Get All the Benefits of HIIT and None of the Impact With This 20-Minute Elliptical Workout

Raise your hand if you like spending hours plodding along on the treadmill. Anyone? Right. Doing high-intensity intervals on the elliptical is a great low-impact alternative. You'll increase endurance, strengthen upper- and lower-body muscles and burn calories while going easy on your joints.

And all of that can be accomplished in just 20 minutes. By alternating between bouts of all-out effort and shorter recovery periods (the hallmarks of HIIT), you'll reap same health benefits as steady-state moderate-intensity workouts that are twice as long, according to a July 2016 study published in ‌PLoS One‌.

These HIIT benefits include improved (lowered) blood pressure and increased VO2 max (maximum oxygen consumption and a measure of cardiovascular fitness).

Ready to boost your heart rate? Hop on the elliptical and give this 20-minute low-impact HIIT workout a shot.

‌Do:‌ 5 minutes at a low resistance (1 to 3). But the end, you want to have broken out in a light sweat or feel a bit "clammy" with your heart rate slightly elevated.

‌Do:‌ 5 minutes of slow, steady-state cardio on the lowest resistance setting. Take deep, slow breaths. As you approach the last minute, slow your movements down even more as if you were going in slow motion.

Because the lower-body, core and upper-body muscles are working continuously, the elliptical is a great way to burn calories, especially if you focus on high-intensity intervals.

While the exact number of calories burned varies person to person, depending on factors like weight, age, gender and genetics, a 125-pound person can expect to burn about 540 calories in an hour and a 185-pound person expends about 800, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

The gliding motion of the elliptical is similar to walking in mid-air. Unlike the high-impact jolting that can occur with running and jogging, this fluid movement reduces stress and strain on your ankles, knees and hips, according to a September 2013 study from ‌Gait and Posture‌.

This is ideal for those who have existing joint pain or previous lower-body injuries — or those looking to get in shape without the fear of repetitive wear and tear.

When done correctly and utilizing the handles, the elliptical can be a great full-body workout, since you have to sync up the push-and-pull movement of the handles with the lower-body movement of the pedals.