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Strength & HIIT Workout Routine for Women (35 Minutes)

Raise your heart rate, build strength and get fit at home with this effective workout: the best strength and HIIT workout for women. Nine high intensity dumbbell exercises are combined in this challenging, full body conditioning workout.

When it comes to workout efficiency, I personally don’t think you can beat the combination of strength training and HIIT.

I love to combine strength training exercises and HIIT exercises (high intensity interval training) in my workouts because I believe the best exercise routine is a well-rounded one.

Strength training exercises (like squats and bicep curls) are necessary to build muscle, increase bone density, and improve metabolism.

Whereas HIIT exercises (like jump squats and burpees) are extremely beneficial for improving cardiovascular health, lowering blood pressure, burning fat and increasing endurance.

Combining strength and HIIT exercises results in the most effective, efficient workout; allowing us to reap all the benefits of both training methods.

Bonus: today’s full body HIIT workout is performed in our fan-favorite time-drop format. This method of structuring workouts is a fun and effective way to build strength and grow muscle at home, while still feeling fun and mentally engaging.

Want a quick burnout? Add your favorite ab workout, like this lower ab workout for women, to the end for a total core burnout!

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Today’s workout features one of our amazing YouTube Community Members – Terren! Terren is a busy mom of three and founding YouTube Member.

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three women performing a bicep curl as example of best strength and hiit exercises for women
three women performing a dumbbell back row as part of best strength and hiit workout for women

The Best Strength and HIIT Workout for Women

Get your heart rate up and build strength at home with this efficient full body workout.

A complete strength and HIIT workout for women targeting every muscle group in the body: the lower body (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and thighs), upper body (biceps, triceps, back, shoulders, and chest) and core.

Add full body conditioning workouts like this one to your home workout plan one to two times a week to improve cardiovascular health, increase endurance and build strength.

Workout Instructions:

Follow along with the guided Full Body Strength and HIIT Workout Routine on YouTubeled by certified personal trainer, Lindsey Bomgren. 

Your Workout Looks Like This:

  • 9 Full Body Dumbbell HIIT Exercises For Women
  • Time Drop Format (set one is 40 seconds of work, 20 seconds rest; set two is 30 seconds of work, 15 seconds rest; set three is 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest)
  • Repeat Each All 9 Exercises x3 Sets

Workout Equipment:

Medium Pair of Dumbbells. I recommend between 5-25 lbs depending on your fitness level. We used 15 and 20 lb dumbbells in today’s workout.

three women smiling after completing hiit workout for women

Prefer to Watch On YouTube?

youtube icon Full Body Workout

Workout Outline

  1. Dumbbell Snatch, Front Rack and Squat Thruster
  2. Bent Over Back Row, Dumbbell Clean and Split Lunge
  3. Lunge Jumps
  4. Lateral Walking Squat and Bicep Curl
  5. Goblet Squat Jack
  6. Push Up and Dumbbell Drag
  7. Skull Crusher and Glute Bridge
  8. Dumbbell Overhead Pull and Alternating Leg Lower
  9. Dumbbell Burpee and Push Press

4 Best HIIT Exercises For Women

Dumbbell Snatch, Front Rack and Squat Thruster

Targets: Legs, hamstrings, hips, glutes, back, shoulders and deep transverse abdomen muscles (core).

three women performing a dumbbell snatch, front rack and squat thruster as part of best strength and HIIT workout for women

How To Do Dumbbell Snatches, Front Racks and Squat Thrusters

  1. Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Place a dumbbell on the ground between your feet.
  2. Hinge forward at the hips, pushing your hips back as you reach for the dumbbell with your right hand. You should feel a stretch in the back of your legs (hamstrings).
  3. Then, drive your hips forward as you ‘snatch’ the weight overhead with your right arm (using the power and momentum created by your legs and hips). You should finish standing tall with your right arm straight overhead; lock out your elbow.
  4. Lower the dumbbell to your right shoulder as you bend your knees and sit your hips back (as if sitting down in a chair). Aim for 90 degree bends at each knee, focusing on pushing your knees out.
  5. Then, drive through your heels, squeezing your glutes to stand tall. As you stand, press the dumbbell straight overhead. Your right bicep should be near your right ear. Repeat, performing two squat thrusters.
  6. Slowly and with control, lower the dumbbell down the front of your body, placing it on the mat between your feet, returning to starting position.
  7. Repeat, this time performing dumbbell snatches and squat thrusters with your left arm.

Modification: Perform a dumbbell clean instead of a full snatch, catching the dumbbell at shoulder height.

