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Exercises

HIIT warm-up exercises that build to full speed

Published October 24, 2026

Before HIIT, skip in place and do butt kicks for 1 minute each, then 4 walkouts and 10 bodyweight squats, and finish with 3 short bursts of your intervals at rising effort: 15 seconds at half pace, 15 at three-quarter pace, and 10 seconds near full speed, with 20 seconds of easy movement between. It takes about 6 minutes, and your first real interval should feel like the next step up rather than a jump.

  1. Skipping in Place Calves, Quads, Hamstrings
  2. Butt Kicks Hamstrings
  3. Walkout Abs, Shoulders, Chest
  4. Bodyweight Squat Quads
  5. Mountain Climber Abs
  6. Skater Hop Glutes, Quads, Abductors
  7. Fast Feet Calves, Quads

Two minutes of easy movement

Skip in place for a minute, then do butt kicks for a minute. Both are gentle on the joints and get your heart rate climbing. On a bike HIIT day, pedal easily for 3 minutes instead.

Easy cardio, low impact

Skipping in Place

Calves, Quads, Hamstrings

Skipping in place gives the ankles and calves a gentle bounce and starts your heart rate climbing without strain.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your fists beside your hips as if holding rope handles.
  2. Circle your hands and bounce lightly from one foot to the other, as if skipping over a turning rope.
  3. Keep the bounces low and springy for the whole interval.

Cues

  • Bounce off the balls of your feet
  • Hands circle, elbows close
  • Relaxed shoulders

Common mistakes

  • Stomping on the heels: stay on the front of your feet.
  • Hopping high: a small bounce clears an imaginary rope.

Swap for: Jump Rope, High Knees, Jumping Jack

Build a session with Skipping in Place

Easy cardio, quads and hamstrings

Butt Kicks

Hamstrings

Kicking your heels toward your glutes as you jog in place warms the front of your thighs and loosens your knees.

How to do it

  1. Jog in place.
  2. Flick each heel up toward your glutes.
  3. Keep your thighs pointing down and go for 60 seconds.

Cues

  • Heels up, knees down
  • Quick feet

Common mistakes

  • Leaning forward.
  • Swinging the knees forward like high knees.

Swap for: High Knees, Skipping in Place, Running

Build a session with Butt Kicks

Easy cardio, bike HIIT

Stationary Bike

Quads, Hamstrings

On bike interval days, the warm-up should be on the bike, starting easy and building speed.

How to do it

  1. Set the seat height.
  2. Pedal at light resistance for 3 minutes.
  3. Do the build-up bursts on the bike.

Cues

  • Easy resistance first
  • Smooth pedal circles

Common mistakes

  • Starting at sprint resistance.
  • Skipping the build-up bursts.

Swap for: Air Bike, Elliptical, Rowing Machine

Build a session with Stationary Bike

Moving through full range

Four walkouts move your hamstrings and shoulders, and ten squats go as deep as your hips allow. Do them at a steady pace without rest.

Dynamic, hamstrings and shoulders

Walkout

Abs, Shoulders, Chest

A walkout folds you over your hamstrings and then loads your shoulders in a plank, the two positions burpees and mountain climbers rely on.

How to do it

  1. From standing, fold down and put your palms on the floor near your feet.
  2. Walk them forward into a plank.
  3. Walk back and roll up to standing. Do 4.

Cues

  • Soft knees on the fold
  • Tight plank

Common mistakes

  • Arching in the plank.
  • Walking past shoulder level.

Swap for: Leg Swings, Plank to Push-Up, Inverted Row

Build a session with Walkout

Dynamic, hips and knees

Bodyweight Squat

Quads

Ten slow squats warm up the main joints that every jump in a HIIT session loads.

How to do it

  1. Stand with feet about shoulder-width.
  2. Sit down as low as you comfortably can, arms reaching forward.
  3. Stand. Do 10.

Cues

  • Heels flat
  • Arms forward for balance

Common mistakes

  • Rushing the reps.
  • Knees caving inward.

Swap for: Goblet Squat, Jump Squat, Cossack Squat

Build a session with Bodyweight Squat

Build-up bursts of your intervals

HIIT asks for near-maximal effort right away, so the last step is short bursts of your actual interval moves at 50, 75 and 90 percent effort. Mountain climbers and fast feet raise the pace without impact; skater hops and half burpees add jumping and getting up from the floor. Keep 20 seconds of walking or marching between bursts.

Build-up burst, no impact

Mountain Climber

Abs

Mountain climbers raise your heart rate quickly from a plank, so they work well as the first build-up burst.

How to do it

  1. Start in a high plank.
  2. Drive one knee toward your chest, then switch legs quickly.
  3. Bursts: 15 seconds at half pace, then faster.

Cues

  • Shoulders over hands
  • Hips level

Common mistakes

  • Raising your hips high.
  • Bouncing on your hands.

Swap for: Plank Jack, Mountain Climber Jump, High Knees

Build a session with Mountain Climber

Build-up burst, quick steps

Fast Feet

Calves, Quads

Rapid small steps on the balls of your feet push your heart rate up and prepare you for quick changes of direction.

