Want a great, fat-blasting, cardio workout that you can do in just 30 minutes AND at home?? Well then, here you go!

This is one of my HIIT workouts that I have designed for you busy Hot Mamas on the go! What is HIIT, you ask? It stands for High Intensity Interval Training, and it basically consists of circuits of exercises that will jack your heart rate up quickly, with short rest periods in between. This has been shown to be more effective at torching fat than longer periods of steady-state cardio (such as the treadmill or elliptical). That's because you create an "oxygen debt", which allows your body to burn more calories. Here's a little explanation about what an oxygen debt is:

“When you exercise, your body uses oxygen to create energy. But when you reach a high intensity during exercise, your body’s need for oxygen exceeds your ability to breathe in that much oxygen and deliver it to the muscles. When this happens, your body goes into an ‘oxygen debt’. Once you go into oxygen debt, not only do your muscles begin to burn and you begin to breathe hard, but you also put your body into a state where it needs to ‘repay’ that oxygen debt after exercise...when you breathe more and breathe deeper, your body burns more calories. Depending on how hard you’ve worked, this oxygen repaying can help you burn anywhere from a few dozen to over a hundred extra calories each hour after you exercises, for up to 24 hours after you’re finished!”

— Ben Greenfield, www.quickanddirtytips.com

Did you get all that? Basically, the harder you work for that shorter period of time, the more calories you'll burn in the long run! If you're like me, anything that can get a workout done in a shorter period of time (AND burn more calories) is for me!

Now, are you ready to bust it?? Take out that stopwatch (or use the one on your phone), find a small open space, and let's get to work!

30 Minute HIIT

Designed By: Jayme Williams

Jump rope (you don't even have to own a jump rope!)* - 2 min

Rest - 30 seconds

Burpees with Pushup** - 2 min

Rest - 30 seconds

High Knees*** - 2 min

Rest - 30 seconds

Jump Squats**** - 2 min

Rest - 30 seconds

(Repeat entire circuit x 3 for a total of 30 minutes)

Explantation of Exercises:

*You can either use a jump rope (jumping at a moderate-fast pace), mimic the use of a jump rope with your hands while jumping (at a moderate-fast pace), OR run up and down stairs if you have those available and would rather do that.

**Starting in a standing position, quickly move into a pushup stance. Perform a pushup (whether on your toes or knees), and then hop back up to a standing position. From here, raise your arms and jump up into the air. That is one "burpee".

***Starting in a standing position, raise one bent knee as high as you can out in front of you, and then quickly switch to the other knee. Repeat this. It should look like you're running with an exaggerated elevation of your knees. It also helps to lean back just a little, tighten your core, and pump your arms with the movement.

****Starting in a standard squat position, squat down and touch the ground with your finger tips (or get as close as you can). Then tighten your butt and catapult yourself up out of the squat, raising your arms above your head to increase your height. Try to land on the balls of your feet to lessen the impact on your knees. This is one "jump squat".

Well, how was it?? Hopefully by now you're sweating bullets and feel fantastic! And look: your workout is DONE for the day! Score!

If you have any questions about today's free workout, please comment below or contact me! I'd love to hear from you!

I think I speak for all women when I say we all want a nice, voluptuous, firm tush. I mean, who wants a scrawny, floppy rear end that won't hold up a decent pair of pants? That's what I thought: NO ONE!

I'm sure you've all done the same thing I have...mindlessly thumb through Instagram in search of the perfect booty, and then once you find "the one", you stalk their feed to see what their secret is. Yep, been there. Done that.

I bet you the one thing all of those women with perfect backsides have in common is this: they SQUAT!

I know, I know. You're thinking, "Ahhh, man! But I hate squats!" Trust me---you're not the only one! But as dreadful as they can be, they WORK! That is, as long as you're doing them right!

A weighted squat should be a foundational exercise that is incorporated (in some variation or another) into every lower body workout program. It not only works your butt muscles, but also your thighs, hamstrings, lower back, and core. It basically works your entire lower body in one movement!

Now, let's check out the proper form to maximize your glute-growth, shall we?

The perfect starting squat stance would be this:

-Position your feet shoulder-width apart (or a little wider if you feel comfortable) and keep your toes pointing straight ahead.

-Knees slightly bent and not turned inwards.

-Make sure your back is straight and head is looking forward.

-Keep the weight (if using a barbell) on the meaty part of your shoulders); if using a dumbbell, hold them out to the sides of your knees, making sure not to hit your knees, but not stick them so far out to the sides that you're doing a full shoulder workout.

Now, time to sit down into that squat! Follow these simple guidelines:

-Inhaling, slowly lower yourself down.

-Keep your knees lined up with your toes and legs at 90 degrees. You don't have to go down to the floor to get results; go as low as you comfortably can to avoid strain on your knees. (Sometimes it helps to picture yourself actually sitting in a chair.)

-Keep your back straight and do not lean forward.

-Make sure your weight is in your heels, not your toes; you should be able to wiggle your toes while in a squat.

-Pause at the bottom of the movement so that you're not using your momentum to raise yourself back up.

-Exhaling, really squeeeeeeeeze those glutes, hamstrings, and quads to raise yourself back to a standing position.

-Keep your core tight to prevent back injury, and don't arch your back on the upward movement.

-Don't lock out your knees once you reach the top again.

Of course, I don't expect you to just walk into a gym, throw a barbell over your shoulders, and bust out a bunch of squats. These things, just like other exercises, take time! And just like with other muscle-building exercises, progression is key. By progression, I mean a gradual increase in the intensity of your workout, which can be result from changing the equipment used during the exercise and/or the amount of weight used.

For example, let's say you start out using 15 pound dumbbells (30 pounds total), and your goal is 3 sets of 15-20 reps. Once you can easily do this, it's time for a progressive change. You move on to the Smith machine (the intimidating looking machine that holds the bar in place for you), and increase your weight to 45 pounds. Once you can easily hit your goal again, you increase your weight to 55 pounds and lower your goal rep range to 8-12. When you feel comfortable enough in your form, you change over to the squat rack, where you can freely position the bar on your shoulders and not have the machine holding it for you (definitely more difficult).

All of these are examples of progression, which is exactly how you make those muscles grow! Your muscles respond to the amount of stress you put on them, and in turn, recruit more muscle fibers. Over time, your muscles get used to that amount of stress, and they stop recruiting additional fibers (or stop growing). That's when you have to change equipment, increase weight, etc. to increase the amount of stress, and thus, make those puppies start growing again!

There ya go! Now that you know the basics, it's time to get to squatting, ladies (and gents)!