01: 🔥 Total Body Pyramid HIIT Workout with Dumbbells & Kettlebells | Strength + Cardio

Hey everybody, I'm Amy from BodyFit by Amy, and this is your total body pyramid HIIT with weights workout. This is a total body workout for strength, for cardio, for mobility, working in a pyramid style, going up and down in time. And I'll be working with a mix of dumbbells and kettlebells and a bench if you have it. If you don't, otherwise just use what you have available to you. We have 4 quick circuits pyramid style, and I will give you lots of options to work to your level. 3, 2, 1. Are you ready? Let's do it. Let's start with a quick warm-up. You can go ahead and march and pump those arms. We're going to keep it short so we can keep this workout short. We'll go ahead and get the blood flowing, the energy up, and our body's temperature up and ready to move. You can roll those shoulders, start small to the back and then make them a little bit bigger as we go. All right, so here is what we've got today, pyramid style. Let's take them to the front. I love this format. I know many of you do too if you've done it before. If you haven't, don't Don't worry, I think you're going to like it. It moves pretty quickly, but we have 2 different exercises that we're going to switch in between in the pyramid. So we keep it super simple. Cross those arms over and out to open up the chest. Let's add a little side lunge with it. So 2 exercises, and we're going to get strength and HIIT. So we're back to basic strength pairing with a metabolic conditioning or a higher intensity move, something that gets your heart pumping up a little bit more. So that way we get a mix of both. You're Your heart pump— your heart should be pumping the entire time. It's going to feel like cardio, but you get a mix. Let's take those arms up to a nice big Y and then hinge the hips to the back. You get a good mix of back to basic strength where you can go heavy and some power moves, or some moves where you can do combo moves, compound exercises to really get the heart rate up. Let's take it right here, roll those shoulders. Right through here. So I think you're gonna like it. In between those pyramids, I am going to preview your next moves. That's where we grab water. And again, we're keeping it short and sweet. So we're going to tap back right here, take those arms up. So the pyramid style, going up the pyramid and down— or it's really a little bit more like an upside-down pyramid— we are going to take it 15 seconds followed by 30 seconds followed by 45. Then we go back down, 45 To 30 to 15. Go ahead and hold this stretch right here. You can hold it here, or if you can, take it all the way down. World's greatest stretch. So within that, again, I will give you a couple of options at the get-go, but also maybe some options— oh, it's our last 15 seconds, why don't we just do this? Oh, this is the 45, why don't we try something a little slight variation? But it still is only 2 moves, one back to basics. 1, a little higher intensity for that HIIT interval. Hold it here or hold it up top, either way. So you'll have options. You do you, be where you are today, work to your level. If you can, go ahead and take this back to a high plank on your toes. If that's not right for you, you can take it down to your knees, and we're going to get a little child's pose up to plank, or child's pose up to all fours. So we stretch the back, we get the core warmed up. So lots of options within this workout. We're going to cover it all. We're going to get our major movement pattern: squat, hinge, lunge, push, upper body push, upper body pull, some rotation. All of it with options. Let's get one more, and these pyramids will be over before you know it. Walk your hands back. Go ahead, slowly make your way up, stacking your vertebrae one at a time. I'm going to use a mix of dumbbells and kettlebells today. If you don't have kettlebells, just use your dumbbells. If you have options, use them, and options to go up and down the weight. If you just have one set, just move your body and use them. Doesn't matter. I am just glad that you are here. But again, some of these moves will be back to basics where you can take it a little heavier, and then you can alternate that with something a little lighter or medium to get the power or the HIIT interval. All right, so we're gonna start with our first 2 moves. With a heavy set of dumbbells, we're going to take it to a bent over row. So nice flat back, here to here, squeeze in your shoulder blades. Go ahead and grab those, hinge it here. 15 seconds only, here we go. Right here, squeeze. By the way, there's 15 seconds in between each of these moves. Maybe a little bit more on this first Round. So I can explain your next move, but typically we'll explain in between your pyramids. Breathe and relax. All right, next we're going to take it either one heavy dumbbell or one kettlebell, and this is more of your MetCon move, your HIIT move. We're going to squat, we're going to press. All right, so I'm doing one dumbbell here, or one kettlebell. You can also use 2 dumbbells. If you have something a little lighter. 