How to do it

  1. Stand in a half squat on the balls of your feet.
  2. Patter your feet as fast as you can in small steps.
  3. Bursts: 10 to 15 seconds.

Cues

  • Low and light
  • Tiny steps

Common mistakes

  • Standing upright.
  • Big, slow steps.

Swap for: High Knees, Skipping in Place, Agility Ladder Drill

Build a session with Fast Feet

Build-up burst, lateral jumps

Skater Hop

Glutes, Quads, Abductors

Skater hops add side-to-side jumping and single-leg landings before jump-heavy intervals.

How to do it

  1. Push off one leg and hop sideways onto the other.
  2. Land softly with a bent knee and let the back foot swing behind.
  3. Hop back. Bursts: 15 seconds, building the distance.

Cues

  • Soft landing
  • Stick each hop

Common mistakes

  • Landing stiff.
  • Jumping far on the first rep.

Swap for: Lateral Band Walk, Jumping Lunge, Fast Feet

Build a session with Skater Hop

Build-up burst, floor to standing

Half Burpee

Quads, Abs, Shoulders

A half burpee stays on the hands and only moves the feet in and out, so it rehearses the burpee's floor part without the jump.

How to do it

  1. Start in a high plank, palms below your shoulders.
  2. Hop both feet in until they land just behind your hands.
  3. Hop them straight back out to the plank and repeat.

Cues

  • Hands stay planted
  • Land softly on the balls of your feet
  • Hips level in the plank

Common mistakes

  • Letting the hips sag when the feet land back: brace before each hop.
  • Landing flat-footed and heavy.

Swap for: Burpee, Plank to Push-Up, Mountain Climber

Build a session with Half Burpee

Main interval move

Burpee

Quads, Glutes, Chest, Shoulders

Burpees are a staple HIIT exercise. Once the half burpees feel smooth, the full version is ready.

How to do it

  1. Squat and plant your hands.
  2. Jump your feet back, lower your chest to the floor.
  3. Push up, jump your feet in, and jump up with arms overhead.

Cues

  • Land soft
  • Steady rhythm

Common mistakes

  • Flopping onto the floor.
  • Skipping the jump at the top when the workout calls for it.

Swap for: Half Burpee, Dumbbell Burpee, Mountain Climber Jump

Build a session with Burpee

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Bodyweight HIIT at home

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets57 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You do 20 to 30 minutes of jumping intervals at home.

The build-up bursts prepare you for the burpee and mountain climber intervals. Stopping each interval a rep or two short of total failure keeps your form intact over every round.

Bodyweight HIIT
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Skipping in PlaceSeconds. 1 × 60 4 0 s
Butt KicksSeconds. 1 × 60 4 0 s
Walkout 1 × 4 4 0 s
Bodyweight Squat 1 × 10 4 0 s
Mountain ClimberSeconds. Build-up bursts. 3 × 10–15 3 20 s
BurpeeSeconds. 6 × 20–30 1 30 s
Skater HopSeconds. 6 × 20–30 1 30 s
How to run it
Warm-up, then 30-second intervals with 30 seconds rest.
How to progress
Add 5 seconds to each interval every week, up to 45.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Bike sprint intervals

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets20 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentExercise Bike

You do short sprints on a stationary bike.

Easy pedaling and squats warm the legs, and three build-up bursts on the bike take you to sprint pace. Intervals stop before your pedal speed drops.

Bike Sprints
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Stationary BikeSeconds. Easy. 3 × 60 4 0 s
Bodyweight Squat 1 × 10 4 0 s
Stationary BikeSeconds. Sprints. 6 × 20–30 1 1 min
How to run it
Bike warm-up and bursts, then sprints.
How to progress
Add one sprint each week up to 10.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Quiet, no-jump HIIT

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets51 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentBodyweight

You live in an apartment and want no jumping.

Butt kicks, walkouts and mountain climbers warm you up without impact, and half burpees replace jumps in the intervals.

No-Jump HIIT
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Butt KicksSeconds. 1 × 60 4 0 s
Walkout 1 × 4 4 0 s
Fast FeetSeconds. Build-up bursts. 3 × 10–15 3 20 s
Half BurpeeSeconds. 6 × 20–30 1 30 s
Mountain ClimberSeconds. 6 × 20–30 1 30 s
How to run it
Warm-up, then 30-second intervals.
How to progress
Add rounds as you get fitter.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

How do you warm up for HIIT?

Two minutes of easy cardio like skipping or butt kicks, a few walkouts and squats, then three short bursts of your interval moves at rising speed.

How long should a HIIT warm-up be?

About 5 to 8 minutes. Short sessions still need the build-up bursts.

What is a good 5-minute cardio warm-up?

One minute each of skipping and butt kicks, a minute of walkouts and squats, and two minutes of build-up bursts.

Can HIIT be a warm-up?

A few short bursts can lead into lifting, but full HIIT before lifting leaves you tired for the lifts.

What are some HIIT exercises?

Burpees, mountain climbers, skater hops, fast feet and bike sprints all work.