Jumping and hopping may be fine for the Easter Bunny, but it’s not recommended for people recovering from injuries or those who suffer from joint pain. When planning a cardio routine, you’ll find plenty of high-intensity moves– none of which are joint-friendly.
Did you know it’s possible to do a HIIT workout that gets your heart pumping and provides plenty of cardio without jumping, hopping, or skipping? In this blog post, you’ll learn low-impact cardio moves designed to strengthen your heart and blood vessels, increase endurance, and deliver results.
Low-impact warm-up exercise
Low-impact jumping jacks
I know– we said no jumping, and then we went and put “jumping” in the warm-up. Don’t worry. These low-impact jumping jacks involve zero jumping but are guaranteed to get your heart pumping.
Begin by standing with your feet together and your hands by your sides. Now:
- Take one step to the right.
- Bring your left foot to join your right.
- Lift your right foot until it makes a 45° angle with the floor, knee facing forward, while bringing both hands above your head (like you would in a classic jumping jack).
- Return to the starting position.
- Repeat on your left side.
3 low-impact cardio exercises
When getting your heart pumping with low-impact cardio, you’ll want to complete the most repetitions (while using good form) before resting. Choose the work/rest interval that reflects where you are in your fitness journey:
- 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest
- 40 seconds work, 20 seconds rest
- 50 seconds work, 10 seconds rest
In between rounds, rest 30–60 seconds before starting the next interval. In total, complete 3–5 rounds during your workout.
Bear crawl
For GRRRReat results, add a bear crawl to your routine. To complete the bear crawl exercise:
- Begin on all fours with your legs hip-width apart, your arms shoulder-width apart, and your back flat. With your knees at a 90° angle, lift them an inch from the ground.
- Make like a bear and move your right hand and left foot in sync, staying low to the ground.
- Repeat on the other side with your left hand and right foot.
- Take a few bear crawls forward, then reverse to move backward.
Mountain climber twist
Take your heart rate to new heights with the mountain climber twist. To complete this exercise:
- Begin in a high plank with your arms and legs shoulder-width apart, shoulders directly above your wrists, palms flat on the floor, and your core engaged.
- From there, bring your right knee toward your left elbow.
- Return to the starting position.
- Now, bring your left knee toward your right elbow.
- Repeat.
Keep your core engaged, and do the mountain climber twist as quickly as possible to increase your heart rate.
Squat to jab
Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee with the squat to jab move.
To complete this exercise:
- Begin with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your arms in a boxer “ready” pose (hands in fists with your forearms parallel to your chest)
- Keep your chest up, and squat down until your thighs are parallel with the ground.
- Return to standing, and throw a cross-body punch with each arm.
- Repeat.
Complete this exercise quickly to increase your heart rate.
A healthy heart doesn’t require any jumping, hopping, or skipping. Just add this low-impact routine to your fitness plan, and try to increase the number of reps you can complete in the intervals you choose.
