Need ideas for low impact - begineer workouts?!

Rannoch3908
Rannoch3908 Posts: 177 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I have tried some workout apps like Sworkit, Nike, 7 Minute Workout, etc and just can't handle them yet.

There is so much getting up and getting down on the ground, things I can't do with zero strength holding my body up, high impact exercises that involve jumping that hurt my feet, etc. They all want me doing planks and burpees and mountain climbers - WTH - I am not there yet.

I need to find something to start with that is more low impact, for super beginners, that isn't pushing me as hard. I just want to MOVE - not exercise hard or be sweating bullets after. Just trying to move and build strength for like 15 minutes more a day.

Any ideas?
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Replies

  • cinthyaaa_02
    cinthyaaa_02 Posts: 8 Member
    Mad fit on YouTube has low impact Hiit which is amazing + No jumping
  • cppeace
    cppeace Posts: 764 Member
    edited September 2020
    I am 37 and very out of shape and very obese at over 300lbs. I walk (the hills here are killer), use a total gym system and do what I call Dancearobics (Basically I just move to music I like for x amount of songs generally between 12 and 15 minutes doing a combo of light dance and general light aerobics. ). I wear a heart rate monitor to confirm calories I'm burning. I highly recommend using one.
    I feel these things would work for most people.
  • BahstenB10
    BahstenB10 Posts: 227 Member
    edited September 2020
    https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/low-impact-cardio

    Check this out. This is a good list of stuff just to get you moving. You can take out the lunge on the last one and just do the kick until you're ready to lunge. Same goes with the squat. Work your way up to a full squat and just do what you can in the meantime depth wise even if it is just a slight knee bend into the motion.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
    You may outgrow them soon but there are lots of seated and/or low impact exercise videos for seniors on youtube. Also, try beginners Tai Chi on youtube.
  • Rannoch3908
    Rannoch3908 Posts: 177 Member
    Thanks guys - keep the ideas coming.

    I am biking around neighborhood on my cruiser - doing about 15 minutes right now which as my legs burning like crazy. I can't do any hills yet (unless I get off and walk).

    I was walking 15 minutes a day but I think the bike is doing more for heart rate and leg muscles. Ive been sweating a little when I got home.

    But I need another 15 minutes of some sort of exercise - figured maybe strength training might be good.

    Also worried as the winter is coming here and once the snow is here outdoor biking and walking is going to be harder - thinking maybe an exercise bike for the spare bedroom might be smart.
  • lesdarts180
    lesdarts180 Posts: 3,100 Member
    I love Lucy Wyndham-Read, she has hundreds of workouts, a lot of them aimed at beginners, or with two different levels. Lots of short workouts - try her 7 minute routines.

    https://www.lwrfitness.com/
  • charmmeth
    charmmeth Posts: 936 Member
    I find BodyFit by Amy to be excellent, and she has a lot of short low impact workouts.

    Here is the link to her low impact videos: https://bodyfitbyamy.com/beginner-low-impact-workouts/

    I would recommend the 10 Minute Beginner Low Impact Cardio Workout For Fat Loss as a great place to start.

    It's here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H9qdpUzu4M.

    She has a very supportive facebook page too if you go with one of her programmes.
  • Rannoch3908
    Rannoch3908 Posts: 177 Member
    PERFECT!!!!
  • fstrickl
    fstrickl Posts: 883 Member
    I say this all the time, and I'll say it again because I genuinely love them. Fitnessblender has over 200 free low-impact workouts.

    https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos?trainingtype[]=10

    I think I like this one

    https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos/fat-burning-cardio-workout-with-relaxing-cool-down-low-impact-cardio-modifications
  • briscogun
    briscogun Posts: 1,138 Member
    @fstrickl beat me to it. Fitness Blender on YouTube has a bunch of videos like that. Just check out their channel and search by low impact, beginner, etc.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    On YouTube:
    Jessica Smith
    Walk at home America
    Jenny Ford marching or basic/beginner routines
    Reps to the rhythm
  • mytyglotz
    mytyglotz Posts: 1,804 Member
    Team Body Project offers some magnificent low-impact workouts :)
  • mytyglotz
    mytyglotz Posts: 1,804 Member
    And thank you so much for starting this discussion -- I know I am not the only one who is grateful for and in need of effective low-impact exercise options.
  • AliNouveau
    AliNouveau Posts: 36,287 Member
    mytyglotz wrote: »
    Team Body Project offers some magnificent low-impact workouts :)

    I was just going to suggest this. Team body project is great. You can find workouts from beginner to more advanced.
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,496 Member
    Rannoch3908 wrote: »
    So I have tried some workout apps like Sworkit, Nike, 7 Minute Workout, etc and just can't handle them yet.

