What Is High Intensity With Kayla Itsines?

You may have heard about my High Intensity with Kayla Itsines program, and the #SweatwithKayla Community — but you might not know what High Intensity with Kayla actually is, and how it all started.

When my program started out in 2014, it was named BBG, with women all around the world making up the BBG Community (you can read more about why I changed the name of BBG here). 

It’s now called High Intensity with Kayla, but my program, with its effective training style, is the same as when it was created. The community has grown SO much over the years, and one of the things I am most proud of is how the #SweatwithKayla Community support and uplift each other. 

Here’s the background on how High Intensity with Kayla started, what it is, and answers to some of your top questions!

What is High Intensity with Kayla?

High Intensity with Kayla is my fitness program, best known for its short, effective workouts.

I designed High Intensity with Kayla to help women everywhere achieve their fitness goals in workouts that require minimal equipment and only 28 minutes of your time — I wanted my program to be FLEXIBLE for women who have busy lives.

The original High Intensity with Kayla program was called BBG, and started as an eBook, with 12 weeks of resistance training and other educational content. This eBook was so popular that we built an app, which became the Sweat app that you can use today!

Since then, I’ve released other programs including Post-Pregnancy, Low Impact with Kayla, High Intensity Zero Equipment with Kayla (formerly BBG Zero Equipment), and my gym-based High Intensity Strength program (formerly BBG Stronger), which are all available in the Sweat app. 

I’ve seen so many women who train with me start to become stronger as they commit to regular exercise. As they become stronger, their confidence increases. I want EVERY woman in the world to experience this type of transformation!

How does High Intensity with Kayla work?

There are now 92 weeks of High Intensity with Kayla workouts available in the Sweat app, including eight Beginner weeks. 

The Beginner weeks are designed to get you used to my style of training and will help anyone starting (or re-starting) their fitness journey build a base fitness to prepare for high-intensity exercise. 

I use a training method called progressive overload, which means that as you progress and your fitness improves, the workouts become more challenging so that you can continue to achieve results.

My programs also combine cardio and resistance training to help you build strength and fitness — I recommend completing two to three 28-minute resistance workouts each week, and three to four low-intensity cardio sessions, with high-intensity cardio optional from Week 9 once you’ve built a fitness foundation.   

When you use the Sweat app, you’ll find easy to follow instructions, timers and video demonstrations of each exercise.

The Sweat app also contains optional workouts, challenges, recovery sessions and importantly, the community forum where you can talk to like-minded women — from all over the world! 

There’s a planner to help you to schedule your workouts, the option to store or share progress photos and nutrition recommendations. 

What’s included in a High Intensity with Kayla workout? 

High Intensity with Kayla workouts are 28-minute resistance sessions — each with a different area of focus — that are made up of two circuits. They use bodyweight strength and cardio exercises, and from Week 5 of the beginner weeks of the program, plyometrics (jump training) is introduced. 

The circuits are seven minutes long and feature three or four exercises. The goal is to complete as many rounds of the exercises as you can in seven minutes! For a 28-minute workout, you’ll complete each circuit twice. 

Is High Intensity with Kayla suitable for beginners?

My High Intensity with Kayla workouts will challenge you! For women new to high-intensity training,  you can start from the first of the eight Beginner weeks of the program in the Sweat app. The Beginner weeks will build up your fitness and help prepare you for the training you’ll be doing from Week 1 of High Intensity with Kayla. 

(If you need a program that's even easier to follow and gentle on your joints, I recommend trying my Low Impact with Kayla program first.) 

The first four Beginner weeks of High Intensity with Kayla focus on building base fitness, with jumping exercises only introduced from Week 5. 

The first six Beginner weeks include two resistance workouts each week (there is an optional extra one if you want more!), and a third workout is added in Week 7. This means that the exercise program only gets harder as you get fitter and stronger. 

Can High Intensity with Kayla be done at home? 

You can do High Intensity with Kayla workouts at home, and I designed the workouts so you can do them anywhere! They require minimal equipment — this means you can do them at home, outdoors or even while travelling! 

Of course, you can do High Intensity with Kayla in the gym as well.

What equipment is needed for High Intensity with Kayla?

High Intensity with Kayla uses minimal equipment. 

During the Beginner weeks of the program you’ll need:

• Recovery band
• Resistance band
• Yoga mat
• Dumbbells
• Chair
• Foam roller (Recovery)

High Intensity with Kayla has been specifically designed for home workouts  you can do in small spaces. The equipment needed for the rest of the program includes:

• Exercise mat
• Chair
• Skipping rope
• Dumbbells 

Don’t worry if you don’t have all the equipment. You can make do with equipment substitutions using household items to replace dumbbells or a towel instead of a yoga mat! Or, you can try my High Intensity Zero Equipment program in the Sweat app.

Can High Intensity with Kayla be done post-pregnancy? 

If you want to start exercising after pregnancy, you can try my Post-Pregnancy program, which has been endorsed by a panel of leading obstetricians and exercise physiologists. However, you will need to have clearance from your own doctor before you begin.

You can find my Post-Pregnancy program in the Sweat app.

Is High Intensity with Kayla available in other languages?  

Yes! High Intensity with Kayla is available in seven languages other than English in the Sweat app, including German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and Chinese.

What is the Sweat with Kayla Community? 

The Sweat with Kayla Community was created by women using my High Intensity with Kayla program to support each other on their journey. 

These women are from all over the world — with different backgrounds and ages, as well as varying fitness levels — and use my programs as a way to connect. They motivate and support each other through every week — it is incredibly inspiring!

Their hard work, dedication and sweat motivate ME to continue helping women to feel confident through fitness and I look to the community for feedback, so that I can continue to provide you with tools to help you throughout YOUR fitness journey. 

Ready to start High Intensity with Kayla?

Whether you are just beginning your health and fitness journey or you’ve been exercising for a while, you can use my High Intensity with Kayla program to achieve your goals!

My workouts are only 28 minutes, so it’s easier to make time for exercise when you have a busy lifestyle.

Now that you know how High Intensity with Kayla came about, I hope you’ll join me and the amazing Sweat with Kayla Community as we empower and encourage each other! 

What motivated you to start your fitness journey? Let me know in the comments!