Bent Over Back Row, Dumbbell Clean and Split Lunge

Targets: Lower body (glutes, hamstrings, hips, quads, calves), upper body (trapezius, deltoids, lower back), abs and core.

three women performing dumbbell back rows, cleans and split lunges as part of best strength and hiit workout for women

How To Do Bent Over Back Rows, Dumbbell Cleans and Split Lunges

  1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent. Grip a set of dumbbells, palms facing in towards each other.
  2. Hinge forward at the hips until your body is in a straight line, neck in line with your spine, flat back, and belly button pulled back towards your spine.
  3. As you pull the weights back towards your hips in a rowing movement, squeeze your shoulder blades together. Stop when your elbows are in line with your hips.
  4. With control, slowly lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position. Repeat, performing two back rows.
  5. Then, drive through your heels to stand tall. As you stand, ‘clean’ the dumbbells up towards your shoulders. Think about getting under the dumbbells to catch them at shoulder level — this is a dumbbell clean.
  6. Step your left foot back into a reverse lunge, lowering down so both knees form 90-degree angles.
  7. Press through your front heel to straighten both legs, standing tall. Repeat, performing two split lunges.
  8. Press through your front right heel to drive forward, returning to standing position.

Modification: Omit the dumbbell clean, performing two back rows then two split lunges while keeping your weights at your sides.

Skull Crusher and Glute Bridge

Targets: Legs, glutes, hamstrings, inner thighs, and triceps (back of the arm) and core.

three women performing a skull crusher with a glute bridge hold as part of best strength and hiit workout for women

How To Do Skull Crushers and Glute Bridges

  1. Lie flat on your back with your legs bent at 90 degrees (heels on the ground).
  2. Holding one dumbbell in each hand, fully extend your arms so the dumbbells are directly overhead, palms facing one another.
  3. Press through your heels to lift your glutes off the mat, squeezing your glutes as you lift. Think about keeping your core engaged and knees in line with your hips. Maintain this position, performing a glute bridge hold.
  4. Then, bend at the elbows to slowly lower the dumbbells towards your head. Elbows stay in line with shoulders.
  5. Squeeze through the back of your arm to straighten your elbows, pressing the dumbbells overhead to perform a skull crusher.

Dumbbell Burpee and Push Press

Targets: Legs, glutes, hamstrings, hips, calves, low back, shoulders, abs and core.

The burpee is one of the most famous compound exercises, or exercises that target multiple muscles at once.

three women performing dumbbell burpees as example of best hiit exercises for women

How To Do Dumbbell Burpees and Push Presses

  1. Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Hold a set of dumbbells between your legs, palms facing in towards each other.
  2. Bend your knees as you lower your hips towards the ground, performing a wide squat. As you lower your hips, lower the dumbbells towards the floor, placing them on the ground outside your feet.
  3. Then, keep your hands on your dumbbells as you step or jump your feet back, finding a high plank position. Shoulders are stacked over wrists, core engaged.
  4. Jump your feet in, landing softly inside the dumbbells in a low squat position.
  5. Then, press through your heels to stand tall, pulling the dumbbells up your body as you stand.
  6. Bend your elbows to curl the dumbbells up to shoulder height, performing a bicep curl.
  7. Slightly bend your knees, dropping your hips about two inches to prepare. Then, press through your heels as you use the power in your legs to push the weights straight overhead, performing a push press.
  8. Then, slowly and with control, lower the dumbbells first to your shoulders, then to your hips, returning to starting position.

Modification: Perform a squat press out and squat press.

HIIT Workouts for Women FAQs

What Is HIIT Training?

HIIT (high-intensity interval training) is all about efficiency. The best HIIT workouts for women alternate short bursts of intense exercise with brief periods of rest. The goal of HIIT is to exert maximum effort during work periods followed by brief rest periods. HIIT burns a significant amount of calories both during the workout and after the workout due to EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), making it an effective fat burning workout.

Is HIIT Good For Weight Loss?

HIIT workouts are some of the most effective workouts you can do in a short amount of time. One of the major benefits of HIIT circuits is that they are typically under 30 minutes and are still effective for fat loss and conditioning (American Council on Exercise). HIIT workouts are known for burning calories in a short period of time, which can support weight loss goals.

Can I Do HIIT Every Day?

I don’t recommend doing HIIT workouts every day because you need to give your body time to recover between high intensity cardio sessions. Overtraining can lead to injury, fatigue, burnout, and hormonal imbalances. Most trainers recommend doing HIIT workouts 2-3 times a week (American Council on Exercise).

Is HIIT Suitable For Beginners?

HIIT can be scaled for varying fitness levels, including beginners. HIIT exercise is beneficial for beginners because it can improve your cardio health, boost your metabolism and improve muscular strength and endurance. A beginner HIIT workout might be low impact, with exercises that are more joint-friendly and reduce the risk of injury.

Pin This Workout: The Best Strength and HIIT Workout for Women

woman performing dumbbell strength and hiit workout for women

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5 comments
  1. Hi Lindsey! Just wanted to say THANK YOU for all the great content you put out! I started following your workouts this past fall and have seen a great increase in strength and muscle tone since then. Keep up the great work!

  2. I love your HIIT workouts. They are perfect for squeezing in when I have a little time here and there. Right now I am nursing a left shoulder & tricep injoury. I can do planks, but not side planks. I sm looking for a good full body workout that does not emphadize arms. Any suggestions?