No-Jump HIIT: High Intensity, Low Impact

Groups turn a jump-heavy HIIT into a version with no flight phase that still feels hard. It's a way to train hard while protecting ankles and knees, and to work out at home without bothering the neighbors.

How to play

1. Context: why no-jump HIIT matters (ankle or knee issues, apartments, crowded spaces) and how to keep intensity up (speed, range, arm drive) (3 min).
2. Design in groups of 4: each sheet lists five jumping moves (burpee, jumping jack, jump squat, jump lunge, high knees); the group invents a no-flight alternative for each (6 min).
3. Cross-test: another group tries each alternative for 30 s and reports their RPE; if it's under 7, the authors tweak it (6 min).
4. Final block: two rounds of the five chosen moves, 30 s on and 30 s off, the whole class together (10 min).

Rules

• No flight phase: one foot always on the floor.
• The alternative must hit the same muscle groups as the original.
• Work on mats or clean floor, with shoes tied.
• Anyone with an ache picks the gentlest version, no explanation needed.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited leg mobility: the group also designs a seated upper-body and core version.
• Hearing impairment: interval changes are signaled by raising and lowering a card.
• Body self-consciousness: offer a spot at the back and avoid any pace comparisons.

Learning goals

• Design high-intensity, low-impact exercises.
• Analyze what makes an exercise demanding beyond jumping.
• Value injury prevention when programming HIIT.

Equipment for a class of 25

• exercise sheets: 7
• pens: 7
• mats: 30
• stopwatch: 1

Teacher tip

Have one backup alternative per exercise in case a group gets stuck (for example, a step-back burpee). The common mistake is making the alternative slow: remind them the key is speed through full range.

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