Low-Impact Workouts Are Having a Moment. But the Term May Not Mean What You Think

POPSUGAR Photography / Matthew Kelly

It wasn’t that long ago that box jumps, burpees, and treadmill sprints probably dominated the fitness side of your social feed. Today? I bet he leans more towards things like hot girl walks Y pilates.

There’s been an undeniable shift in fitness culture lately, and it seems to be moving away from brutal, take-it-all workouts toward ones that are, well, a little more laid back. A phrase that usually accompanies the latter? “Low impact.”

Low-impact workouts are often touted as great for joints and beginner-friendly, and while it may seem like a niche category of exercise, there are actually many that fit under the low-impact umbrella. Thing is, as is the case with many fitness buzzwords that are used even when they’re not accurate (see: People Using “HIIT” to Literally Describe Any Workout), it’s not clear how many people actually understand what it means. “Low impact”.

Here, fitness pros clarify what “low impact” means, clear up some misconceptions about low impact workouts, and discuss why everyone should incorporate low impact workouts into their routines.

What exactly does low impact mean?

The general definition of “low impact” is “movements that don’t put a lot of pressure on the body,” according to Oxford Dictionaries. While that’s true, it’s also pretty vague. After all, “all exercise is stress on the body, whether it’s high-impact or low-impact,” CITY ROW founding instructor annie mulgrew tells POPSUGAR. “We want the body to be able to respond to stress effectively, that’s one of the reasons we exercise.”

What really makes a workout low-impact is when “you always have one foot on the ground at any point in your workout,” he says. justin norrisco-founder of LIT method, a low-impact training method. This means no jumps. Think of it this way: “A low-impact workout is one where your body isn’t forced to prepare for impact,” explains Mulgrew.

Low-impact workouts can also be described as more “fluid in motion” as they “create less stress on the joints when the feet or body hit the ground,” explains Xio Colon, personal training leader at sky for life in manhattan

Impact vs Intensity

Just because you’re doing a low-impact workout doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not breaking a sweat. In fact, low-impact workouts can still be very hard, and that’s because impact isn’t the same as intensity. However, people often confuse them.

“Impact is the stress a workout can have on your joints, while intensity is how much you’re challenging yourself,” he explains. Syndey Millercertified Pilates instructor and creator of the HOMEWORK exercise program, which combines low-impact Pilates-style movements with high-intensity cardio and strength exercises.

For example, a high-impact, high-intensity workout would be a set of belches. “That will get your heart rate up very quickly, and you’re also jumping and landing, so there’s an impact against the body,” explains Mulgrew. In the meantime, rowing it’s a high-intensity, low-impact workout because “it’s not load-bearing (since you’re sitting down), but you can row fast or with power, and that’s going to increase the intensity at which your body works.” she says. Then you can also have a low intensity, low impact workout, which would be something like go for a long walk on a flat surface. None of these are inherently better or worse than the others: “It really just depends on what your goals and intentions are,” says Mulgrew.

What workouts are low impact?

“Incorporating low-impact exercises into your current exercise routine may be easier than you think,” says Colon. This is because many workouts are inherently low-impact, such as Pilates, yoga, walking, cycling, swimming, and even strength training. And you can easily do a low-impact workout by removing or modifying any jumping movement. For example, a plyometric hiit workout can be done low-impact if you switch to, say, jump squats and do a calf-raise squat instead.

However, one exercise you can’t do low-impact is run. Because you’re in the air for a brief moment as you transfer your weight from one leg to the other, running, by definition, is high-impact. For that reason, sports that include running or agility, for example (think: tennis, picklefootball and basketball) would be considered high impact.

Who can benefit from low impact workouts?

Honestly, everyone, says Norris. Because so much falls under the low-impact umbrella, there’s something for everyone, no matter your needs and goals.

In particular, because low-impact workouts put less stress on your body and joints, they can be a great option for anyone who has had an injury in the past or wants to prevent injuries in the future, says Miller. Not to mention, low-impact workouts are generally beginner-friendly or people coming back from a training break.

Why is everyone so interested in low impact right now?

The internet’s current love of low-impact exercise is real, from the 12-3-30 training a pilates reformer. But there are several reasons why the trend has changed in this way.

For one thing, “it just feels better,” says Mulgrew. “It allows people to connect with their bodies – it’s an in-body experience rather than an out-of-body experience. It’s not to say that you can’t experience that mind-body connection when you’re doing more impactful things, but when the body doesn’t feel right when you’re doing it, it’s a huge distraction. All you can think about is the discomfort instead of the way your body moves.” Over the past decade, the narrative of cultural fitness has moved from be about aesthetics to be about skills to be on mood and mental health — trade unrealistic beauty standards for self-care. So it makes sense for people to start choosing their workouts based on the feel-good factor rather than caloric reward or body-change promises.

This instinct to pick the move that feels good becomes even more relevant in the wake of a global pandemic. COVID pushed us to slow down life in all aspects, including our workouts. “When you’re already in an emotionally stressful environment, which we all experience, it’s really hard to get the body to do really hard, challenging, impactful workouts,” says Mulgrew. Low-impact workouts are apartment- and living-room-friendly and often seem to have a lower barrier to entry, effort-wise.

Not to mention that they are easier to follow. “Moving in mostly low-impact ways feels great on the body, so it’s easier to do more; you can show up five or six days a week without feeling down,” adds Miller.

Miller, Mulgrew and Norris all agree that, collectively, we’re doing a bit of a course correction from several years ago, when high-impact, high-intensity workouts they were the norm, and there was a general “harder is better” mentality. “Now, people are realizing that there’s a different way to exercise where you can look and feel good and you don’t have to beat your body,” says Norris.

“I think people are tired of doing those things too,” says Mulgrew. “Now the industry is giving people permission, so to speak, to not have to do that kind of training anymore… we’ve gotten smarter as an industry. We know you can still maintain or establish and celebrate the wins without having to.” be so hard on the body.

While low-impact training has some undeniable benefits, it’s important to note that high-impact workouts aren’t inherently bad either. In fact, you’re better off doing a little of everything, says Mulgrew. It is important that your body is able to respond well to impact because it is a non-negotiable part of everyday life. You’re going to need to jump through puddles and run for the train, and if your physical training includes a bit of impact training, you’ll be better prepared for when those moments arise. “Your training should complement your lifestyle,” she says. “There’s a time and a place for everything, we just have to be aware. You don’t want to go to extremes at either extreme.”

One thing that all the trainers here emphasized was that how you incorporate low-impact training into your routine has to do with your personal preferences and goals. If you love running, do not stop doing it because it is a high-impact training; just consider using your cross-training days to do low-impact strength training instead of a plyometric HIIT class. And if your morning walk and Pilates classes are the highlights of your day, don’t feel the need to change that; just consider adding a little bounce cardio dance from time to time, so your body is ready for whatever comes its way.

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Matthew Kelly