Giulia Ralph is a qualified Nutritionist, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Weightlifting Coach, and Personal Trainer. She has a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutrition and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Human Nutrition.
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A low-impact cardio workout could appeal if you wish to get your heart rate up without sporting an injury. Also, anyone recovering from an injury and beginners as well can enjoy a cardio blast without overworking anything that shouldn’t work too hard.
Working out at home, in a gym, or as a senior worried about your knees is a breeze with low-impact cardio. Before diving into multiple workouts, let’s see why low-impact cardio is the best choice.
A good low-impact cardio workout means you don’t (11):
The Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas describes low-impact cardio that usually keeps one foot on the ground (11). With this intensity, you can still increase your heart rate, keeping it elevated at a comfortable rate.
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Some popular low-impact exercises with different intensity levels include:
Is walking cardio (13)? A brisk walking speed of 3-4 miles per hour is moderate-intensity and 4-5 miles per hour is high-intensity cardio. Walking at the right pace increases your heart rate without pounding your feet.
More low-impact cardio exercises include:
WebMD suggests swimming is the best low-impact exercise (10). The water’s buoyancy provides a form of resistance training while you enjoy low-impact cardio without putting strain on your joints. Meanwhile, it has added benefits:
Additionally, warm water soothes achy joints, while cold water helps burn more calories (10). That said, here’s how to enjoy the best low-impact cardio swimming routine:
Unfortunately, swimming isn’t always possible. You’ll find more low-impact cardio workouts. But first, look into the benefits, whether or not you can lose weight, and the top exercises available.
Low-impact cardio workouts benefit those who can’t do high-impact exercise or run miles daily. Let’s discover the potential benefits:
Grady Health lists the lower risk of joint injuries as one of the main benefits of low-impact workouts (1). Follow the proper form or breathing techniques, but they don’t put as much pressure on your joints. It’s ideal if you have arthritis, old injuries, or haven’t worked your joints long.
The Victoria Department of Health shares how cycling, a popular low-impact exercise, can improve (5):
Also, regular low-impact cycling can potentially reduce the risk of (5):
Cardio workouts are more fun when you aren’t challenging yourself to run 20 miles on the same route daily. Also, you might not own a treadmill. Fun cardio allows you to use low-impact training while enjoying the session (9). Dance movements, rock climbing, and dog walking can excite the session.
Read more: Low Impact Workout: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners
Low-intensity steady-state exercises can burn more fat than high-intensity training (14). In addition, the Victoria Department of Health and MD Anderson Cancer Center agree that low-impact cardio helps to lose weight (5, 20).
The Forbes calorie-burn calculator shows the following calories burned per hour with low-impact workouts if you weigh 150 lbs. (3):
The calculated results above show how you burn calories per hour. The Mayo Clinic recommends doing 150 minutes weekly of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes weekly of vigorous exercise to lose weight and maintain health (8). Do 20 minutes of high-intensity cardio four days weekly to lose weight. Or, do 21.5 minutes of moderate cardio daily for the entire week.
Two kinds of low-impact workouts exist for different goals and fitness levels. Understand how each one is effective for different people.
Low-intensity steady-state movements are deliberate cardio exercises that work well with low-impact workouts (14). You use moderate or low-intensity activities that last longer while deliberately managing the movements to get the most out of the routine.
For example, you swim for 45-60 minutes daily instead of using high-intensity swimming strokes for 30 minutes. The MD Anderson Cancer Center says steady-state, low-impact exercises can help improve the following (20):
Low-impact, low-intensity (LIIT) trainers maximize their benefits in longer workouts. It also works for seasoned trainers using deliberate movements to improve muscle mass.
High-intensity, low-impact workouts better suit those with shorter exercise times or who want to burn more calories. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) can consist of low-impact exercises. The calorie-burning calculator from Forbes shows how low-impact HIIT may burn more calories (3):
Getting your heart pumped more will help you burn more calories. Here’s how many calories you burn per hour in moderate versus vigorous-intensity workouts if you weigh 150 lbs.:
| 12-13.9 mph cycling | 576 | 20 mph cycling | 1188 |
| Moderate low-impact calisthenics | 324 | Vigorous low-impact calisthenics | 612 |
| Moderate dance (ballroom, disco) | 396 | Vigorous dance (ballet, twist) | 432 |
| Moderate rowing | 504 | Vigorous rowing | 738 |
| Moderate swimming (general) | 432 | Vigorous swimming (laps) | 720 |
Various low-impact exercises are excellent to add to your workouts. Before diving into the different workout plans, let’s see which low-impact exercises are the top choices.
Medical News Today shares the benefits of a low-impact assault bike session at the gym (2). The assault air bike works every muscle in your body while you cool down with a massive fan. Also, the harder you push, the more resistance it offers. Finally, assault bikes can be tons of fun for any fitness level.
WebMD recommends circuit training to target strength and low-impact exercise circuits (4). Circuit training is one of the fun cardio options because you can switch gym stations when bored or shake things up in your routine at home. It’s a flexible, low-impact option. Circuit training with or without equipment at home may include the following:
Gym machines to use in circuit training for low-impact exercises include:
Circuit training requires moving between 8-10 machines and exercises within a circuit (4). You may perform 10-25 reps on each and have little to no rest between changes. The order of the machines or exercises doesn’t matter, and you can include other low-impact exercises on the coming list.
Cycling remains a popular low-impact exercise (5). Meanwhile, it can be high or low-intensity. Cycle for 30 minutes at a low speed without lowering the gears too much. Alternatively, do a high-intensity session where you cycle vigorously for 30 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, and repeat for five minutes.
