Cardio HIIT for Perimenopause & Menopause + Sprint Interval Training (Low & High Impact Options!)

Hey everybody, I'm Amy from BodyFit by Amy, and this is your cardio HIIT for menopause workout. This is an all-bodyweight cardio interval workout which is great for anybody, but it is specifically designed for women who are in the perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause states. We're going to be targeting those high-intensity intervals as well as a few sprint intervals to really target what our body needs during these phases. Of course, just like everything else, I'm going to give you lots of different options to take it low impact or high impact and work to your fitness level. Are you ready? Let's do it! Go ahead and just start moving your body. We're going to start with a quick low impact dynamic warm-up. We can roll those shoulders. This is an all-standing workout, so we don't need to go to the mat for anything. And like I said before, even though we're gonna get some high intensity intervals and some sprint intervals, so some HIIT and some sit training. All of it will have options, so if you need to keep it low impact, that is totally fine. The goal is to make it challenging for you, for where you are today. So that's something you're going to hear me say a lot— be where you are today. Just because I'm jumping or going a little quicker, it does not mean you have to. As long as your heart is pumping and you're getting that heart rate up there— and we're going to talk about those zones in just a minute— that is all that matters. Let's do a little step out here. I know sometimes you're coming into this Maybe you've been doing different types of workouts, and now that you've hit perimenopause or menopause or beyond, you're starting to see those changes in your body, in how your body responds to workouts. So that is one of the reasons that, yes, we want to for sure be getting strength training, and check out all of my other workouts for that. But we do want to be increasing the load, the stimulus on our body. What happens— let's take those arms up in a big Y, and then a little hinge to stretch out the back of the legs, is that as our hormones are changing, as those hormonal ratios are disrupted, and we have— we're losing estrogen and other hormones that are important to muscle development and how our body responds to exercise, we have to replace that essentially with doing something different, making things more challenging to get our body to respond to exercise. Let's take it flat back down. So for these first few minutes, again, we're warming up, we're getting mobility, we're making sure our body is ready to move. And then we're going to go into some Tabata intervals. If you've never done Tabata, it's fun. Take it right here, roll those shoulders. All it is is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest. And what we're going to do so we can really get the high intensity is we're going to alternate between a lower impact and then a higher impact or higher intensity. So a lower intensity and then a higher intensity every 20 seconds. Round it up right here. Let's roll those hips. If you want to do a little half squat, you can. You don't have to get super high or super low, just working in a way that's good for you. Start— hopefully you're starting to feel that heart rate come up. So we're keeping this workout short and we're keeping the interval short, and the idea with that is that you can go hard. I want you to think of those first few Tabata intervals when we go to the higher intensity, the second one, as being somewhere— if we're on a scale of 1 to 10— to where for you— and that means both in how your body feels, your heart rate getting a little bit, feeling the breath, right— somewhere between maybe a 6, 7, or an 8. And then our last 2 intervals, we're gonna have a little bit longer of a rest period. Let's tap it out and reach right here. So just stretch across, think of this as a nice good stretch. Our last 2 intervals of each Tabata round, which are 4-minute rounds, are going to be sit, uh, sprint interval training, right? I have to get used to saying it. So that is where we're really going to go all out, and we're thinking maybe of a 9 and a 10. I don't want anybody to do anything that's uncomfortable for them in a bad way. I want you to get a little bit of that good uncomfortability that we get from exercise, but I do want you to be thinking about pushing yourself a little harder, a little differently than before. But certainly, if you need more of a breather, if you need to take it low impact, if you need to hit pause, that is totally fine. But the idea here is that short intervals, short workouts, we push ourselves a little differently, a little harder. Let's cross right here. I'm going to give you options throughout, and I'll be talking you through it. All right, so those are our zones. Sometimes when we think of zones, we think of 1 through 5 with cardio, or 1 through 3, or with any training really. But I want us to think about we're getting up into the 3 and 4 on those high-intensity intervals, and then up into that 4 and 5 for our sprint intervals, right? All right, so march it out right here. So again, we got a little movement. If you feel like you need to shake anything out or stretch anything out, go for it. I wanted to take these first few minutes and we'd be in that green zone, right, that zone 2 cardio, as we get warmed up. Now we're gonna go for it. All right, so again, 20 seconds of lower intensity Breathe for 10. 20 seconds, go for it again. 