While we’re all for equipment-free training, “no equipment” often means high impact on your joints. If your knees, wrists and shoulders are hating life right now, this low-impact home workout is for you. It still uses zero equipment, but you won’t be doing any jumps, push-ups or high planks. Sound like sweet relief? Let’s get started!
Start with a dynamic warm-up. If your joints are hurting, it’s especially important not to skip your warm-up. Spend some extra time on areas where you feel tightness. Once you’ve finished your warm-up, you can move on to the main workout.
Try This Low-Impact Home Workout
The workout uses supersets – that’s two or more exercises done back to back with no rest between them. This helps elevate your heart rate, even though you’re doing low-impact moves.
You’ll do each superset five times, then you get a 45-second rest. Try only to rest in the dedicated rest breaks, but if you need to sneak another rest break here and there, rest just long enough to catch your breath. At the end, there’s a Tabata finisher. For the finisher, it’s important to push hard and only rest for the stipulated 10-second rest breaks.
SET 1
Reverse Lunges & Standing Cross-Body Crunch
Rounds: 5
Do each move for 30 seconds, with 45 seconds of rest in between each move.
If your knees hurt doing lunges, try swapping them for reverse lunges. When you’re not stepping forward, you’re not loading the knee joint with as much pressure as you would in a forward lunge.
READ MORE: “I’m A Yoga Instructor And Do These 8 Moves To Open My Hips And Loosen Tight Lower-Body Muscles.”
SET 2
Standing Calf Raises & Grapevine Sprints
Rounds: 5
Do 15 calf raises and 30 seconds of grapevine sprints.
This combo will get a nice burn in those calves, without hurting your knees or lower back. Plus, grapevines are good for agility and coordination.
READ MORE: “I’m A Trainer And Do These 11 Shoulder Stretches Weekly To Combat Stiffness And Improve Posture”
SET 3
Prisoner Wall Sit & Fast Feet
Rounds: 5
Do the wall sit for one minute and fast feet for 30 seconds.
Wall sits are good for strengthening weak knees. Keeping your hands behind your head in the wall sit forces your back to stay upright against the wall. The result: you load your glutes, rather than your quads and hamstrings, taking pressure off your knees.
READ MORE: This Is The Women’s Health Fitness Editor’s Go-To Warm-Up Before Any Workout
SET 4
Alternating Dead Bug, Hip Thrust & Ankle Thrusts
Rounds: 5
Do ten dead bugs, 12 hip thrusts and ankle touches for 30 seconds.
This set will hit your abs from all angles. Be sure to keep your pelvis tilted slightly so that your lower back makes contact with the ground at all times. If your back starts to arch, stop immediately and reset.
READ MORE: 5 Beginner Yoga Poses To Help You Sleep Better
TABATA FINISHER
Lateral Shuffle, Knee-To-Elbow, Lateral Sprints & Fast Feet
Rounds: 2
Do the moves in order, doing as many reps as you can in 20 seconds, then resting only 10 seconds before starting the next move. When you’ve done all four moves, rest for your 10 seconds, then immediately repeat the circuit. You really want to give it horns during your work periods. if you have lower back pain, don’t touch the floor. If not, you must touch the floor!
Watch the moves being done here:
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