30 seconds now, here we go. Squat and press. And listen, here's the thing to remember, these moves are designed to get your heart pumping because of the type of move, right? Because we're putting a squat and a press, we're utilizing a lot of muscles, a lot of muscle groups. So you don't have to go fast with it, right? I know it's tempting to be like, this is the HIIT round, I should pick up my pace. No, if anything, go heavier on that weight and you'll feel it even more. 3, 2, 1, and relax. All right, now we are up to that 45-second round. 15, 30, 45. We're back to that bent over row. Wrap that core, flat back here to here. If you need a break for your back, bring it up from there. Bend your knees to grab those weights, hinge it. Here we go. Right here. Now I have my feet parallel, but it might feel better for your back to put one foot back, right? Either way, we're trying to keep the back flat, keep from rounding. So keep those eyes out in front, pull the shoulder blades in, pull your elbows up, right, right through here. Squeeze. And again, if your back needs a break, I know that's a long time To a bent over row, come up, and then bring it back down into that position. 10 seconds to go, right? Squeeze strong all the way through. 3, 2, 1, set them down. All right, now we have our 45 seconds of that squat and that press. If you want to mix it up a little bit Squat, little rotation with the press. Grab that weight, here we go. Start squat and press. Again, one dumbbell or one kettlebell or 2 dumbbells, whatever is best for you. If it starts to feel like too much, maybe you're new to this, just pick one. Just do the squat, just do the press. If you want a little variation, squat and rotate. A little rotation. It's slight. You're just pivoting the knees and the hips, pushing up to the right side or the left side, getting a little extra abs, a little extra core all the way through, right? Yes! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. One more of each of those moves is all we need. We're going back down. So 30 seconds of our bent over row. If you want to take them a little wider, you can bend your knees to grab those weights. Hinge it, here we go. Wide. I'm going to turn my palms to the back and still do the row regular, so that's an option. You don't have to do it. If you want something a little different, you can do it, or take those weights a little wider, especially if you have A lighter weight only. Keep the palms to the back and go here if you can, right here. I know, breathe. 3, 2, 1. All right team, this is our last round. Let's make it count. It's 15 seconds only. Squat and press. Just keep it down and up. 15 seconds, then we're going to grab some water and we're into that second round. All right, I gave you a little extra time there. Take it here, squat and press, low to high. Last 15. 3, 2, 1, here we go. Yes! Down, up, down, up. Last one, and relax. There you have it, team. Let's grab a sip of water, catch your breath. Here we go. So quick sip, you take your time. Cheers, y'all. As that heart rate's coming down, feel it. Join me back over here. All right, 2 new moves, keeping them simple, keeping with that hinge. 2 dumbbells, we're gonna take it— something heavy if you got it— we're gonna take it to a deadlift. So shoulders back, it's gonna look like this. Push the hips to the back, stand up straight. Okay, all back of the legs, nothing with the upper body. Then we're gonna take it either with a kettlebell or 1 dumbbell We're going to alternate our side lunge. So this is our HIIT. We're going to do a little twist with the weight. And here, so it can either be a side lunge and twist, or if you're feeling spicy, bring that weight around for a halo. It's a little bit of core, a little bit of upper body. So we'll start on that 15 seconds with just a side lunge and twist. We'll add that halo if you want. So starting— no, starting 15 seconds with your deadlift. Let's take it here. Heavy weights, here we go. Down and up. So just the