6, 7, 8 on that scale of 1 to 10. Here's our first two moves. First one, we're gonna do a little step touch, super basic. Go at whatever speed you want. Then we'll take it to either a hop from here or a hop from here, whatever works for you. If you want to keep the step touch, you can do that too, as long as you're increasing the intensity in some way. That's all that matters. All right, so basic step touch, pump your arms. 3, 2, 1. It's 20 seconds now. Again, we want this moderate, and then we're gonna go for it in that higher intensity. All right, so we're here. If you're here, that's okay too. If you want to get a little lower, that's okay too. We got 5 seconds. 3, 2, 1. You breathe for 10. Watch me here. You can either hop it if that's good for you You can do a big hop here, or you find a way to make that low impact step higher intensity. Let's do it here to here, or here. So this is your high intensity interval. So what does that mean for you? Maybe you're still stepping but you're going a little quicker, or you're pumping those arms a little bit more. Maybe you're full out jump. You do you, this is your workout. 3, 2, 1, 10 seconds to breathe. So we get a quick recovery. You can march or you can actually stop completely. We're back to that step touch. 3, 2, 1, step touch. Now if you're someone who needs more of a breather, just keep breathing through— we all should keep breathing, right— through this lower intensity interval. But maybe you need to take the lower intensity and just rest and just do the high intensity. That works too. Catch your breath right here. All right, we're back to the HIIT. Let's take it with that power hop, whatever that is for you. One side, two feet, hop, jump, or step. Here we go. I like to think of these as little skier hops, right? You're landing soft, we're not landing hard. So again, it can be a little hop step here, can be a hop here, it can be a step. But you're getting some intensity in a different way. You don't have to be jumping to go high intensity. Breathe. All right, we're halfway there, so one more of each of our step touch and our power hops, and then our last round we'll get a longer breather and we'll really go for it in a sprint. Here we go. Step touch, right? Had to think about where I was. Step touch, step touch, step touch, right? So hopefully you're feeling, especially in the high-intensity interval, that that heart rate gets up. You want it to be good— relax— where you can still breathe, you're not totally out of breath, but you can still— you're a little breathless, it's a little harder to talk, right? Let's go for it, power hops! And again, maybe you're getting your intensity by speed, maybe you're hopping. Maybe you're getting it by adding that arm pump. Whatever it is for you, it doesn't have to be fast, doesn't have to be high impact, just high intensity. 3, 2, 1. All right, breathe, team. Here's what we got. We got 2 more rounds of only our power hops. All right, so we're gonna get a little breather here, a little bit longer, then we're gonna go for it. 20 seconds. I want you to think, how can I increase that intensity on these last two, knowing you have more of a breather here to really get your body to respond. And this is so good for our body in so many ways. Catch your breath right here. We got 20 seconds power hops. Here we go. What is that for you? Remember, we're jumping up from a 6 or a 7 to an 8 or 9 or 10. What can you do? Is it a little quicker? Is it a little lower? Up to you. Maybe it's here. Again, maybe you're not going fast, but you're getting it done. In 3, 2, 1, breathe. We get a longer breath. So sprint interval training, still keeping it super short, 20 seconds. We get a little bit of a longer breather in between, and we really go for it. This is our last one of this round, then we're getting water. We'll go into our next round. It's only 3 rounds, team. All right, let's do it. Catch your breath. Let's get it done. Power hops in 3. Go for it. This is it. 2, 1, and then we're done with this move. So that's sort of the bummer of this type of training, is that— I'm breaking my rule, I shouldn't be able to talk— is that We have a lot of repetition, but it goes by super fast. 5 seconds, what do you got for 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Breathe, team. Do you feel that in your heart rate? Now again, I don't want anybody to do something that is too much for them. I want you just to push yourself out of that comfort zone and past that threshold that maybe was challenging for you previously in workouts. We want to push a little harder, all right? And I know you can do it. Grab some water with me. Feeling that heart rate. If you don't have a watch, that's okay. Just by— go how— how— go by how you feel. I'll tell you right now, I'm in zone 3, but I was in zone 4 before on that last round. All right, circuit number 2, Tabata. Catch your breath. And again, You feel like you need a little more recovery, hit pause, that's okay. And in between, you see me marching or step touching, you do you. If you need a real breather to stop, totally fine. Just like to keep the blood flowing. All right, so our little tap behind, so we get a little movement in the transverse plane. Really important in perimenopause and menopause to be getting multiplanar, multi-directional movement, not just forward motion. So we're going to step, cross behind, step cross behind. I want you to think of it like a chop. Then our high intensity is your version of a skater. Maybe it's here, maybe it's here. All right, let's go ahead and get ready to get it done. Catch your breath. Again, same idea, we got 3 rounds alternating high and low, and then we got our sit. 3, 2, step cross behind. Again, you want that heart rate coming up, but you want to save a little gas for that HIIT interval