Want to burn fat? Develop rock-hard abs? You're going to love this jump rope HIIT workout from Fit&Well's trainer of the year, Emma Goodman-Horne. In the last of a series of outdoor HIIT workouts, Emma presents a big 40-minute HIIT workout blitz.
HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training, which means you're exercising as hard as you can for a short interval of time, taking a short rest, and then going again. By training at your maximum capacity, it forces your body to work as hard as it can, which, over time, torches more calories than a less intense, continuous exercise like jogging.
You rest, and catch your breath, and then you go again, creating "spikes" of exertion which allow you to burn lots of calories in a short space of time.
This 40-minute exercise routine is perfect for a morning, a lunchtime, or an evening after work. All you need is a space outdoors and a skipping rope.
Watch the jump rope HIIT workout here:
Why do this HIIT workout?
Jump rope or skipping rope is one of the best exercises for weight loss. There's a reason so many boxers practice jump rope between fights: this simple old-school exercise is great at getting your heart rate up while teaching you good footwork and co-ordination.
A 2013 study found skipping for 10 minutes burned the same amount of calories as a 30-minute jog, making this an extremely efficient workout. Jump rope also zooms in on the thighs, glutes and calves, as the continuous bouncing motion helps tone and develop those muscles. Want great legs and a tight bum? Jump rope is where it's at.
This workout also contains lots of core-focused moves, like ab walkouts. An equipment-less version of the ab rollout, an exercise you can do with the best ab rollers. Instead of using an ab wheel, you simply walk out from pike position into plank position and back.
One 2015 study found ab walkouts, along with hanging leg raises, presented "substantial abdominal challenge", training several different abdominal muscle groups in addition to your lower back. Mixing them in with a fat-burning workout such as skipping ensures your core and lower posterior chain of muscles are exercised at the same time as you torch calories, ensuring your abs will be visible in no time.
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