Try These 8 HIIT Workouts For Men With Plan And Weight Loss Exercises!

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has gained popularity among men seeking targeted ways to improve fitness, burn fat, and build muscle. HIIT workouts include short, intense exercises with brief recovery periods, making them efficient and time-effective. These workouts benefit men looking to achieve their weight loss goals, enhance cardiovascular health, increase metabolism, and boost overall athletic performance. 

Highlighting the efficiency of HIIT workouts for men, the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that men aged 18 or above, making 23% of men ratio, need to be physically more active. This means they qualify for the moderate-intensity of 150 minutes or vigorous-intensity of 75 minutes globally recommended weekly physical activity. This further emphasises the role and need of HIIT workouts for men to improve their lifetime efficiency and lifestyle. 

With these stats insights, incorporating specific exercises into a HIIT workout can accelerate weight loss by targeting multiple muscle groups and elevating heart rate. Thus, a well-structured HIIT workout plan involves alternating high-intensity exercise periods and rest or active recovery, ensuring a balanced and effective workout routine. 

So, to start your HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) effectively, explore this blog's best HIIT workouts for men, which target various muscle groups, and get a sample HIIT routine for men.

Table Of Contents 

1. 8 Best HIIT Workouts For Men 

2. HIIT Routine For Men 

3. 5 HIIT Workouts For Weight Loss Male 

4. Types Of HIIT For Men/HIIT Exercises For Men 

5. The Final Say 

6. FAQs 

7. References 

8 Best HIIT Workouts For Men 

Let’s explore these most preferred and highly recommended HIIT workouts for men to try for shorter durations as a beginner: 

1. Dumbbell Squats 

Coming first in the list of most effective HIIT workouts for men, dumbbell squats target multiple muscle groups, including the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. By holding dumbbells at shoulder height or by your sides, you add resistance to the squat movement, increasing the intensity and effectiveness of the exercise. Variations include goblet squats and sumo squats, where you position your feet wider apart to target the inner thighs. 

Instructions To Do: 

1. To perform dumbbell squats, start by standing and holding a dumbbell in each hand at your side or shoulder height. 

2. Lower your full body by pushing your hips, keeping your back straight and your chest up. 

3. Descend your thighs parallel to the floor, then push through your heels to return to the starting position, squeezing your glutes at the top. 

2. Alternating Jump Lunge 

These lunges are a plyometric exercise that targets the lower body muscles, like the glutes, quadriceps and calves. This dynamic movement increases heart rate and calorie burn, making it an effective exercise for cardiovascular fitness and weight loss. Variations include static and weighted jump lunges, where you hold dumbbells for added resistance. 

Instructions To Do: 

1. To perform alternating jump lunges, start in a lunge position with your right leg forward and your left leg extended behind you. 

2. Lower your body into a lunge by bending both knees to approximately 90-degree angles. 

3. Explosively jump into the air, switching the positions of your legs mid-air so that your left leg is now forward and your right leg is extended behind you. 

4. Land softly and immediately lower into the next lunge, continuing to alternate legs with each jump. 

Also Read: What Is A Good BMI For Men? Know The Formula To Calculate!  

3. Crunches 

This abdominal exercise mainly targets the rectus abdominis, also known as the "six-pack" muscles, and the obliques. By lifting your shoulders off the ground and contracting your abdominal muscles, crunches help strengthen the core and improve posture. Variations include bicycle and reverse crunches, where you lift your legs to the chest while keeping your upper body stationary. 

Instructions To Do: 

1. To perform crunches, lie on your back and your feet flat on the plain surface, hip-width apart. Place your hands behind your head or cross them over your chest. 

2. Engage your core muscles and lift your shoulders off the ground, exhaling as you crunch towards your knees. 

3. Pause briefly at the movement’s top, then slowly lower your full-upper body to the crunches starting position, inhaling as you do so. 

4. Avoid pulling on your neck with your hands, and focus on using your abdominal muscles to lift your torso. 

4. Alternate Renegade Row 

This compound exercise targets the back, arms, shoulders and core. By performing rows in a plank position, you engage stabilising muscles throughout the body, enhancing overall strength and stability. Variations include single-arm renegade rows and renegade rows with push-ups, where you add a push-up between each row for an added challenge. 

Instructions To Do: 

1. To perform the Alternate Renegade Row, start in a high plank position using a dumbbell in each hand, wrists directly under shoulders and feet hip-width apart. 

