When was the last time you played? Like, actually bounced around with a smile and broke a sweat?! REAL playtime? If you can’t remember when, you’re not playing enough! This is why I love training on the BOSU^® Balance Trainer, it honestly turns into play time for me. My absolute favorite way to use the BOSU^® Balance Trainer? HIIT cardio! It makes for a killer, heart pumping, core engaging HIIT workout all while feeling like PLAY!

What is HIIT? HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training and is all the rage in the fitness industry at the moment. How it works is you do a high intensity exercise for a certain amount of time (usually 20 to 30 seconds) followed by a less intense exercise or rest. My favorite way to do HIIT is 20 seconds on with 10 seconds rest. 

Why HIIT?! Because high intensity training allows you to burn more fat in LESS time! And, who doesn't want that!? In a nutshell, HIIT workouts use the body’s reserves of energy. 

So, after your workout, your metabolism stays elevated and you're burning more calories throughout the day! This is called the excess post exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), but you don't need to know all the fancy stuff....just know that your metabolism is BOOSTED because you're burning calories as your body replaces energy and repairs muscle proteins damaged during exercise!

I thought I’d share a playful HIIT workout using the BOSU^® Balance Trainer. Aim for 20 seconds on with 10 seconds rest! Repeat each exercise 2 to 4 rounds!

Exercise 1: Up and Overs

This move is so much fun once you get the hang of it! Start with one foot on the BOSU^® Balance Trainer and rotate your upper body and torso toward the opposite knee. Now hop up and over the BOSU^® Balance Trainer and swiftly switch the feet! Now keep going! 

Exercise 2: Plank Jack Burpees

Flip your BOSU^® Balance Trainer so the flat side is up. Holding at the sides, pop it out to plank, do a plank jack, pop it up to stand, then do a front jack!

Exercise 3: Loaded Beast Jumps

This one is BRUTAL! Sink it back into a a loaded beast position, then explode up to jump onto the Balance Trainer, popping back slightly, then sink back into the loaded beast and repeat.

Exercise 4: Double Hop Mule Kicks

Flip your BOSU^® Balance Trainer so the flat side is up. Grab the sides and pop those heels as close to your backside as you can every other hop.

Exercise 5: Rocking Horse Run

Bear with me on this one! It might take a minute to get the hang of, but this move is SO MUCH FUN! Place one foot on the BOSU^® Balance Trainer and bring the opposite heel to kick your glute. Now step it back, switch the feet, and repeat!

A little about Kaitlin Heaney Zuloaga:

Fitness has not always been easy for me, in fact, I was severely deconditioned for a lot of my adult years! I became a mama 6 years ago to the most beautiful girl in the world, Tidyn, who totally changed my life. Years ago, I suffered from intense anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and a severe and debilitating seizure disorder. My muscles were wasted as I spent much of my time in bed! Dr's tried to treat the seizures with more and more medication with no avail! As time passed we learned that they were stress induced and I slowly learned to manage them, but not eliminate them! Fast forward a bit to me meeting my husband and becoming pregnant! I wanted nothing more in the world than to be the BEST role model for my daughter, so I took up a healthy lifestyle. Guess what, it suited me quite well! The seizures have disappeared, and the health of my mind is amazing and positive. HIIT workouts were my saving grace when it came to working out. The ability to get in a killer workout in under 30 minutes was mind boggling! So I made it my mission to share it with the world. I'm now a personal trainer, specialist in exercise therapy, and battle ropes education expert. My main focus in the industry is to bring the fun back into it. My clients never leave a class feeling defeated, but rather energized and with a smile on their face because they just did things they never thought they were capable of and had fun doing it.