Unless you’ve just wandered into the gym for the first time, or maybe just woke up from a ten-year nap, you’ve probably heard the hype around HIIT.
And it’s not just hype. When it comes to burning fat, keeping muscle, and not spending your entire life doing cardio, HIIT actually delivers. But let’s be clear, it only works if you do.
You can build a HIIT workout around a lot of different movements, but today we’re zoning in on sprints. No equipment, no fluff. Just you, your legs, and your ability to suffer for short bursts.
If you’re going to push that hard, it better be worth it. And with sprints, it absolutely is.
HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training, and it’s exactly what it sounds like, short bursts of brutal effort followed by just enough rest to catch your breath and do it again.
We’re talking all-out sprints, hard-hitting burpees, jump squats, sled pushes… stuff that spikes your heart rate into the red zone. You hammer it for 15 to 30 seconds, then back off for 30 to 90 seconds depending on the movement and your current level of “how close am I to puking.”
This isn’t one of those “zone two jog and scroll Instagram” workouts. You’re either pushing to your limit or you’re not doing it right.
What makes HIIT so effective isn’t just how it feels, though yeah, it burns. It’s what it does behind the scenes. Study after study shows that HIIT torches fat faster than traditional steady-state cardio. And it hits both your aerobic and anaerobic systems at once, which means you’re improving endurance and raw output at the same time.
Basically, you’re turning your body into a fat-burning engine while also building gas tank capacity for everything else, lifting, sports, life in general.
One of the biggest perks? Time. You can get serious results in just 10 to 20 minutes. Compare that to the 45-minute slog on the treadmill, and it’s not even close. But here’s the tradeoff: you’ve got to go hard. Like *really* hard. If it feels easy, you’re not doing HIIT. You’re just doing a sad warm-up.
So yeah, it’s shorter. But every second counts. Your lungs will scream, your legs will give out, and your shirt will look like you fell in a pool. That’s the point.
If you want to drop fat, get faster, build grit, and actually *earn* your rest day… HIIT gets it done. Just don’t coast. This one’s supposed to hurt.
While HIIT is great for fat loss that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. Some of the negatives of HIIT are:
It is much harder than walking or even jogging, not everyone can do sprints.
Many people don’t like using machines, some HIIT exercises require equipment.
Higher chance of injury.
Usually not for beginners.
Don’t Do It Every Day
Like any exercise, it is important to give the body time to recover from HIIT training. Trainers recommend that you only do HIIT training three times a week. Between those days you can rest, or focus on weightlifting.
5 Sprint HIIT workouts
* These workouts are not for beginners
1. 100 Yard Sprints
During this workout, you will run one set of 100-yard sprints. A field is required for this one, football field works best as the length is marked on the field. From the starting line sprint 100 yards. After crossing the finish line coast ten yards and turn around. The rest interval begins as soon as you cross the finish line. Rest 45 seconds and again sprint 100 yards. Repeat until you have finished 10 repetitions.
2. 40 Yard Sprints
During this workout, you will run one set of 40-yard sprints. From the start line sprint 40 yards, then coast 40-yards and turn around. Rest 35 seconds. The rest interval begins as soon as you cross the finish line. At the end of the rest interval again sprint 40 yards, and then coast 40 yards. Continue this procedure until you have completed 14 x 40-yard sprints.
3. 60 Second Sprints
These can be done on a treadmill or on a track. Sprint for 60 seconds then rest for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Repeat until you have completed 6 reps. Cooldown at 3 mph for three minutes.
4. 30 Second Sprints
This one can also be done on the treadmill or track as well. Sprint for 30 seconds. The rest interval is 1 minute and 15 seconds. Continue this process until you have finished 10 reps. Cooldown at 3 mph for three minutes.
5. Sweet Bessie
Sweet Bessie can also be performed on the track or treadmill. It breaks down like this:
Sprint 400m / Rest 3 minutes
Sprint 300m / Rest 2 minutes
Sprint 200m / Rest 1 minute
Sprint 100m
Wrapping it up
There you have 5 great HIIT workouts that are sure to get your heart pumping and burn fat like crazy. Put it together with a solid diet and a good fat burner and you will be on your way to being totally shredded.
Ryan is a former college wrestler and lifelong fitness fanatic with over 25 years in the industry. He’s run half marathons, tackled mud runs, placed in body transformation contests, and coached everything from wrestling to girls’ soccer.
Along the way, he’s tested hundreds of supplements and built a deep well of supplement knowledge. His work has appeared in Muscle & Strength, Testosterone Junkie, The Sport Review, and more. Today, he’s the editor-in-chief of this site, still training hard and helping others reach their goals. Connect with him on LinkedIn below.