Today.com shares the incredible benefits beyond the low-impact dance movement of Barre (19). The rising dance movement combines yoga, ballet, and pilates for a low-impact but moderate to high-intensity exercise. It’s a full-body workout that can improve posture, mobility, flexibility, and injury recovery.
The Insider suggests you forget the high-impact treadmill and hop onto the elliptical machine next (17). It helps those with fragile joints and chronic knee, ankle, and back pain. The elliptical machine is low-impact and effectively works the whole body.
The New York Times suggests kettlebell training for anyone with limited mobility because it’s the ideal low-impact exercise (12). Also, kettlebell training can improve grip strength in seniors. Meanwhile, use kettlebell exercises that don’t pound your feet against the floor, such as:
Livestrong says cardio pilates may help increase your lung capacity as a low-impact workout (16). A higher lung capacity means your heart pumps harder to get more oxygen to your muscles. Not all Pilates is cardio. Here are some Pilates cardio exercises Livestrong includes in the cardio routine, which requires swift transitions and low rest times:
The Cleveland Clinic recommends rowing as a low-impact exercise in a gym or on the lake (18). Meanwhile, it’s another low-impact exercise that welcomes various intensities, depending on your needs. Row more vigorously to burn more calories, or slow down to tighten those core muscles with deliberate movements.
That upright SkiErg machine is a low-impact workout resembling the motions of a skier. Forbes’ calorie-burning calculator shows how you burn 684 calories per hour if you weigh 150 lbs. (3). It focuses on upper-body workouts that help anyone with lower-body injuries or pain.
Swimming is the ultimate low-impact exercise. However, Finnish researchers found that high-intensity swimming was helpful in women with arthritis (6). Postmenopausal women with osteoarthritis could walk faster and managed to lose weight after four months of water aerobics resistance training. Increase the intensity of swimming by using different strokes and paces.
Chinese research suggests Tai Chi can improve cardiorespiratory health as much as running in previously sedentary men (7). Fortunately, Tai Chi doesn’t have the forceful foot-pounding movements of running. It’s an ideal low-impact alternative for beginners or those with creaky joints or pain.
Walking is one of the best and most accessible low-impact exercises to add to any workout. However, the CDC recommends doing 10,000 steps daily as a beginner (15). Also, ensure you’re walking briskly to achieve a moderate 150 minutes weekly or 30 minutes daily, five days weekly.
WebMD recommends faster forms of yoga for low-impact training, like Bikram and Power Yoga (21). The more rapid transitions can elevate your heart rate to add cardio, while controlled breathing helps your body send oxygen to every muscle. Meanwhile, it’s entirely low-impact.
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Let’s find the different low-impact cardio workout plans that suit different needs. You’ll discover beginners and seniors before the gym versus home and HIIT plans.
Low-impact cardio workouts for beginners often exclude weights, equipment, or machines unless you’re at a gym. If you’re a gym member, please try the workout circuit for gyms. Otherwise, use a LIIT session where you slow things down and control the movements (14).
Complete 10-12 reps of each exercise with slow, deliberate movements lasting 1-2 minutes per exercise. Do 2-3 sets while resting for 30-60 seconds between sets.
Seniors may have painful joints, arthritis, or previous injuries. Low-impact cardio workouts for seniors should include the lowest-impact exercises, like swimming (10). Unfortunately, some might not have access to a pool. If this is the case, let’s plan your workout around weightless, steady-state low-impact activities.
Start with 8-10 reps for each exercise, keeping them slow and deliberate, lasting 1-2 minutes each. Complete 1-2 sets with 30-60 seconds of rest between them. Also, go for a 10-minute brisk walk after your workout finishes.
A low-impact cardio workout at home is ideal for anyone with limited space or who wants to lose weight. Add kettlebells or dumbbells to increase resistance to your cardio workout to incorporate the recommended strength training (8). Complete 10-12 reps of each exercise through 3-4 sets with only 30 seconds of rest between sets.
Let’s do an exciting circuit at the gym as your low-impact workout. Remember that a circuit must include a certain amount of time or reps on each machine, with short rest between stations (4). Choose reps based on your fitness level. Follow this machine circuit for the gym:
Also, use these alternatives for any machines if your gym doesn’t have them. Otherwise, use the alternatives if you want some exercises without machines but with equipment at the gym:
A low-impact HIIT workout works for those with higher fitness levels seeking to burn more calories (20, 3). Perform each exercise for 30-60 seconds with 2-3 sets while resting for 10-20 seconds between sets. Don’t rest too long, or your heart rate will drop.
Read more: Low Impact Exercises for Seniors to Keep Fit and Healthy
Low-impact cardio is better for seniors, people with arthritis, old injuries, and those who haven’t exercised joints for some time. One of Grady’s Health’s top low-impact exercise benefits is that it places less pressure on your joints and reduces injury risks (1).
Thirty minutes of cardio is enough. The Mayo Clinic recommends 150 minutes weekly for moderate-intensity cardio with two strength-training days (8). Split your 150 minutes into five cardio training days for 30 minutes per workout.
You could do cardio daily, but the Mayo Clinic recommends adding two strength-training days (8). Use the recommended 30 minutes of cardio five days weekly and fill the other two days with strength or resistance training. Alternatively, use kettlebells to add resistance to cardio workouts if you do them daily.
Low-impact cardio workouts offer beginners and those with joint issues an opportunity to benefit as much as someone joining a high-impact HIIT session. Some workouts are easy at home, while others work in the gym. Choose the training that suits you, and start yours today.
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