Exercising with kids is fun, beneficial for your relationship, and healthy for them and you. That is why we have chosen this HIIT workout at home for beginners to perform with your children.
Exercising with kids
Let’s be frank, being locked up with children when you have to attend to your work, your home, their education, and your adult responsibilities can be complicated. And channeling the torrent of energy that the little ones harbor when you can barely go outside or go to places is a task worthy of the chief engineer of a nuclear power plant.
That said, it is necessary to make an act of faith and believe that you can survive without ending up as an ogre, or neglect your obligations and even enjoy some personal and companion time. I know it sounds like a chimera, but the alternatives are not good either.
I live with two children of 9 and 10 years old, and doing sports with them has been one of the things that have given me the best results to cope with the days of confinement at home. The advantages are numerous:
- We have a good time with the family.
- We move our bodies a little.
- They get tired enough to be calm the rest of the day and sleep like the angels they are (and that I want them to continue being).
How do children do sports at home
It was always clear to me that my children had to do sports at home, but I had two problems:
- the first, that they quickly get bored with the circuits proposed by their gymnastics teacher; and
- The second, that the training routines I found online were too short of achieving my goals and extending the activity long enough.
One of my first options was to do the training of Joe Wicks, The Body Coach, British personal trainer, and television presenter who lately focused on promoting the sport in his country’s schools. But his childhood routines of 5 and 8 minutes were very short, and all he did was activate the dwarves without getting them tired.
But rummaging through their YouTube channel, where there are high-intensity workouts for all levels, I came across a 20 minute HIIT workout for beginners that can be done at home, and that is fun for the little ones.
Of course, you have to have a little imagination and a lot of patience with the intensity and technique of the little ones when you are exercising with kids. In my case, the key was to rename all the exercises to other names that were more appealing to them.
The HIIT Workout At Home For Beginners You Can Do With Kids: The Routine
This HIIT training at home for beginners lasts 20 minutes and is structured in 4 blocks of 5 exercises that you have to perform in periods of 30 seconds, with another 30 seconds of rest.
The steps are simple and fun, and if you put intensity in it, it can be τa good complementary workout for an adult or even a complete routine for someone who is not in shape and wants to start in εhigh intensity sport.
Seriously: if you work it out, apart from having fun while exercising with kids, you get a good sweat.
As we have already told you on other occasions, HIIT workouts’ success lies in combining high-intensity exercises and breaks for short periods. In this way, you get your heart rate up enough to burn excess fat while strengthening your muscles with functional movements that do not require gym equipment.
Remember that before doing this HIIT workout, you must warm up your muscles to avoid injury. If you have not done similar exercises before, take advantage of the first round to pay attention to the execution and practice the technique, and increase the intensity as you control them. And above all, enjoy it.
- High-knee gait – 30 seconds
- Rest: 30 seconds.
- Side-scrolling boxing punches – 30 seconds
- Rest: 30 seconds.
- Ground Touch Squats – 30 seconds
- Rest: 30 seconds.
- Shoulder press with knee raises – 30 seconds
- Rest: 30 seconds.
- Knee and arm raises – 30 seconds
- Rest: 30 seconds.
* Repeat until four rounds are completed.
The HIIT Workout At Home For Beginners You Can Do With Kids: How To Do The Exercises Right
March with high knees
At home, we call it the Foot Crusher, which doesn’t make a lot of sense, but boy, does it work for them. To do the march with high knees, we start standing and raise one knee above the waist directing it towards our body’s center. Simultaneously, bend the opposite arm and move it to the center of your chest until the elbow touches the knee.
This exercise activates your legs, arms, pecs, and abs. Remember that you should raise your knees a lot when doing the practice and keep your back straight. Ensure that the contact between the knee and the elbow is soft, or you will hurt yourself (real).
It’s common for dwarfs to get a bit of a fuss with exercise or lean their torso instead of raising their knees, but think that every step you make will be significant for their coordination.
Side-scrolling boxing punches
Also known as the Nose Breaker, this move is a favorite with little ones and very useful for burning fat and improving coordination.
We started standing up, with our legs spread at the shoulders’ height and a little bent. Lean the trunk forward a little, activate the abdomen, and flex the arms until the fists are at shoulder height.
Then alternately punch to the front, stretching your arms fully. Hit 10 times in a row, then roll sideways for another 10. Repeat for 30 seconds.
This cardiovascular exercise will get your heart rate up quickly while strengthening your arms, shoulders, and back.
Exercising with kids can get a little out of control, so try to keep them away from the screen where you see the routine video if you do not want it to end up exploding.
Squats with touch on the floor
This is where my kids got the most creative with the terminology, and we called this exercise the Hulk’s Fall. These are basic squats, very suitable for learning the technique and achieving the right descent route.
To do the squats with touch on the ground, we start upright, with the legs separated at the shoulders’ height and the feet pointing out a little. We activate the abdomen, bend the knees, and descend in a controlled manner with a straight back, and one arm stretched down until we touch the ground. The goal is for your legs to form a 90-degree angle and your body’s weight to be on your heels.
We then gain momentum and return to the starting position. We repeat the movement with the opposite arm pointing downwards.
Squats are one of the most effective fitness exercises, as they work three huge muscle groups: glutes, legs, and abdomen.
Remember: straight back, activated abdomen, controlled descents (no dropping), and the weight concentrated on the heels.
This move can be a bit tricky for kids, so don’t put too much pressure on them. They can bring their torso down until they touch the ground with their hand or squat slowly (this will be very encouraged if you put a little eschatology into it).
Shoulder press with knee raises
We call this the Building Smash Giant, and you’ll quickly understand why. As the name suggests, the knee-lift shoulder press consists of stretching and contracting the arms above the head while raising and lowering the knees, moving much like an angry giant crushing a city’s buildings.
We start upright, feet shoulder-width apart. We open our arms as if we would hug someone and flex them with our fists pointing upwards. You should feel your scapulae come together, and your pecs are tense.
Next, we raise one knee above the waist and raise both arms simultaneously until they are parallel with your head in the middle. We return to the starting position and repeat lifting the opposite leg.
This is one of the kid’s favorite exercises and a complete movement that activates arms, shoulders, back, pecs, abs, glutes, and legs (yes, yes, all that).
But to do it correctly, you must take several things into account. The first, the position of the arms and the back, which should always be straight (if you don’t usually do this type of exercise, remember that, in general, the back is always straight and the abs activated).
On the other hand, it is common for children to raise their legs a little with emotion. There is no drama (remember, we are having a good time), but it motivates them a lot if you say: “What is this giant crushing, buildings or houses?”
Knee and arm raises
The famous Nose Crusher is somewhat reminiscent of the movement you would make if you grabbed someone by the head and kneeled them in the face. It’s all a bit Chuck Norris, but the world of children is unfathomable.
We start with one leg in front and slightly bent, and the one in the back stretched. We lean the trunk forward and join the hands above the head with the arms fully stretched. Right now, your body should form a perfect diagonal from the tips of your toes to the heel of your back leg, and you should feel the tension in your side abs.
Then raise the knee of the leg that is stretched above the waist and lower the arms, also stretched until the palms of your hands touch the knee. Repeat the movement for 15 seconds and then do it with the opposite leg for the remaining time.
The knee and arm raises are another complete exercise in which you will activate the back, shoulders, arms, abs, and legs muscles. Children are likely to lose position several times while doing the movement and raise their knees little, especially in the later rounds.