Engine & Core

A full HIIT class with a plot twist — every block ends in the middle, and the last ten minutes belong to it entirely

HIIT
Mixed ability
45 min
Works for 8–25
1 instructor
Effort 4/5
Studio floor · one mat space per person
core
intervals
full-body
finisher

The ClassPlans programming teamLevel 3 group-fitness qualified · 10+ yrs teaching

Kit: Mats, one light-to-medium dumbbell per member (single bell tonight), timer, water.

Warm-up7 min

Wake the Middle

3 min pulse raise + 4 × 45s core primersRPE 3

Setup: Mats down, one bell parked per mat. Tell them the shape at the door: two big engine blocks, and then a ten-minute core finisher that the whole class has been secretly preparing for.

How it works: Three minutes of pulse raising — marches, side-steps, arm drives, slow squats, building each 30 seconds. Then four core-priming moves at 45 seconds each: dead bug with slow opposite reach, bird dog, side plank from knees each side, and a hollow-ish hold with knees bent. These four are the finisher's vocabulary; teaching them fresh now means coaching them tired later actually works.

What to say

“Dead bug: lower back stays glued to the mat — that's the entire exercise.”
“Bird dog: reach long, not high; a cup of tea should balance on your back.”
“Learn these four now — you'll meet them again when they matter.”

Easier

Shorten every reach; side plank becomes a lying side hold.

Harder

Dead bug and hollow hold with legs a touch straighter.

Workout11 min

Engine One — Legs and Lungs

2 × 4 × [40s / 20s] + 60s dead bug + 1min restRPE 7, thread RPE 5

Setup: Bodyweight to start. Four moves: squats, alternating reverse lunges, skater hops, fast feet. The block's last minute belongs to the core thread.

How it works: Two rounds of the four moves at 40 seconds work, 20 seconds rest, then the block's signature: a final 60 seconds of dead bug at a deliberate pace while the legs buzz. That contrast — precise middle after wild legs — is the class's whole idea, so name it: anyone can brace fresh; athletes brace breathless. One minute of water and standing rest after.

What to say

“Squats and lunges: chest proud, heels doing the work.”
“Skaters land soft and stick for a heartbeat — control is speed's licence.”
“Now the dead bug, out of breath: slow is the brave pace here.”

Easier

Skaters become side-steps; fast feet become marches; dead bug with smaller reaches.

Harder

Add the bell as a goblet for squats in round two.

Workout11 min

Engine Two — Push, Pull, Carry

2 × 4 × [40s / 20s] + 2 × 30s side plank + 1min restRPE 7, thread RPE 6

Setup: Single bell in play. Four moves: push-ups, single-arm rows from a hinge (swap at 20 seconds), squat-to-press with the bell held goblet, suitcase march on the spot (swap sides halfway). Last minute: side planks.

How it works: Two rounds at 40/20 again. The suitcase march is the sly one — one bell by your side while marching tall trains the middle harder than most crunches, and telling them that mid-march changes how they hold it. Then the thread: 30 seconds of side plank each side, from knees or feet. Watch hips on both — a sagging side plank teaches nothing but a good one after rows and presses is a proper achievement. One minute rest after.

What to say

“Suitcase march: shoulders level like the bell isn't there — that's the core working.”
“Row from a flat back; pull the elbow to the pocket.”
“Side plank: hips proud and lifted — a straight line anyone would photograph.”

Easier

Push-ups from knees; press without the squat; side planks from knees.

Harder

Heavier bell for the carry only; side plank with a slow top-arm reach-under.

The rest of this class plan is free — along with 3 more this week.

ClassPlans programming team

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