2. Keeping your core engaged and hips stable, row one dumbbell towards your hip while keeping your elbow close to your body.  

3. Focus on maintaining a strong plank position throughout the movement, avoiding twisting or sagging in the hips. 

5. Push-Ups 

This bodyweight exercise targets the chest, shoulders, triceps, and core muscles. It helps strengthen your upper body's endurance while improving stability and posture. Variations include wide-grip push-ups to emphasise the chest muscles, diamond push-ups to target the triceps, and incline or decline push-ups to vary the intensity. 

Instructions To Do: 

1. To perform push-ups, begin in a proper plank position, keeping the distance between shoulder width and your body from head to heels in a straight line. 

2. Lower your chest by bending your elbows, keeping them close to your sides. 

3. Once your chest nearly touches the ground, push through your hands and return to the starting position. 

6. Close-Grip Chest Press 

This chest press, also known as narrow-grip bench press, is a strength-training exercise that primarily targets the inner chest muscles, triceps, and shoulders. By using a close hand position on the barbell or dumbbells, you place greater emphasis on the triceps while also engaging the chest muscles. Variations include using different hand positions, like parallel or reverse grip, to target different chest and arm areas. 

Instructions To Do: 

1. To perform a close-grip chest press, lie on a flat desk with dumbbells or barbells in hand, palms facing towards your feet and hands positioned closer than shoulder-width apart. 

2. Lower the weight towards your chest, keeping your elbows close to your body until your elbows form a 90-degree angle. 

3. Push the weight back up to the starting position, fully extending your arms while maintaining control. 

7. Plank Up-Downs 

These planks are a core exercise that targets the abdominal area, chest, shoulders, and triceps. They improve core stability, strength, and endurance while providing a cardiovascular challenge. Variations include alternating which arm leads the movement and increasing the speed of the up-down motion for added intensity. 

Instructions To Do: 

1. To perform plank up-downs, start with your hands directly under your shoulders in a plank position and your body in a straight line from head to heels. 

2. Lower down onto your forearms one arm at a time, keeping your core engaged and hips stable. 

3. Push back up onto your hands, one hand at a time, returning to the starting plank position. 

4. Continue alternating between lowering your forearms and pushing back onto your hands while maintaining proper form and control. 

8. High Knees 

These dynamic cardiovascular exercises target the lower body muscles, including the glutes, calves, quadriceps, and hamstrings. They also elevate heart rate for calorie burning and cardiovascular fitness. This exercise improves coordination, agility, and overall lower body strength. Variations include increasing the speed and height of the knee raises or incorporating arm movements for a full-body workout. 

Instructions To Do: 

1. To perform high knees, stand tall with your arms by your sides. 

2. Begin to jog while lifting your knees towards your chest, as high as possible, alternating legs with each rep. 

3. Engage your core and pump your arms to maintain momentum and increase intensity. 

4. Aim to lift your knees rapidly while maintaining proper form and a quick tempo throughout the exercise. 

HIIT Routine For Men 

Try this sample HIIT routine for men and incorporate it as per your fitness efficiency and keep adjusting it: 

 Also Read: Is Your Body Weight Index Healthy? Learn How to Calculate and Interpret It!  

5 HIIT Workouts For Weight Loss Male 

Let’s explore the best HIIT workouts for men to lose weight in targeted forms: 

1. Battle Rope Waves 

These intense HIIT workouts target your upper-body arms, shoulders, and back while also engaging the core muscles. This exercise elevates heart rate rapidly, promoting calorie burning and fat loss. Variations include alternating, double, and slam waves, each challenging different muscle groups and intensities. 

Instructions To Do: 

1. To perform battle rope waves, stand at a distance of your feet shoulder-width, holding one end of the battle rope in each hand. 

2. Begin by rapidly moving your arms up and down alternately, creating waves in the rope. 

3. Vary the intensity by adjusting the speed and size of the waves and aim for maximum effort during each interval. 

2. Treadmill Sprints 

These high-intensity cardio workouts target the lower body, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves, while boosting cardiovascular endurance. This exercise accelerates calorie burning and effectively stimulates fat loss. Variations include adjusting the speed and incline of the treadmill to increase the intensity and challenge different muscle groups. 

Instructions To Do: 

1. To perform treadmill sprints, start by warming up with a light jog for 5-10 minutes. 

2. Then, increase the treadmill speed to a challenging sprinting pace and sprint for 30-60 seconds. 

3. After completing the sprint interval, reduce the speed to a comfortable recovery pace and jog or walk for 1-2 minutes to catch your breath. 

