The workout below is for Day 27 of the SELF 2022 Spring Challenge. Check out the full four-week workout program right here. Or go to the workout calendar here. If you’d like to sign up to receive daily emails for this challenge, you can do that here.
Today is your final workout day of the SELF 2022 Spring Challenge, and we’re going to finish up with a routine that’s really going to test your explosiveness and help you harness your power.
Your power HIIT cardio routine will start off with a bang, with the high knees exercise to really get your heart pumping. After this, your circuit will alternate between abs exercises and plyometric cardio moves—the latter of which are great for building power as you build up a sweat. So expect your heart rate to stay elevated throughout this routine, which will give you that wow-I’m-working feeling of breathlessness that makes HIIT hurt so good!
The power-based moves in here—the crab walk to jump and the reverse lunge to jump—have you moving in multiple planes of motion, which hones your agility and athleticism. The crab walk to jump incorporates frontal plane movement (with your lateral side shuffle), as well as sagittal plane movement (with your jump at the end). The reverse lunge to jump also works in the sagittal plane, but because you’re completing the jump on one leg, it also brings balance into the mix. The single-leg jump is an advanced move, and if you don’t quite feel ready for it, you can swap in a knee-up instead. That’ll make the move lower impact and easier to balance while still revving up your heart rate.
Once you’ve checked the box on this power HIIT workout, allow yourself to enjoy the sweet rest day on tap for tomorrow—a fitting end to this four-week challenge, where you’ve worked hard, tested your boundaries, and built both strength and confidence for whatever comes next in your fitness journey. So give yourself a breather tomorrow, and take that day as an opportunity to reflect back on how far you’ve come over these four weeks—and where you want to go next.
That’s because the next step is completely up to you! Take some time to ask yourself what you want to take on:
- If you’re looking to build your strength and cardio even more, start another SELF Fitness Challenge. There are several to choose from and they all follow the same format as this one. You’ll sign up and be on your way to 4 weeks of free workouts, delivered straight to your inbox.
- If you’re interested in creating your own workout routine, check out this article and then check back with us each week for upper-body workouts, lower-body workouts, core workouts, and cardio workouts to keep building your own program.
- Or perhaps you’re looking to get started with running? If so, we have you covered with a beginner-friendly, six-week 5K training plan.
- To get weekly workout motivation delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our Sweat With SELF newsletter.
- For workout videos encompassing everything from yoga to Pilates, check out our Sweat With SELF series.
Wherever you want to go next, we’re right there with you. Your fitness journey is yours, #TeamSELF—you’ve got this!
WORKOUT DIRECTIONS
Complete each exercise for the chosen work/rest interval:
I = 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest
II = 40 seconds work, 20 seconds rest
III = 50 seconds work, 10 seconds rest
Rest 60 seconds between rounds. Complete 2 to 5 rounds.
EXERCISES
- High Knees
- Flutter Kick
- Crab Walk to Jump
- Plank Up-down
- Reverse Lunge to Jump (switch sides per round)
BONUS EMOM
After your last circuit, try the bonus EMOM: Do both moves for the recommended number of reps aiming to finish in under 60 seconds. If you have time left over, rest. At the top of the next minute, start again. Repeat 4 times total (a total of 4 minutes).
- Reverse Lunge to Jump (8 to 10 reps) (switch sides per round)
- Bicycle Crunch (8 to 10 reps)
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Katie Thompson1 High Knees
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
- Keep your chest lifted and your abs tight as you quickly drive your knees toward your chest, one at a time.
- Swing your arms, focusing on taking your hands from hip height to chin height in rhythm with your knees.
- One rep equals one kick on your right side plus one kick on your left. Continue alternating for your work period.
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Katie Thompson2 Flutter Kick
- Lie faceup with your arms on the floor by your sides. If your lower back needs some extra support, you can place your hands right underneath your butt on each side.
- Engage your abs and lift both legs about 6 inches off the floor. Keep your lower back flat on the floor. If this is too challenging, bring your legs a little higher.
- Kick your feet (like you’re swimming freestyle) for your work interval.
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Katie Thompson3 Crab Walk to Jump
- Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and core engaged.
- Send your hips back and bend the knees to drop into a quarter squat.
- Staying in the squat position, step to the right with your right foot and allow your left to follow. Take two more steps to the right with your right foot.
- Explode up, jumping and extending your legs fully, sending your arms behind you to help with momentum.
- Land lightly on the balls of your feet and immediately drop into a squat again. Repeat on the other side. This is 1 rep.
- Continue to alternate directions.
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Katie Thompson4 Plank Up-down
- Start in a high plank with your palms flat on the floor, hands shoulder-width apart, shoulders stacked directly above your wrists, legs extended behind you, and your core and glutes engaged.
- Lower your right arm down so that your forearm is on the floor. Then, do the same with your left. You should now be in a forearm plank position.
- Place your right hand back on the floor to extend your arm, and follow with your left, so that you end back in high plank. That’s 1 rep.
- For the next rep, start by lowering your left arm and following with your right.
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Katie Thompson5 Reverse Lunge to Jump (switch sides per round)
- Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and engage your core.
- Step backward with your right foot, landing on the ball of your right foot and keeping your right heel off the ground.
- Bend both knees to 90 degrees as you sink into a lunge. Swing your right arm forward, elbow bent, and your left arm slightly back, elbow bent. Focus on keeping your core engaged and your hips tucked (don’t stick your butt out).
- Push through your left foot to jump up as high as possible, driving your right knee toward your chest.
- Land softly on your left foot and then immediately sink back into another lunge. That’s 1 rep.
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Katie Thompson6 Bicycle Crunch
- Lie faceup with your legs in tabletop position (knees bent 90 degrees and stacked over your hips). Place your hands behind your head, elbows bent and pointing out to the sides. Use your abs to curl your shoulders off the floor. This is the starting position.
- Twist to bring your right elbow to your left knee, while simultaneously straightening your right leg.
- Then twist to bring your left elbow to your right knee, simultaneously straightening your left leg. This is 1 rep.
- Continue alternating sides for your work interval. Go at a slow and steady pace so that you can really twist and feel your abs working.
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