that's coming and for those sit intervals. High to low, step cross behind. So notice I'm getting a little rotation through my torso, little twist in my center. Breathe. That's so we can work that core, right? A lot of us experience that extra belly fat during this time period. It's normal, don't worry about it, but we can certainly strengthen and get that movement. Here we go, it's your Skater. What is that for you? Maybe you're doing a little hop like me, you can still get those arms going. Maybe you're stepping, crossing behind, but you're getting a little lower, or you're going a little quicker. You find how you increase the intensity for you. And breathe. It's up there, it's up there. All right team, I kind of geek out on the cardio zones, but don't overthink it. Let's step cross behind. Now again, if you went so hard that you really need this to be low impact, low intensity, that's okay. That's the idea. We want to push through it. All right, step cross, chop, and breathe. All right, one more time with that skater. We got it Team, catch your breath. Whatever it is for you to increase the intensity. 3, 2, 1. You can tap behind if you want to keep it a little higher. If you feel like getting a little extra legs, you can get lower. We're still going to get those legs from here. And again, don't feel like you have to go the same pace as me. This is your workout. And breathe. I'm giving those levels, but again, it can look totally different from you— for you than for me, because we are in different places in our journeys. Here we go, step cross behind. This is our last low impact, right? Woo! Hup! Then we got one more HIIT and two sit. Remember, those sit, they're going to go quick. Right here. 3, 2, 1. All right, last time with your HIIT. Remember, think 6, 7, 8 in terms of that scale of 1 to 10. Try to push. Remember, you got a little more breather coming. Here we go. And again, maybe you're just picking up your pace. You're doing the same low impact, but you're adding your intensity with pacing with levels, getting a little lower, up to you. For 3, 2, 1, and breathe. All right team, so breathe for a little bit longer. We got that skater, that high-intensity skater, but I want you to think of it as a sprint. All right, 20 seconds only, but you're gonna get a longer breather right now, a longer breather before the second one, and then a longer breather after that. All right, so catch your breath. What do we need in this moment to really go for it? Sprint, here we go! Again, maybe for you that's going a little quicker. Remember, you can still keep it grounded even if you're jumping like me. Notice I'm not jumping high, I'm just jumping side to side. Maybe you got more of a chop. What is it for you? Get it done. 3, 2, 1. Oh man, breathe. And we get a longer breather, and then one more. All right, team, and then guess what? We got one more circuit and then that is it. All right, catch your breath. And get set. Last one, last one, best one. I want you to go for it. Let's get to 9 or 10, whatever that is for you, for 20 seconds. Here we go. Get low, get fast, side to side. We're moving laterally and then you're also twisting. Don't overthink it, just move. Get your heart pumping. What do you need, team? For 5, 4, 3, 2, and breathe. Catch your breath. Again, how's that feel? We got one more of that. So again, it's tough, it's intense in the moment, but it's short, right? And that is the idea. Catch your breath. There's a lot of stuff going around the internet right now about how important zone 2 cardio or green cardio, green zone, is for menopause, how you're burning more fat. You're— and there's something to that. We do want to make sure we're getting walks and we're getting some of that lower intensity and that we're increasing our movement overall, that we're getting more movement throughout our days. However, we still need HIIT, and more specifically, we need some sit. Because again, I'm not going to get too much into the science behind why— don't want to get too sciency— but we have to create those stimuluses that we don't have in our body anymore as we're losing estrogen, as our hormone ratios are changing. We have to push a little differently, a little harder in order to make things happen. All right, last one, team. So here is what we've got. We have your knees. And then we have either knees here or high knees here. That's what we got. Super simple. Let's get it done. So breathe. Knees can be here, and then you can power it up to here, or you can run it up to here. When I get to my sit, I'm gonna run it, but let's take it here. Here we go. And again, there's nothing that says that this has to be totally low impact. We just want a little lower intensity. So maybe if you like to add a little bounce to it, that's okay. We just want it to be different than what you do before, right? And breathe. Here we go, catch your breath. Here's what we got. You can either add your intensity this way, run it up, up to you. 20. So maybe you're still keeping it low impact, but you're here. Maybe you're here. Maybe you want to be here. What is it for you? Maybe you want to save that for your sprint. That's what I'm going to do. Power, power. Again, I'm getting that rotation to get my core working. If that doesn't feel good for you, just keep it straight. Relax. 2 more just like that. One and then the other. I know, let's get it done. And I'm just looking because it's helpful for me. Here we go. But I want you to listen to your body, okay? This might be the one— that first one we feel like we have a little more energy on that low intensity, right? But maybe you need a little less on this one. Maybe you're feeling it and you want to just do the knees or just do the arms. That works. 