Cookie HIIT Workout

We are so proud to have built a community of friends from all over the UK who are just as passionate about healthy lifestyle and yummy foods as we are! 

In this blog post we want to introduce you to a fantastic NATALIE CROSSLEY who is a qualified personal trainer with a background in gymnastics, crossfit and wellbeing. She will tell you how you can squeeze a workout while your Cookies are baking! 

Sometimes it can be a struggle to fit everything in, but when you can combine baking your favourite snack from Superfood Bakery with your workout it’s a win/win!

I have created a HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) workout that can be done whilst your Superfood Bakery cookies are in the oven (just be sure to warm up and cool down before and after!).

Why HIIT? It is an excellent type of workout to perform in a short space of time, the intervals mean the body works at a high intensity for a burst, then rests. This method of training helps to keep your body’s metabolism boosted for hours after exercise, so you burn more calories at rest as well as during your workout! It is a great way to help strengthen your cardiovascular system and also work your endurance. Not only that, but it allows you to combine cardio and strength training for efficient use of your time.

So, here we go…

The movements:

Press ups with raised arms – you can use the kitchen countertop, so start by putting your hands on the edges, around shoulder width apart, walk the feet back until you’re in a good, straight diagonal position. Then bend the elbows squeezing the arms into the side and the shoulder blades together, as if there was a coin in between them. Keep the back nice and straight throughout and push up through the heel of the hands to straighten the arms – don’t let the hips drop or the bottom lift too high. 

Tricep dips – this time with your back to the countertop and hands pointing out resting on the top, about shoulder width apart walk the feet out in front (you can rest on the heels), slowly bend the arms to lower the body down keeping the bottom close to the unit and squeezing the elbows in as if there was a football between the two. Again, push through the heel of the hands to lift back up.

Mountain climbers – in a plank position with the body in a straight line and the shoulder over the hands, lift one knee up towards the same arm. Lower it back and swap legs, continue the movement almost as if in a run. Don’t let the bottom lift too high or the back arch.

Squat jumps – perform an air squat by bending the knees, pushing the bottom back, keep the weight through the heels and the chest high until you reach around a 90 degree bend in the knees (or as far as you can, maintaining the correct form – don’t worry if it’s not this deep), push through the feet and explode up into a jump. As you land, bend the knees and go into the next squat.

Walking lunges – with the hands on the hips take a long step forward and bend both knees into a 90 degree angle, push off the back leg and either step the feet together and lift again for the next lunge step or move the foot straight from behind to in front of the body in one movement for more of a challenge (ie don’t stop in the middle by bringing the feet together). Keep the midline tight throughout the lunges (this will also help with balance) and the chest lifted. The legs should remain hip-width apart throughout, think about the feet following two parallel train tracks.

Plank knee taps – starting in a straight plank shape, lift one hand up, reach it through under the body, lifting the bottom up to the sky and tap the opposite knee. Return to the plank shape, being careful not to let the hips drop too low, and repeat lifting the other hand.

Burpees - start in a straight plank shape, keep the midline tight as you jump the feet in towards the hands, bending the knees. From that position explode upwards into a jump. As you land, bend the knees to return to the tuck shape with the hands on the floor in front of the feet and push through the hands as you jump the feet back out to the straight plank shape.  Feet can be apart throughout and hands should be shoulder width apart, To increase the challenge you can do a tuck jump - rather than keeping the legs straight, bend them in towards the chest.

Courtesy lunge – start with feet hip-width apart, the hands can either be on the hips or in front of the body (as shown in the photo). Lift one leg and step it behind and across the body, bend both knees until the legs are at a 90-degree angle keeping the chest lifted. Bring the foot back to standing and extend the body so the hips are open and then repeat on the other leg. To increase the challenge, instead of straightening up between each repetition keep the knees bent and do a squat in the middle.

The workout:

20 seconds of work (you should be working hard!), followed by 10 seconds of rest

Complete all movements in this order, then repeat the whole lot 4 times – you can rest for 30-45 seconds between each full round.

Check the cookies after round 3! 

As your cookies are cooling you can do a gentle cool down and some stretches then sit back and enjoy!

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