lower body, upper body— or lower body hinge, right? Push those hips to the back as if you're trying to shut the car door. Nice team, set them down. All right, now we got 30 seconds twist. If you want to bring it around with the halo, you can. Start with just the side lunge and twist. One weight in the center, step out wide. Here we go. To the hip, step into the center. So shift your weight to the hip and center. If you want to add more of a twist or the halo, if you feel comfortable with it, it's a little bit of a different exercise, but you want to bring around the back of the head as if you're drawing a halo. But again, not everybody feels comfortable with it, or you may feel more comfortable with a dumbbell, so it's up to you. 3, 2, 1, relax. Those are our 2 moves. We are already at the top of the pyramid. 45 seconds. Deadlift, hinge, stand up straight. Back of the legs, let's make them work. 3, 2, 1, and up. Push the hips to the back, weights stay close to the front of the body, shoulders packed. It's one of my favorite cues, right? Instead of letting them come here, pack them, keep them packed. Right here, and up. Yes. And up. 15 seconds, make it strong, make it good. Breathe. Down, up. 3, 2, and 1. All right team, now we're taking it side lunge and halo. 45 seconds. It can just be the twist, it can just be the side lunge, you can put them all together. Start with just the twist. Here we go, step out, side lunge, hip and center, right? Hip and center. Notice we just get a little twist. Then if you want, bring it around. Yes you can, bring it around. 45 seconds. Here. Yes, breathe. Twist into that hip, lower body and upper. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, catch your breath. All right, so— No, we got one more. All right, here we go, team. Back to your deadlift one more time, 30 seconds. Keep it simple, grab those weights. 3, 2, 1, stand up straight, down and up. Breathe right here. Push the hips to the back and up. 3, 2, 1. And relax. All right team, so this is the last round. How about we take the weight out of it and we just pick up our pace? 15 seconds. Twist and up, twist and up. You can keep it low impact, you can keep it high, but let's catch our breaths for a second. Let's really go for it. High intensity interval for 15 seconds. Step out, get low, twist into it, push out of it. In 3, 2, last 15, here we go. 15 seconds. Twist, twist, and get low with it. Touch it down if you want. A little bodyweight HIIT. Twist your body right at the top. 3, 2, 1. There's that heart rate. All right team, before we grab that water, how about we take it to a kettlebell swing? Now often I will put Foot swings separate than your traditional circuits or sets because I want to give you a little time to get into it and to get out of it, so we're not racing in those 20, 15 seconds in between. Now, if you've never done a swing before, you can just do one more round of that deadlift that we just did because that's your prep work. If you want, grab a kettlebell or one dumbbell and you're going to do the swing. You're going to prep it. 3, 2, 1. You're gonna power it up, you're gonna let it go. We got 30 seconds all on its own, so give yourself time to get set. Dumbbell or kettlebell with a deadlift, dumbbell or kettlebell with a swing. Then we're at that halfway point, we're gonna grab water after this. Go ahead and get set, wrap that core, zip it up, shoulders back, kettlebell prep. Here we go, 3, 2, 1, power up, let it drop. So with the swing, you are locking it out at the top. Drop, drop. Yes. So you're locking out at the top of the movement, you're letting it drop, you're following it but not controlling it on the way down. Power up, lock, drop. 3, 2, 1, swing and relax. So you never want to stop that swing in dead air. Go ahead, in mid-flight you want to let it swing a couple times and then relax. Now grab your water, catch your breath, and we're taking it to round 3, and it's all on the mat. Here we go, team! Catch your breath right through here. Cheers, y'all! Down on the mat. You can also take it on the bench. I'm going to be on the mat the whole time just because we're going to flip back and forth from on our back to a plank or an all fours position. Join me here. So grab some medium to heavy dumbbells. Here's what we've got. You're coming down on your back. We're gonna do a tricep press. And you can add a bridge if you want. So we're going to start with this one, just going straight up. Second and third times through, we're going to bring our elbows here and straight up. Then we're going to