20-minutes, no equipment, and a low-impact HIIT workout to blast fat

This short, effective routine is apartment-friendly and kind to your joints

Man doing a lunge at home
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Exercise has many benefits—like improving your health and protecting your mental wellbeing—but if you're suffering from joint pain, it's hard to find a workout that doesn't make things worse. Thankfully, this 20-minute low-impact HIIT might be just what you need.

This kind of long-lasting pain can affect your daily activities, too, which is why it's worth adding the best supplements for joints into your schedule to ease some of the soreness. However, sore joints aren't the only reason to consider a low-impact routine.

Unlike running, many cardio-focused moves, or some weights-based resistance training, low-impact workouts put less pressure on your joints, which also makes them quieter. This is why low-impact routines are ideal for those living in apartments.

But this style of exercise isn't any less effective, just different. You can train hard, burn fat, and build muscle while still protecting your joints or saving others from the noise of feet hitting the floor.

This 20-minute low-impact routine from fitness YouTuber MadFit is a form of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), where the aim is to train hard for a short period and raise your heart rate for fat-burning, muscle-building results.

Watch MadFit's low-impact full-body HIIT workout

MadFit's workout has no repeats, so there are 20 exercises across the session. As this is a HIIT routine, you'll train for 45 seconds, take a 15-second rest, then progress onto the next move. This keeps the intensity up and your heart rate high.

Although you can find HIIT workouts with dumbbells, kettlebells, or other equipment, all you need for this session is to roll out one of the best yoga mats for underfoot support. Plus, it helps further muffle any sounds.

If you're new to this type of training or would like some guidance, Maddie Lymburner, the trainer behind MadFit, demonstrates each move and does the workout too. This way, you can learn the technique, perfect your form, and avoid injury.

As HIIT is time-efficient, it makes a great way to fit a workout into a busy day. If you're the kind of person who prefers morning exercise but struggles with waking up earlier, consider adding one of the best sunrise alarm clocks to your bedside table.

These mimic natural light to give you a more gentle wake-up, and many even come with the sound of running water or birdsong to replace harsh noises that are central to most alarm clocks or smartphone apps.

James Frew
Fitness Editor

James is a London-based journalist and Fitness Editor at Fit&Well. He has over five years experience in fitness tech, including time spent as the Buyer’s Guide Editor and Staff Writer at technology publication MakeUseOf. In 2014 he was diagnosed with a chronic health condition, which spurred his interest in health, fitness, and lifestyle management.


In the years since, he has become a devoted meditator, experimented with workout styles and exercises, and used various gadgets to monitor his health. In recent times, James has been absorbed by the intersection between mental health, fitness, sustainability, and environmentalism. When not concerning himself with health and technology, James can be found excitedly checking out each week’s New Music Friday releases.