Fat loss is driven by your energy balance, not by any single workout. What training does is protect muscle while you are in a deficit and raise the total work you can do each week. That is why this plan is two strength circuits plus two interval sessions rather than four cardio blasts.
Every session fits in 30 minutes including the warm-up. Two sessions keep loads heavy and rest short; two sessions push heart rate into a hard but repeatable range. Keep protein around 1.6 g per kilogram of bodyweight and aim for a moderate calorie deficit — the training only works alongside that.
Who this plan is for
You have 30 minutes, four times a week
You want to keep muscle while losing fat
You have access to one kettlebell or a pair of dumbbells
You prefer structured intervals over open-ended cardio
Equipment needed
Dumbbells or kettlebell · Rower, bike or open space
The 4-week schedule
Week 1 — Establish the pace
4 sessions
On interval days, pick an effort you could repeat for every round — the first round should feel too easy.
Day
Session
Sets & reps
Day 1 — Strength circuit
Lower emphasis
3 rounds, 45 s rest between rounds: Goblet squat x 10 · Romanian deadlift x 10 · Push-up x 12 · Kettlebell swing x 15 · Plank 40 s
Day 2 — Intervals
30/30
6 min easy warm-up · 12 rounds of 30 s hard / 30 s easy · 4 min cooldown
Day 3 — Strength circuit
Upper emphasis
3 rounds: Overhead press x 10 · One-arm row x 12 per side · Reverse lunge x 10 per leg · Farmer carry 40 m · Dead bug x 10 per side
Day 4 — Zone 2
Steady aerobic
28 min continuous easy effort — you should be able to hold a conversation throughout
Week 2 — More density
4 sessions
Same circuits, rest cut to 30 s. Intervals gain two rounds.
Day
Session
Sets & reps
Day 1
Lower circuit
3 rounds, 30 s rest
Day 2
Intervals
14 rounds of 30 s / 30 s
Day 3
Upper circuit
3 rounds, 30 s rest
Day 4
Zone 2
30 min continuous
Week 3 — Heavier and longer
4 sessions
Add load to the circuits and lengthen the work interval. Rest returns to 45 s so the loads stay honest.
Day
Session
Sets & reps
Day 1
Lower circuit
4 rounds, +1 dumbbell increment, 45 s rest
Day 2
Intervals
8 rounds of 60 s hard / 60 s easy
Day 3
Upper circuit
4 rounds, +1 increment, 45 s rest
Day 4
Zone 2
32 min continuous
Week 4 — Recover and measure
4 sessions
Volume drops by a third. Take waist measurement and bodyweight at the same time of day as week 1.
Day
Session
Sets & reps
Day 1
Lower circuit
3 rounds, week 3 loads
Day 2
Intervals
6 rounds of 60 s / 60 s
Day 3
Upper circuit
3 rounds, week 3 loads
Day 4
Measure
20 min easy walk · record bodyweight and waist
How to progress
1Weeks 1–2 raise density by cutting rest. Week 3 raises load and interval length. Week 4 recovers.
2Keep strength loads heavy — dropping weight to move faster removes the muscle-protecting stimulus.
3Judge progress by weekly average bodyweight and waist measurement, not single-day readings.
4Sleep under seven hours consistently blunts fat loss more than any training variable; treat it as part of the plan.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories should I eat on this plan?
A deficit of roughly 300–500 calories a day suits most people, which typically produces 0.25–0.5 kg of loss per week. Faster than that and you begin losing meaningful muscle alongside fat.
Is HIIT better than steady cardio for fat loss?
Neither is inherently better — total energy expenditure and adherence decide the outcome. This plan uses both because intervals are time-efficient and steady work is easy to recover from.
Can I add a fifth session?
Add an easy walk or a second zone 2 session rather than a third hard day. In a calorie deficit, recovery capacity is the limiting factor.
Run this plan inside the app
These protocols follow the same movement patterns, with block timers, equipment substitutions and progress tracking built in.
