Jennis Fitness

For today’s ‘At Home With Jess’ garage circuit, Jessica Ennis-Hill is putting us through our paces with some cheeky progressions on a few classic moves. Get ready to feel the burn…

Each week Jessica Ennis-Hill is sharing a new circuit from her Jennis app so that you get an at-home exercise session that makes you feel properly worked out. And, once you get your breath back, pumped full of those feel-good exercise hormones, endorphins (or #Jendorphins, as we like to call them).

Even better, all the circuits Jess is sharing throughout lockdown use bodyweight exercises and minimal equipment, which means there's no need for lots of kit or space, but you still feel like you have really made it count.

Wondering if 15 minutes is enough to make a difference? Well, it turns out that the Pyramid HIIT-style circuits that Jess shares may help you burn up to 25-30% more calories than if you jog or cycle at one pace, known as ‘steady-state’ exercise.

According to a 2015 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research , which investigated calorie spend for nine healthy men, HIIT-based workouts came out on top for per minute calorie burn:

• HIIT workout – burned 12.50 calories per minute

• running – 9.48 calories per minute

• cycling – 9.23 calories per minute

How does the session work?

Each of Jess's Jennis app workouts are just 20 - 29 minutes long and target all your muscle groups through sets of just 7 exercises.

For today's session, Jess is taking you through 3 sets of 7 exercises, where she varies the amount of time that you perform each exercise for so that you keep tricking and challenging your body (which is how you get progressively fitter ).

There’s no need to think too much or worry about what’s coming next as Jess coaches you through every minute and move, so all you need to do is focus on enjoying it and going as hard as you can.

What will I need

For this circuit all you’ll need is a single dumbbell, but if you don’t have one to hand there are plenty of things you can use instead – a baked bean can if you want to go lighter or something like a paint can or waterbottle if you want to add some intensity. You’ll also need an exercise mat or towel to lie on.