Gotta go.. slow! Who thought you could get fit without 'leaving it all on the gym floor', as the saying goes? This low-impact workout has at least one foot planted on the ground throughout, which places less strain on your joints. Low-impact exercises such as the below can help you burn calories, improve your core stability and elevate your heart rate, which ultimately increases cardio performance.
Including core exercises in your fitness schedule can also enable you to perform better at other physical activities such as sports by reducing fatigue, increasing endurance and protecting from injury from having weak core muscles – runners and cyclists, take note. Check out the workout below:
In this workout, you need to complete three circuits of cardio exercises and two circuits of core exercises with a warm-up and cooldown to begin and end. Each exercise should last 45 seconds, followed by a 15-second rest; each of these can be completed with only an exercise mat. The exercise list:
- Warm-up (30 seconds each)
- High marches (30 seconds)
- Cross behind ankle slaps (30 seconds)
- Arm circles fwd (30 seconds)
- Arm circles back (30 seconds)
- Walk downs (30 seconds)
- Hamstring scoops (30 seconds)
- Knee lunge cactus arms right (30 seconds)
- Knee lunge cactus arms left (30 seconds)
- Lateral step cross reach (30 seconds)
- Mod. jumping jacks (30 seconds)
- Cardio: (45 seconds each with a 15-second rest)
- Quick hamstring curls (45 seconds)
- Reverse lunge pulses & knee drive right (45 seconds)
- Reverse lunge pulses & knee drive left (45 seconds)
- Squat- squat heel raise
- Heismans
- Core (45 seconds each with a 15-second rest)
- Flutter kicks
- Oblique crunch (right)
- Oblique crunch (left)
- Reclined bicycle
- Curl up D/L stretch
- Cardio (45 seconds each with a 15-second rest)
- Lateral runners (right)
- Lateral runners (left)
- Deadlift lateral squat
- Floor-to-ceiling punches
- Side-to-side toe taps
- Core (45 seconds each with a 15-second rest)
- Plank pike ankle touches
- Forearm plank knee bends
- Side plank dips (right)
- Side plank dips (left)
- Plank alternative knee to elbow
- Cardio (45 seconds each with a 15-second rest)
- Ankle slap lat lunges
- Sumo squat pulses
- Knee drive- mod split squat (right)
- Knee drive- mod split squat (left)
- Lateral quick feet
- Cooldown (30 seconds)
- Lateral lunge stretch
- Swan dives
- Seated hamstring stretch
- Trunk rotations
- Piriformis stretch (Right)
- Piriformis stretch (Left)
- Hip flexors (Left)
- Hip flexors (right)
If you enjoyed this exercise but aiming for something more challenging, then we have a 10-minute, no equipment full-body pump HIIT workout. If you’ve been HIITting these exercises hard and experiencing muscle pain or injuries to your legs, then we recommend trying this 6-minute hamstring flexibility stretching workout. Looking to concentrate further on abdominal exercises? Check out this 4-move-home abdominal workout by Alo Moves instructor Jade morning.