This Equipment-Free, Apartment-Friendly HIIT Workout Will Keep Your Downstairs Neighbors From Hating You
If you've never had a 7 a.m. burpee session interrupted by a knock on your door from the man who lives below you asking you to, "please stop jumping on the ceiling," let me tell you—it isn't a pleasant. But considering so many high-intensity moves rely on jumping (or at the very least, running in place), finding a good at-home cardio workout without any impact isn't always easy. To help make your—and your downstairs neighbor's—life easier, we tapped Krista Stryker, NSCA-certified personal trainer and author of The 12 Minute Athlete, to help us put together an apartment-friendly HIIT workout that won't have anyone around you calling the landlord to complain.
And if you do want to add jumping jacks, or high-knees, or any other impact-inducing move to the mix? Invest in this foam-flooring, which will absorb the impact so that it doesn't shake the ceiling below you. Our pick is The Prosource Fit Puzzle Exercise Mat ($30), which thousands of Amazon reviewers swear by for their at-home workouts.
Here, Stryker shares an equipment-free, apartment-friendly HIIT workout that will get your heart racing—no jumping or running in place required.
Apartment-friendly HIIT workout:
1. Backpack squat presses: Hold a heavy backpack at your chest with your feet about hip-width apart. Squat down into a full deep squat while keeping the backpack at your chest. Engage your core and pull your shoulders towards each other. Stand back up, squeezing your glutes and raising the backpack above your head as you do so. Repeat 10 times.
2. Push-ups with a double knee touch: Get into a push-up position with your shoulders directly over your hands. Pull your ribs up and in toward your chest to engage your core. Lower your chest down toward the floor so that it touches or almost touches. Your gaze should be slightly in front of your hands. Push back up to the starting position, then bring one knee toward your elbow on the same side, return it, and follow up with the opposite side. To modify, do the push-ups on an elevated surface like a countertop, couch, or stairs. The higher the surface, the easier it will be. Repeat 10 times.
3. Forward to backwards lunges: Put the backpack on your back and stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Step forward into a lunge. Return to standing and immediately step backwards into a backwards lunge. Repeat 10 times, then switch sides.
4. Pike push-ups: Get into a downward dog position with your hips piked into the air. Your hands should be about shoulder-width apart. Lower your forehead down toward your fingertips, touching the floor if possible. Keep your elbows close to your body and core engaged as you do so. Push back up to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.
5. Russian twists: Lie down with your knees bent, holding the backpack at your chest. Engage your core and raise your shoulders off the ground. Twist all the way to one side, placing the backpack on the ground on that side. Twist to the other side. Repeat 20 times.
6. Superman raises: Lie on your stomach with your hands extended straight by your ears. Keep your legs as straight as possible as you simultaneously raise your legs and arms while squeezing your glutes. Keep your neck neutral. Lower back to the floor. Repeat 10 times.
7. Plank hip dips: Get in a low forearm plank. Make sure to engage your core and push-up through your shoulders. Keep your core engaged as you dip your hips to one side, touching the floor if possible. Return to the starting plank position then dip to the other side. Repeat 10 times.
Finish off with a stretch, care of one of our favorite yoga pros:
Want to work up to doing a full push-up? Here's how to build up your strength to get there. And once you've got that down, amp it up to a whole new level with the Spiderman version.
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