HIIT Workout with the kiddos

It’s raining in Atlanta and snowing in many parts in the northern and western US. This is on top of the already restricted social outlets and school distractions. Cabin fever is getting real! Now that cases of COVID-19 or Coronavirus rising, more and more of us know of someone who is sick or is taking care of someone who is sick. Health is our number one priority and in keeping with that priority, distancing ourselves from our workout groups is important.

However, staying active helps physical health and mental health. If you’re like so many people who now have also become teachers to their favorite students (their own children), there is a lot of family bonding. Today we are sharing a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) that you can do with your children. Hopefully this will be a fun activity and something that brings the family together. This is intended to be fun so if steps are skipped or modified, it’s okay! Laugh and modify this if you need to.

The Setup:

Identify four areas about 200 yards apart. If you do not have 200 yards, then use what space you have and go back and forth. On either end will be your activity zone. We will alternate from going from one side to the other which will be cardio of some sort and the exercise will be on the bases.

The Warm up:

Start at one end and run to the other side (200 yards)

Do 30 seconds of jumping jacks on that side and run back to the home base

Do high knees for 30 seconds on the starting side.

Repeat running back and forth doing the following activities at each side for 30 seconds until you end at home base.

• Butt kicks
• Toy soldiers (lift your leg up with a straight leg. With the opposite hand, touch your toe… or try. Then alternate side)
• Walk on toes
• Walk on heals
• Jumping jacks
• Stop

The Workout:

The workout will not be too different than the warm up but we will incorporate a couple of fun activities that will probably make your kids laugh.

Starting at home base, roll a pair of dice. If you don’t have a dice, put numbers 1-12 on sheets of paper and pick a number out of a hat. This will indicate how many reps you are to do of each of the activities.

Run to the other side, do the prescribed number of reps of burpees

Return to the starting point an do the prescribed number of reps of push-ups

Repeat rolling the dice for the next group of activities. Below are the activities that you will work through:

• Crunches
• Squats
• Leg lifts
• Side lunges
• Butt lifts
• Donkey toes – begin on all 4’s with your thumbs pointing away from you (your fingers pointed to your sides. You are positioned as if your in table-top position, but your on your toes and hands. Knees aren’t touching. Lift a leg up then return it to the ground.)
• Speed skater

Instead of running, every 4^th run, do a bear crawl. Every 2^nd run, skip instead of running to the other side.

The Cool down:

Be sure to stretch! These suggested stretches to complete the workout. These are suggested and if you have other needs or favorite stretches, you're welcome to do those as well. 

• Stand and touch toes
• Down dog pose
• Warrior twist
• Calf stretches

Alternatives to the workout suggested:

If you have hoola-hoops, jump ropes, skip-it’s or other “kid’s toys”, incorporate them into the workout too.  Maybe the child doesn’t like a particular activity, have them choose what to do. Another twist of this is to also put the exercises into a hat and pull out of a hat what exercise comes next. If you do not have the space or cannot go outside, feel free to substitute the running with jumping jacks or running in place.

Hopefully that was fun for everyone. Depending on the age and ability of your children, you can repeat this a couple of times. If they are young or uninterested, then just stick with one rep and perhaps come back to these activities when they have gone to bed or are doing some other activities.

NOTE ABOUT FOLLOWING TRAINING ADVICE YOU FIND ON THE INTERNET: 

As with all training advice, please read this with knowledge of your own health and abilities in mind. Be sure to ask a doctor if you’re healthy enough to perform these exercises. If you have an injury, make sure you have recovered and cleared for additional activity. Do not over-train and ensure you are fueling your body appropriately to maximize your body’s performance and recovery. If something causes pain, that’s not good. Stop that exercise and perhaps the workout. When you workout, you should feel like you’re doing work but there shouldn’t be pain. Listen to your body and be smart.

How did it go?

What are some of your favorite activities to do with your children? Any tips for keeping them motivated?

Photo by RUN 4 FFWPU