At Fit&Well, we love workouts which are tailored to your fitness level. If you're a beginner, you're probably looking for a low-impact, low-intensity workout that still burns lots of calories. However, if you're an intermediate or advanced fitness fan, you're probably looking for a high-intensity body blitz with impact, jumping, running and so on.
We've tapped Emma Goodman-Horne, our Trainer of the Year, and Sky TV's Fit in 5 presenter Marvin Ambrosius. They took over our Instagram account to do the same HIIT workout, at the same time – Emma taking on a low-intensity, beginner-friendly version, and Marvin tackling the high-intensity variation. Which one you follow along with is up to you.
The beauty of this workout is that you can perform it twice to see your progress – if you find the easier version a breeze, you can up the ante to follow Marvin's circuit.
"When you finish the warm-up, if you don't feel so tired, you know your fitness is going up. That's when you know your fitness is getting better. If your heart rate is slowing quicker, it's a good indication of your fitness," says Marvin.
"Recovery is a great way to measure your progress and how you're feeling," added Emma. Check out the workout below:
Watch Emma and Marvin's Low/High Intensity workout
If you're a beginner, try taking on the version of the workout Emma is demonstrating. Rather than take on Marvin Ambrosius' high jumps, Emma – who has her knee strapped up as a result of injury – opts for easier variations such as steps instead of jumps, keeping her centre of gravity low and at least one foot flat on the floor at all times. She also demonstrates the exercises such as squats and push-ups with a more limited range of movement, all while maintaining that energy.
Try Emma's version once every few days. Once you find yourself recovering quickly from Emma's version, you can try the dynamic, more intense variation that Marvin is demonstrating.
Regardless of your current fitness level, this workout is great for you. HIIT safeguards your cardiac health according to research, while burning calories more efficiently than steady-state cardio like cycling and running. This means if you find it difficult to fit exercise into your day, all you need is 30 minutes and a small bit of floor space to follow this full-body workout.
If you're keen to try more low-impact HIIT training, one of the best methods to pump up your cardiovascular health from home is an online spin class on one of the best exercise bike models. After a 45-minute spin class, one study found participant's metabolisms burned faster for a massive 14 hours afterwards, torching an additional 190 calories even after the workout finished.