4. Repeat the cycle of sprinting and recovery for the required number of intervals. 

3. Dumbbell Bent Over Rows 

This is a strength-training exercise that primarily targets the back muscles, including the lats, rhomboids, and traps, while also engaging the biceps and forearms. This exercise helps build muscle mass and strength, increases metabolic rate, and facilitates weight loss. Variations include single-arm rows, wide grip rows, and underhand grip rows, which target different areas of the back and arms. 

Instructions To Do: 

1. To perform dumbbell bent over rows, stand straight with distance between legs, holding a dumbbell in each hand with palms facing your body. 

2. Hinge forward, keeping your back flat until your torso is nearly parallel to the ground. 

3. Pull the dumbbells towards your sides, squeezing your shoulder blades together, then slowly lowering them back down to the starting position. 

4. Russian Twists 

These twists target the obliques, abdominals, and hip flexors while also improving balance and stability. By incorporating a twisting motion, this exercise engages multiple muscle groups and increases heart rate, promoting calorie burning and fat loss. Variations include holding a weight or medicine ball for added resistance and extending the legs off the ground to increase difficulty. 

Instructions To Do: 

1. To perform Russian twists, sit on the plain floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. 

2. Hold a weight ball in front of your chest with both hands. 

3. Right twist your torso, bringing the weight towards the floor beside your hip, then twist to the left, bringing the weight across to the opposite side. 

5. Medicine Ball Slams 

These are full-body exercises that target the shoulders, arms, core, and legs while also providing a cardiovascular challenge. By lifting the medicine ball overhead and forcefully slamming it into the ground, you engage explosive power and promote calorie burning, making it effective for weight loss. Variations include using different weights of medicine balls and incorporating variations such as rotational slams or side slams. 

Instructions To Do: 

1. To perform medicine ball slams, stand with your feet at shoulder-width distance, holding a medicine ball with both hands overhead. 

2. Engage your core and lift the ball overhead, then forcefully slam it into the ground before you, bending at the hips and knees as you do so. 

3. Catch the ball on the bounce or pick it up and repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions. 

Types Of HIIT For Men/HIIT Exercises For Men 

Note the different types of equipment and training styles to include as part of a HIIT protocol: 

The Final Say 

HIIT workouts offer a highly effective and time-efficient approach for men to achieve their fitness goals: weight loss, muscle building, or improving overall health and athleticism. By incorporating various high-intensity exercises, such as those mentioned above, men can maximise calorie burning, elevate metabolism, and enhance cardiovascular endurance. 

The flexibility and scalability of HIIT workouts make them accessible to all fitness levels, allowing for customisation and progression over time. With proper form, HIIT can be a transformative addition to any man's fitness routine, providing tangible results and long-term health benefits. 

FAQs 

1. What are the major benefits of high-intensity interval training (HIIT)? 

HIIT offers numerous benefits, including: 

• Efficient calorie burning: HIIT can help burn more calories than traditional cardio workouts. 
• Improved cardiovascular health: HIIT can increase heart health by improving aerobic capacity and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels. 
• Increased metabolism: HIIT can boost metabolism during and after exercise, leading to continued calorie burn throughout the day. 

2. When should one begin HIIT training for men specifically? 

Men can begin HIIT training at any age, provided they have a baseline fitness level and are accessible from any underlying health conditions that may contraindicate high-intensity exercise. It's advised to consult with a certified fitness trainer before starting a HIIT program, especially for individuals with pre-existing health concerns. 

3. What are the considerations for men's HIIT workout as a beginner? 

As a beginner to HIIT, men must consider the following: 

• Begin with shorter intervals and longer rest periods to allow the body to adapt gradually. 
• Proper technique is essential to prevent injuries. Pay attention to form and alignment during exercises, and start with bodyweight movements before adding resistance. 
• As fitness improves, slowly increase the duration of intervals, as well as the overall frequency of workouts. 
• Ensure sufficient rest between HIIT sessions to allow muscle recovery and reduce the risk of overtraining. 

References 

• https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity#:~:text=Globally%2C%2028%%20of%20adults%20aged%2018%20and,75%20minutes%20vigorous%2Dintensity%20physical%20activity%20per%20week. 
• https://blog.nasm.org/hiit-workout-plan 
• https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a25424850/best-hiit-exercises-workout/ 
• https://betterme.world/articles/hiit-workouts-for-men/ 

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