{"id":38353,"date":"2017-03-23T11:15:06","date_gmt":"2017-03-23T15:15:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=38353"},"modified":"2017-03-26T10:32:27","modified_gmt":"2017-03-26T14:32:27","slug":"march-madness-sweet-16-hiit-workout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/march-madness-sweet-16-hiit-workout\/","title":{"rendered":"Game On! The Sweet 16 HIIT Workout"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Game<\/div>\n

Put on your game face. It\u2019s time for March Madness! Whether you\u2019re rooting for the top seeded teams or cheering on the underdogs, it\u2019s hard not <\/em>to get pumped for the NCAA\u2019s top hoops stars making history with double overtimes and buzzer beater shots. (And if you’re following our March Madness Workout Challenge<\/a>, a buzzer beater is equal to five star jumps.)<\/p>\n

What makes these athletes unbeatable? Exceptional agility. We\u2019re talking fast feet, quick reflexes, flawless footwork and straight-up explosiveness. Agility is an incredibly important factor for every athlete because it allows the body to move quickly and <\/em>easily while adapting to constantly changing circumstances, says Anja Garcia, former NCAA Division I athlete and DailyBurn 365 trainer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong>\u00a020 Minute HIIT Workout to Get Fit, Fast<\/a><\/p>\n

And luckily, you don\u2019t need to be All-Conference material to reap the benefits of training like an athlete<\/a>. We asked Garcia to design a workout to help anyone jump higher, run faster and move more efficiently. She\u2019s bringing the burn, high-intensity interval training<\/a> (HIIT) style.<\/p>\n

By alternating between high-intensity, all-out efforts and brief rest periods, \u201cthe body\u2019s demand for oxygen rises, creating a deficit and making the body ask for more during recovery,\u201d says Garcia. Translation: Your body will continue to burn calories<\/a> even after your sweat session in order to help regain its store of oxygen.<\/p>\n

The March Madness Sweet 16 HIIT Workout<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ready to play? Just because this workout is only 16 minutes doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s going to be easy. Before you begin, warm up by alternating between jump rope, jumping jacks and lateral lunges for five minutes. Then grab a basketball (or any lightweight ball) and follow along with the GIFs below. Perform each exercise for one minute, then take a 30-second rest after you\u2019ve done all five. Repeat for two more rounds (that\u2019s three rounds total). Ball\u2019s in your court \u2014 so go bust a move!<\/p>\n

\"Sweet<\/p>\n

1. Squat, Shoot and Press
\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Targets:<\/strong> Quads, glutes, rotational movement and core
\nHow to:<\/strong> Stand in a neutral position with your feet hip-width apart, holding a basketball in front of your stomach. Lower into a squat position, making sure your core is engaged and your chest remains upright. Send your hips and bottom back (a<\/strong>). Explode through your heels, jumping straight up and bringing your arms and the basketball directly overhead (b<\/strong>). Land on the balls of your feet and bring the basketball back in front of your chest (c<\/strong>). Step your right foot out to the side, then rotate your upper and lower body so you are in a forward lunge with your right foot in front. Make sure both legs are at 90-degree angles, and quickly press the basketball out in front of you (c<\/strong>). Return to the starting position and repeat movement on the other side.<\/p>\n

RELATED:\u00a0<\/strong>The 5-Minute Ab Workout to Strengthen Your Core<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Sweet<\/p>\n

2. Basketball Push-Ups<\/h3>\n

Targets:<\/strong> Chest, shoulders and core
\nHow to:<\/strong> Start in a basic plank<\/a> position with the ball under your left hand. Make sure your wrists are under your shoulders and your body is in a straight line from head to toe (a<\/strong>). Bend your elbows so your upper body descends to the ground. Then, press upwards back to the plank position (b<\/strong>). After completing the first push-up, roll the basketball under your body to your right hand (c<\/strong>). Perform another push-up with your right hand on the ball (d<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

\"Sweet<\/p>\n

3. Lunge Layup<\/h3>\n

Targets:<\/strong> Quads, glutes and core
\nHow to:<\/strong> Begin standing with your feet hip-width apart while holding the basketball in front of your stomach. Lunge back with your left leg, keeping your right shin perpendicular to the ground. At the same time, tap the basketball to the ground next to the inside of your front foot (a<\/strong>). Then, spring off your right foot while driving your left knee up. Pretend to do a layup with the ball as you jump up (b<\/strong>). Repeat as fast as you can for 30 seconds, then switch sides.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>5 Power Lunges for Killer Glutes<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Sweet<\/p>\n

4. Lateral Shuffle Shot<\/h3>\n

Targets:<\/strong> Quads, glutes, outer thigh, calves, shoulders and core
\nHow to:<\/strong> Balanced on the balls of your feet, start in a half-squat position. Hold the ball in front of your upper body (a<\/strong>). Quickly shuffle four steps to the right, keeping your upper body facing front, with the back straight and core engaged (b<\/strong>). Jump up and raise your arms and the basketball above your head (c<\/strong>). Shuffle to the left and take a shot (d<\/strong>). Repeat as fast as you can.<\/p>\n

\"Sweet<\/p>\n

5. Plyometric Lunges with Figure 8s<\/h3>\n

Targets:<\/strong> Quads, glutes, core and endurance
\nHow to:<\/strong> Start with your right leg forward in a lunge position, with both knees at 90-degree angles. Your shoulders should be pulled back with your chest up, and hips facing forward. Hold the ball in front of your chest (a<\/strong>). With your left hand, pass the ball under your right thigh and transfer it to your right hand (b<\/strong>). Next, explode off the balls of your feet and launch yourself upwards. Midair, bring your right leg back and your left leg forward. Transfer the ball to your left hand, and keep your upper body relatively stable (c<\/strong>). Land in a lunge, with your left foot forward. Weave the ball under your left thigh and transfer it to your left hand (d<\/strong>). Repeat as fast as you can.<\/p>\n

Want a new workout every day?\u00a0Head to DailyBurn.com\/365<\/a>\u00a0and sign up free for 30 days.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Originally published March 2015. Updated March 2017.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Got basketball on the brain this month? This March Madness-inspired HIIT workout will blast calories and build athleticism in just 16 minutes flat. Ball\u2019s in your court! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":57136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,24,6],"tags":[139,141,341,343,100],"class_list":["post-38353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cardio","category-exercise","category-fitness","tag-hiit","tag-sports","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise","tag-workout"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38353\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}