If you have joint issues, running can create more problems than the benefits it provides. That’s because it’s a high-impact exercise. Just like jumping, both feet are off the ground at one time, and land with a jarring thud to the joints. How do you avoid exacerbating joint issues or other problems that are affected by jarring the body? Choose cardio workouts with no jumping. Many of these are fun to do. Many forms of dancing involve no jumping, yet they provide a superior cardio workout. Think of the dances of the 60s and 70s like the Twist. It will get your heart pumping, and your feet will never leave the floor.
Doing HIIT bodyweight workouts can get you into shape faster.
What is HIIT? It’s not a specific exercise, but a way of doing exercises. You modify your intensity from peak intensity to recovery and back to peak. Using bodyweight exercises that don’t require jumping can help improve muscle strength around the joint and relieve some of the pain. Lunges, reverse lunges, step-ups, and squats are low impact. While they don’t require jumping, if you have a knee injury, you might want to skip them.
Keep your feet on the pedals instead of the ground.
Take the jump out of cardio by riding a bike, or even better, use a stationary bike. You can modify the resistance on a stationary bike to make pedaling easier if you have knee problems. The exercise lubricates the joints and helps reduce pain and stiffness. You’ll still get a good cardio workout. Take the jump out of calisthenics. You can do jumping jacks without jumping. Just step one foot outward as you raise your arms above your head and then back again as you lower your hands.
If you’re in a pool, jumping isn’t a problem.
Even if you jump when you’re in the water, you won’t have a problem. Your body’s buoyancy in water helps prevent the impact and jarring caused by jumping on dry land. The water’s resistance also provides more challenge than it does on land. There’s 12 times more resistance walking in the water than there is walking down the street. Just walking in a pool can increase strength and get your heart pumping. Swimming is an excellent cardiovascular exercise that’s easy on the joints and internal organs.
- If you want a good cardio workout that doesn’t involve your lower extremities, consider rowing a boat or using a rowing machine. An elliptical machine also provides a full-body cardio workout without any jumping.
- Walking is one of the simplest ways to get a cardio workout without jumping. You can modify your speed between high intensity and recovery to improve your cardiovascular system faster.
- Using kettlebells as your workout equipment can provide all types of fitness benefits. A kettlebell workout improves strength, flexibility, balance, and cardio. Jumping isn’t part of the program.
- If you have an issue such as bone injuries, painful joints, stress fractures, arthritis, or are pregnant and need to avoid the type of high-impact movement jumping causes, get help from a personal trainer. A trainer can design a program specifically to address your special needs.
For more information, contact us today at Rising Fitness Gym