National Take the Stairs Day Workout

Not all HIIT workouts require fitness equipment or a gym — some of the best workouts can be done from the comfort of your home, the local football bleachers or your office building stairwell. As a universal gym, stair workouts provide not only the cardio element you crave, but strength training in key muscles including your hips and glutes … and did we mention the calories you can burn? In honor of National Take the Stairs Day, here’s a quick HIIT workout that will leave you feeling the burn.

Warmup: To wake your muscles up and avoid injury, start by stretching and jogging in place for five to 10 minutes.

Round 1: The Double Dash

Face the stairs with one foot on the floor and one foot on a stair. Shoot up the stairs by taking two steps at a time and adding in a side-to-side swing with your arms. Continue until you reach the top, then walk down and repeat this two times.

30-second break

Round 2: Side-to-side Sprint with a Kicker

Facing the stairs from the far right side, quickly ascend up to the left side of the stairs and then continue to zig-zag until you reach the top. For an added workout, place a set of dumbbells at the top of the stairs and perform triceps curls as you walk down, alternating along the way. Repeat this set two times.

30-second break

Round 3: Mountain Climber Crawl

Start by placing your hand on the second or third step in front of you with your legs extended behind you. Then as fast as you can, charge up the stairs by crawling. Once you’ve reached the top, sprint down to the bottom and continue this sequence three times.

30-second break

Round 4: Squat Jumps

This is where you will feel the burn mentioned earlier. Starting at the bottom of the stairs, lower your hips down to a squat. Then, extend your legs and use your arms to swing yourself up to the next step, landing in a squat. Continue this until you reach the top, then jog back to the bottom. Repeat this three times.

*Challenge Mode* If possible, squat jump over two stairs, but be careful and make sure to jump higher to gain more momentum.

Repeat this sequence as many times as you wish, depending on the level of burn you yearn.

Stretch: After a killer HIIT workout, take the time to hydrate and stretch out those muscles.