A fantastic martial arts HIIT training routine for men

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If you've ever tried HIIT (High Intensity Interval training) you will know how gruelling it can be. HIIT has many benefits for health and fat loss and has been proven to be more beneficial than steady state cardio. For a start you can burn more energy in 20 minutes of HIIT than you can in around an hour of jogging.
There are many sources that you can find to cover the benefits of HIIT though, so I don't want to spend too much time covering that off here. I want to introduce you to a highly effective Martial Arts HIIT routine that will get you fit and help you to build some fighting technique.

This is particularly beneficial for men because the aggression expended in executing each technique will peak your testosterone levels more than just running, cycling or other HIIT exercises.

I like to use the Tabata HIIT routine which is 20 seconds of all out exercise followed by a 10 second rest period repeated 8 times for a total of 4 minutes. I recommend doing this twice with a rest period of a couple of minutes before each 4 minute HIIT routine. Also make sure that you warm up and cool down first.
You can download a timer for your phone from Google Play or the Apple AppStore.

The routine is as follows:

Exercise 1 – 20 seconds.
Squat followed by front kick left leg.
Squat followed by front kick right leg.
Do as many as you can, trying to execute good form, balance and footwork as you change stance.

Rest - 10 seconds

Exercise 2 – 20 seconds
Burpee press ups with a squat jump

Rest – 10 seconds

Exercise 3 – 20 seconds
Shadow box punch combination – Jab, Uppercut, Roundhouse left lead.
Shadow box punch combination – Jab, Uppercut, Roundhouse right lead.
Go as fast as you can but try to maintain good solid form, making sure the power is delivered from your hips and body movement. Keep your guard up.

Rest – 10 seconds

Exercise 4 – 20 seconds
Squat, side kick followed by back kick combination – left leg leading.
Squat, side kick followed by back kick combination – right leg leading.

Rest – 10 seconds

Repeat again from Exercise 1 starting with front kicks.

Rest 2 minutes and repeat the entire routine once more

If you never done martial arts before you might want to perfect some of the exercises before you work them into your HIIT routine so that you aren't pausing to think about what you are doing. All exercises should be done continuously for the full 20 seconds with no pauses. If your form isn't great, don't worry too much. This is more about fitness. You can improve your form as you do the routine more often.

I would avoid doing this routine more than 3 times a week with at least 48 hours between each session because your muscles will need time to recover.

You should be gasping for air and sweating cobs after this routine, but you will get a real buzz and feel great after your heart has recovered!!

Enjoy.