The end of the year is a hectic time for most of us. Between work, holidays, social events, and Christmas, it's a challenge to stick to your regular workout routine.
It's not easy to find an hour for a long run or sweaty gym session, even if you've been using one of the best sunrise alarm clocks to get yourself out of bed earlier each day.
Fortunately, you do have choices if you're looking for a time-efficient but intense workout you can fit around your packed schedule. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is one of your best options.
The idea is to work as hard as possible for 30-40 seconds before taking a 20-second rest. Then, continue to the next move. To take the challenge a step further, consider this 24-minute Tabata workout.
Tabata is a style of HIIT, but with the intensity dialed up a gear. You only do each move for 20 seconds, followed by a 10-second break, but the round lasts four minutes.
Watch Grow with Anna's Tabata HIIT workout
You'll find that Grow with Anna's Tabata workout is a test of endurance too. Typically, Tabata workouts last just four minutes, allowing you one complete cycle of eight sets.
But in this HIIT workout, you'll still stick to Tabata's 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off regime, but the workout lasts an impressive 24 minutes. This includes five sets of Tabata workouts with a four-minute warm-up.
It's not an easy routine, but the benefits are enormous. According to one study, Tabata workouts burn 28% more energy than moderate exercises, like jogging for an hour. Impressively, the four-minute routine works you harder than 60 minutes of running.
And like other HIIT workouts, you'll continue burning fat for hours after you finish training. That's why this form of exercise is often highly rated for weight loss too.
If you are hoping to drop pounds but aren't a fan of classes, you can get similar fat-burning effects using the best exercises for weight loss. These include step-ups, burpees, and several free weights moves.
You don't have to be a bodybuilder to use a set of the best adjustable dumbbells. These customizable units have a weight range, so you can use lighter loads to add a challenge to your HIIT workout.