flip it over onto either all fours— here's your option— you could do a bird dog, or you can do a climber or tap in. So you can run it or you can step it in. All right, I'm going to give you some options to talk you through that because it's all going to get your heart rate up. Let's start with that tricep press. Join me here. Here we go. So close grip press, hips up. Here we go. Yes you can! Elbows are in nice and tight. So this is gonna be all upper body push and core and a little bit of glutes. And relax. All right, go ahead, flip it over. You can either do the bird dog or you can drive those knees in and across here to here. All right. Yes you can! It's 30 seconds. If you want to run it, here we go. Knees, knees. If you want to just cross them, aiming to keep the core engaged. So it is HIIT, so you are aiming for the cardio, but you're going to get that either way. So I want you to focus on the core. Stay lifted in your core. I know. We got 5. 4, 3, 2, 1. All right team, now we're going 45 seconds. We'll keep the bridge if you want, and if you want, you can keep just the regular close grip press, tricep press, or tricep extension. You do you. Here we go, down, everything up. So it's 45 seconds. So I want you to think about all the things working, right? Those triceps, yes, we are feeling it, right? Breathe. Back of the arms feeling good. And we still have 15 seconds to go. I get it, I know, team. My tris are feeling it too. 5, 4, think about those glutes if you're lifting. 3, 2, 1. All right team, this time you can keep that climber. If you want to add that upper body push, we're going to add down, down, up, up. 4, 3, 2, 1. I know your arms are tired, so you don't have to, but here we go. Down, down, up, up. 4, 3, 2, 1. Then switch your lead arm. Down, down, up, up. 4, 3, 2, 1. Yes! Upper push. Down, down, up, up. Keep it going. Remember, you can always slow it down. We got 10 seconds to go. What do you got, team? Down, down, up, up. 4, 3, 2, 1. Oh! Oh man, here's my heart rate and my arms on fire. All right, 30 seconds, last time. Again, tricep press, or here we go with the bridge. I know our arms are feeling it. Or here, or you can even do a combo of the 2. Press, tris. Tricep extension. Down, up, and here. Yes, breathe! Last one. All right team, no plank press on this. No plank press, just the climber or the bird dog. Whatever you got for 30 seconds, let's get it done. 15. Sorry, here we go. 15. Breathe. Keep it moving, keep it moving. Push up strong out of those arms, but think about your core. Think about your knees coming into your chest. Core is working hard. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, stretch. I know. Go ahead and bring it up, team. Before we grab some water, how about one more kettlebell swing if you have it in you? Otherwise, get a stretch break. Lower body, I know. Let's get it done. 30 seconds, just what we did before. I know that was a lot of arms and abs, so let's power up with those glutes. I know what you're thinking, we did a lot of glutes too, Amy, with that bridge. Breathe it. Get a little bit more. All right, then we're in the home stretch, last round. Wrap that core, shoulders back. Let's take it here, 30 seconds, deadlift or swing. 3, 2, 1, power! Let it drop right here. Yes you can! Lots of power from the back of the body. Arms are along for the ride. I know those arms are tired. They don't have to work on this. They're just hanging onto the kettlebell. Power it up, let it drop. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Swing and relax. Yes team! Catch your breath. All right, let's grab some water. Here we go, here we go. One more pyramid and then we are done. Cheers! Yo! All right, let's take it here, all standing. We're gonna start lower body And bicep curl, right? We just did the tris. We're going to take it here with 2 dumbbells. You can either just do a plié and a curl, or if you want to add a little bit of that rotation, you're just here to here. Notice it's not extreme. I'm not really twisting, I'm just offsetting my hips, my glutes, my core as I rotate a little bit and coming through. All right, not doing big twists. 20 seconds. Twist. All right, then we are going to take it to a snatch or a high pull. So it looks like this. You can either do high pull 2 times and just lunge, right? 