Five simple high-intensity workouts

Get more bang for your buck with these five quick and intense workouts. Remember: work smarter, not harder!

Everyone has been talking about the benefits of HIIT; it's a quick workout that burns a tonne of calories.

The keyword being the quick part. An hour of running may burn a lot of calories, but not everyone has an hour to dedicate 4 times a week. Instead, give these workouts a try and let the good times roll (and the calories burn!). Each work out has 5 rounds (except for the full body burn). Rest 30 seconds to 1 min between each set. Let's go!

Legs for days

• 15 squats x 4 sets

• 15 lunges x 3 sets

• 15 side leg lifts x 3 sets

• 15 fire hydrants x 3 sets each leg

• 15 plié squat pulses x 3 sets

Arm Lady

• 15 knee pushups x 3 sets

• 15 bench tricep dips x 3 sets

• 15 Supermans x 3 sets

• 15 inch worm with shoulder taps x 3 sets

• 15 plank ups x 3 sets

Abs of steel

• 15 ab crunches x 2 sets

• 15 twisting crunches x 2 sets

• 15 air bikes x 3 sets

• 15 toe taps x 3 sets

• 1 min plank x 3 sets

Big big booty

• 30 mountain climbers x 3 sets

• 30 donkey kicks (15 each leg) x 3 sets

• Squat pulses 1 min x 3 sets

• 30 (weighted) Glute bridges x 4 sets

• 30 knee to elbow kickbacks x 3 sets

Full body burn

• 30 squats x 3 sets

• 30 lunges (15 each leg) x 3 sets

• 1 min Plié pulses x 3 sets

• 30 crunches x 3 sets

• 30 straight leg jackknives x 3 sets

• 30 mountain climbers x 3 sets

• 15 burpees x 3 sets

• 30 glute bridges x 3 sets

• 15 push-ups x 3 sets

• 30 tricep dips x 3 sets

Aim to do a combination of these workouts 3 times a week (in combination with a balanced diet) and you should start to see a difference in not only your strength but your lean muscle mass.

Remember: REST IS KEY! Many people think that more is more, but in actuality, less is more! Your body builds and repairs muscle during rest, not during your work out. Overtraining of your muscles can lead to poor performance, muscle deterioration and even injury. So space it out: don't over train and don't train the same group of muscles two days in a row.

Keep it simple and start out with 3 days a week. As you get stronger, you can bump it up for 4 times a week and/or alternate the exercises into harder varieties (e.g. knee pushups --> full pushups).

Happy training!