support BenderFitness so we can keep bringing you new workouts, your donation is greatly appreciated: https://www.patreon.com/BenderFitness.

Shop BenderFitness Gear: https://my-store-c67ce6.creator-spring.com

All Levels: Max reps during each 50 second interval, 10 seconds of rest between exercises. 

1. High Knees

2. Burpee

3. Lunge Kick (right)

4. Lunge Kick (left)

5. Decline Mountain Climber

6. 1 Leg Hip Thrust (right)

7. 1 Leg Hip Thrust (left)

8. Speed Skater

9. Jump Squat

10. Plank Jack

11. Single Leg Stand (right)

12. Single Leg Stand (left)

13. Hip Lift/Leg Lift

14. Temple Tap Abs

15. Frogger

This workout can be repeated up to 3X.

18-Minute HIIT: Cardio Blasting Body Sculpt Workout

18-minute HIIT cardio blasting body sculpt workout
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Hello Everyone,

I have a fantastic workout on the planner today. This 18-Minute HIIT routine is an amazing full body workout. We will be incorporating dumbbells into this routine, so be sure to grab some for resistance. If you don’t have dumbbells you can either grab something from around the house (water bottles work!) or do the exercises with body weight. Either way, you will be getting in a great workout. You will find the workout video and a photo tutorial below.

We have finished our flooring renovations throughout the house. We are still in the process of getting everything put back in order and re-arranged. Everything takes longer when you have young kids. We still need to stain and finish our staircase. It was previously carpeted, but we want to change the look. I have never stained any furniture before, so wish me luck and share any useful tips in the comments!

I hope that you enjoy today’s workout. I’ve been sharing some fun and quick workout tutorials on Pinterest, so be sure to check those out: https://pin.it/41bSorJ.

Have fun!

Melissa 

You can find me on Social Media: @BenderFitness and on Facebook: @MelissaBenderFitness Pinterest: Pinterest.com/BenderFitness

If you want to help support BenderFitness so we can keep bringing you new workouts, your donation is greatly appreciated: https://www.patreon.com/BenderFitness.

Shop BenderFitness Gear: https://my-store-c67ce6.creator-spring.com

The Workout:

Equipment: 2 Dumbbells, Chair or Bench

Interval Timer: 18 Rounds of 10/50

Reps:
Beginner: 10 reps, 30 Seconds Cardio Bursts
Intermediate: 15 reps, 40 Seconds Cardio Bursts
Advanced: 20 reps, 50 Seconds Cardio Bursts

  1. High Knees
  2. Burpees
  3. Warrior Deadlift-Right
  4. Warrior Deadlift-Left
  5. High Knees
  6. Burpees
  7. Chair Squat Pendulum Press-Right
  8. Chair Squat Pendulum Press-Left
  9. High Knees
  10. Burpees
  11. Runner’s Lunge Lift-Right
  12. Runner’s Lunge Lift-Left
  13. High Knees
  14. Burpees
  15. Modified Pistol Squat Tap (Sit to Stand)-Right
  16. Modified Pistol Squat Tap (Sit to Stand)-Left
  17. High Knees
  18. Burpees

Repeat 1-3X
Optional: Pair with 30-Minutes Cardio of Choice

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High Knees: Run in place, focusing on keeping your core tight and engaged, and driving the knees as high as you can.

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Burpee: Part 1: Start in Plank. Hold here or do one pushup.

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Burpee: Part 2: Jump your feet forward from plank position. Lift your hands and get ready to spring up.

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Burpee: Part 3: Jump as high as you can. Try to touch the ceiling (or sky if you are lucky enough to workout outside!)

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Warrior Deadlift: Part 1: Hold Dumbbells in front of you, with your palms facing your body. Keep the core strong and engaged. Extend one leg behind you.

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Warrior Deadlift: Part 2: Keep the back flat (most important part of this move!), hinge forward at the hips, let your arms hang in front of your body. Keep your hips closed and your knee & both hip bones pointed toward the floor. Lift from the glutes and hands strings to return to starting position.

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Chair to Pendulum Squat & Press: Part 1: Hold a dumbbell at shoulder height. Keep both knees pressing together, and thighs squeezing. Sink your hips backward into chair pose (like you are about to sit on a chair).

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Chair to Pendulum Squat & Press: Part 2: Press through your heels to come up from chair pose. Lift your leg into a pendulum swing, keeping your knee facing forward. At the same time, press the dumbbell toward the ceiling. Bring the weight back to your shoulders, and the legs together to return to chair pose.

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Runner’s Lunge Lift: Part 1: Start with both feet together. Take a large step backward until you come into a runner’s lunge. Hold a dumbbell between both hands, at shoulder height. For the Runner’s Lunge keep the back leg straight, chest lifted, and your front thigh parallel with the ground.)

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Runner’s Lunge Lift: Part 2: From the lunge position lean forward with a flat back. Keeping both feet on the floor, hold onto the weight and place it in front of your foot. Press through the heel of the front leg to lift your back leg/heel toward the ceiling. Use a controlled motion to return the back foot to the ground. Firmly grasp the weight, keeping the back flat, and return to starting position.

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Modified Pistol Squat/Sit to Stand: Part 1: Start in standing with your glutes strongly engaged.

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Modified Pistol Squat/Sit to Stand: Part 2: Extend one leg in front of you. Press your hip backwards to sit or tap the chair with your butt. Keep the core tight and press through your heel to return to standing.