1 and 1. Or snatch, lunge, snatch, lunge. Any of those options will do. So I'm going to keep My heavy weight over there. I'm going to get these— actually, I'll try them for my first round, starting with that plié squat with the bicep curl. You can keep it straight on the whole time, or you can add that little twist. Catch your breath. Home stretch, team. 3, 2, 1, here we go. Down and up. Here to here. Here. Now what I love about this pyramid format is knowing that first round is only 15 seconds. Ha! Relax. I don't think I could do the 15 for the longer rounds, but I'm glad I did it for that one. All right, high pull, high pull lunge or, or snatch. 30 seconds. Here we go. Up, rack it, lunge right here. Snatch, rack it, lunge. It's 30 seconds. Your high pull, you can do the same. Bring it right here. It's a little harder to rack into that, so up to you. Here we go. Up. One more. I know. All right, 45 seconds plié and biceps. Because it's a little longer, I'm gonna take it here. I'm gonna keep it hammer curl, palms turned in. Here we go. Start with your plié and biceps right here. If you want one over one leg, one in the front. It's slight, just enough to make the core have to stabilize, right? But if that does not feel right for you, take it here, bring it up. Yes. 45 seconds is long, I know. Oh man, breathe. These both feel like HIIT rounds. I know, I designed them. I know they do. Here we go, team. All right, if you want something different Snatch or pull, take it to a curtsy lunge, or just keep the regular lunge. All right, breathe. Snatch, lunge, high pull, lunge. Anything in between, it's totally fine with me. Here we go. Rack, curtsy, back down. It's a power move. Again, maybe you want to do upright row and curtsy, or high pull. Take it down by your side. Yes you can! You don't have to rack it, you don't have to keep it power, you can just bring it from the floor. 10 30 seconds. I got it. I know I'm feeling tired too, but we are so close, team. And relax. All right, 30 seconds of our biceps and curl, plié and curl. Here's what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna keep it down the whole time. Can you join me? Let's do it, here we go. We're gonna hold the plié. We're gonna take it with our biceps. Little turn and twist if you want. Feel that core, right? We got some core with our climber. We got some core on the mat. We got some core with our halos, right? A lot of sneaky core in this workout. Feels like too much? Do what you did before. Come out of it if you can. Hold down with me for 5, 4, 3, 2, and breathe. All right team, this is it. 15 seconds, only your snatch, only your high pull. Don't worry about the lunge. Let's get it done in 3, 2, 15. And here, and here. Right here, last one, and relax. All right team, that was it. I think we got to sneak in a bonus move, but we're short on time. Let's make it all core. That was a lot of heart rate. Meet me down on the mat. We're going to keep it only 30 Seconds, and we're gonna make it a slow bicycle. So one leg and twist, catch your breath with it, wrap that core. Bonus bicycle in 3, lift those shoulders, lift those feet, 2, 1. Great, let's just finish it out. Normally we keep those bonus moves a swing or something similar. How about a little core? We didn't really get a lot of isolated core in the back, we just got a lot of core in a lot of other ways. Breathe. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Hug those knees in, gentle roll side to side. How do you feel? Good. Team, ha! You can let those knees drop. We're gonna keep this cool down really short because I know I promised you a short workout. So roll those knees to the other side, little stretch through your back. Please promise me that you are going to get some stretching on your own. Go ahead and flip over into that child's pose. I know you will. I have tons of stretching videos, mobility Flexibility. 5-minute stretch, 10-minute stretch, get some. You'll feel good. Or whatever you feel you need. Go ahead and roll back onto those feet. Get it. Maybe you just need to hang out in this stretch. Maybe you need to stretch your back. Maybe you need to place a shoulder in a doorframe or on the wall. Feel that stretch. Whatever it is, whatever you need for you, make sure you're getting it. Leave me a comment, leave me a like, let Let me know how you're feeling after this workout. I know it's fast and furious and fun. I love the pyramid because it moves really quickly in terms of timing, and you only got to remember 2 moves, right? Usually that's how we do it. Sometimes we get fancy with it, but it is a lot. I hope you're feeling energized. I hope you're feeling good. Take that feeling throughout the rest of your day. One big Deep breath in and out. That was your total body pyramid HIIT with weights workout. Great job, everybody!