3, 2, 1. All right, get set, let's take it. Get a little power, add some intensity in a way that works for you. Here we go, high knees, whatever that is. Again, it does not have to be jumping. You can get some power from here. Do you want to jump and move those arms across and down? That works too. 3, 2, and 1. One more, just like that. We are so close to you. Catch your breath. Ready? Low impact, low intensity, but maybe also low impact, but doesn't have to be. Again, this is why we love Tabata. I always say Tabata, it moves fast, but it moves fast, right? Breathe. 3, 2, 1. One more of our HIIT, then we go to our sprint. Okay, so power those knees up, right and left. Let's do it, here we go. HIIT, higher intensity. Up that intensity for you, you do you, but let's hit it. 10 seconds, what do you got, team? 3, 2, 1. All right, get a little bit longer of a breather. The reason why this works, team, is we're keeping it short. You're looking at this, oh, it's a short workout. Sometimes when we think, oh, I'm going to go to a 45-minute class or a 60-minute class, inevitably your body has to hold back a little, right? Your brain does that, but also as you get a few minutes into it, your body body does that. With this, we can really go for it. All right, team, so you can keep that high intensity of your knees, or if you want to really simulate a sprint, you can run it up. High knees, let's do it! Here we go. So this is what I'm doing. That may not be right for you, but maybe this is. Or again, just what we're doing here. Halfway there, 10 seconds. I don't want anybody running like this. If that doesn't feel good on your joints— 3, 2, 1. Again, I'm doing that to give you an option. I may not do that on the second one, but that did get me up there. So if that doesn't feel good in your joints, don't do it. If that's not right for your fitness level, don't do it. Find something else that can increase the intensity. That is something I'm always preaching. You don't have to over do it or work out of your fitness level to get high intensity, to get results. You just have to find what is high intensity for you, find what is challenging for you. All right, one more time, 20 seconds. Let's do it, team! In 3, 2, 1. It can be here, maybe it's here, maybe this feels a little more comfortable for you, or maybe you're really getting the most out of here, right? You do you. These next 10, let's get it done. Yes! 5, 4, 3, 2, breathe. Yes, team! Oh man, guess what? No bonus, none of that. Listen, as you step touch— actually, let's grab some water because you might need you need it. That's it, that is it, team. That's the thing about these HIIT workouts, and you're gonna see more of these. 20 minutes is it, sometimes less, maybe sometimes a little more. Short intervals, things where we can really go for it, because that is what is going to really stimulate and encourage and force our system, all the systems in our bodies that are affected by those hormonal ratios, which is everything really. Force them to respond, to react. This is us saying, hey, I'm still here, I'm working hard. I know things are changing in my body, but that doesn't mean that I'm not still working hard. I'm going to show you that I'm working hard. All right, so please keep at it, and please know it does not mean that you have to be lying on the floor you know, feeling sick or working too hard that you get an injury. Nothing like that. Just working in a way that ups the intensity for you, that's challenging for you. Let's get a little stretch here, team. We're gonna keep this stretch pretty short, but please, if you need to keep moving just like this— so notice we got a little bit of that low-impact green zone cardio in the beginning. You can add more of that in. That's basically every warm-up that we have. The majority of my strength workouts also incorporate some HIIT, right? Not that kind of HIIT, but lifting heavy to stimulate our cardiorespiratory system as well as our skeletal muscle, right? So all of those strength workouts that I have on my channel are going to do that for you. And then incorporating some of this sit sprint interval training. And I tell you what, you could get the end of a workout, or maybe you do a walk in that Zone 2. And then maybe you just add 10 minutes and you do 20 seconds on, 20 seconds off of some of these moves. You know, maybe it is that power hop, maybe it's that skater, maybe it's those high knees, maybe it's a squat or squat jump. Whatever you can do to add a little bit of that throughout your week— and we're going to be doing it especially over in the BodyFit Athletic Club— is going to help. So I just want you to be thinking about these changes Again, it does not have to be much. It doesn't have to be crazy intense. Yes, I feel like trying to give you the information sometimes it creates a little fear of like, oh no, if I can't lift super heavy or if I can't, you know, go super hard in my HIIT intervals, I'm never going to see changes or my body's not going to respond. That's not true. We just have to increase. We just have to intensify. And again, that's going it's going to look different for everybody. Let's round it up right here. Big stretch. Ah, yes team! Make sure that you leave me a like, leave me a comment, let me know how you're feeling. It went fast, right? It was fast, it was tough, but it moved quickly. And of course, don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel. Check us out over in the BodyFit by Amy app. One big deep breath in, get some water, recover, get some rest, and out. You You did it! That was your cardio HIIT for menopause workout. Great job, everybody!