    There is so much getting up and getting down on the ground, things I can't do with zero strength holding my body up, high impact exercises that involve jumping that hurt my feet, etc. They all want me doing planks and burpees and mountain climbers - WTH - I am not there yet.

    I need to find something to start with that is more low impact, for super beginners, that isn't pushing me as hard. I just want to MOVE - not exercise hard or be sweating bullets after. Just trying to move and build strength for like 15 minutes more a day.

    Any ideas?

    To be honest, the ability to get up off the ground is what will help keep us out of the nursing home. The video shows a nice "flow" of getting on the ground and getting back up. If you need to at first lean on a chair or low table.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0_DoicHg2E

    Good luck.
  • ALZ14
    ALZ14 Posts: 202 Member
    Walking, yoga, Pilates, some body weight exercises... even high impact exercises can be modified to be low/lower impact. Try a bunch of things until you find one you like!
  • Scetza
    Scetza Posts: 4 Member
    Megan_smartiepants1970 wrote: »
    I absolutely love the walking with Leslie Sansone Dvd's...you can do a mile 2 mile all the way up to 5 miles ...you can do it at your pace .... I am in love with the walking to her party hit one that includes HIIT ...


    There are some free vidoes of her on YouTube as well, so you could try them and see if they work for you.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
    Walking.

    Les Mills On Demand
  • Rannoch3908
    Rannoch3908 Posts: 177 Member
    Love all these ideas - have been walking and biking every day so far.

    Want to gain some strength/muscle too so when the pounds fall off there is something to see ;-)

    I have never been able to stick with standing in front of a TV or tablet watching and following along to exercises but maybe if they don't have me getting up, then laying down, then up, then laying down and doing a bunch of stuff I can't handle I might do better at sticking with it.

    Team Body Project - looks PERFECT but it costs money - boo.
    Wonder if it can be had free somehow.
  • Dogmom1978
    Dogmom1978 Posts: 1,580 Member
    Rannoch3908 wrote: »
    Love all these ideas - have been walking and biking every day so far.

    Want to gain some strength/muscle too so when the pounds fall off there is something to see ;-)

    I have never been able to stick with standing in front of a TV or tablet watching and following along to exercises but maybe if they don't have me getting up, then laying down, then up, then laying down and doing a bunch of stuff I can't handle I might do better at sticking with it.

    Team Body Project - looks PERFECT but it costs money - boo.
    Wonder if it can be had free somehow.

    Eating at a deficit and only looking to add in 15 min of weight training a day won’t build much if any muscle, but it will improve strength. Best of luck!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited September 2020
    I gardened for four hours yesterday. My poor hamstrings, lol.

    Since I moved here in 2016, we've converted 9 sections of lawn into vegetable (3), flower (5), and ornamental grasses (1) beds.

    Previously I rented, and picked a place where the landlord let me do anything I wanted in the yard as long as I paid for it.

    For people who have a lawn but no interest in flower/vegetable gardening, I guarantee that unless you have a comprehensive lawn service, there is work that can be done to improve the lawn. Now is a great time of the year to do it.

    I personally have no interest in lawns, but if I'm bored and in need of an outdoor project will get out there with a narrow spade and dig dandelions, etc.
  • SbetaK
    SbetaK Posts: 400 Member
    Megan_smartiepants1970 wrote: »
    I absolutely love the walking with Leslie Sansone Dvd's...you can do a mile 2 mile all the way up to 5 miles ...you can do it at your pace .... I am in love with the walking to her party hit one that includes HIIT ...

    I second Leslie Sansone. Her 3 mile walk endorsed by American Heart Association helped me recover from a shattered knee. Its a great beginning until you build up endurance. She has several other ones that use arm bands. They are free on YouTube, don't require much space.

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Rannoch3908 wrote: »
    So I have tried some workout apps like Sworkit, Nike, 7 Minute Workout, etc and just can't handle them yet.

    There is so much getting up and getting down on the ground, things I can't do with zero strength holding my body up, high impact exercises that involve jumping that hurt my feet, etc. They all want me doing planks and burpees and mountain climbers - WTH - I am not there yet.

    I need to find something to start with that is more low impact, for super beginners, that isn't pushing me as hard. I just want to MOVE - not exercise hard or be sweating bullets after. Just trying to move and build strength for like 15 minutes more a day.

    Any ideas?

    Honestly, walking and biking are two of the best places to start when you're out of shape. I'm in pretty good shape, and these are still my primary exercise activities...difference being I bike further and faster and more often than I did starting out. Fitness is something that is built over time.

    In regards to doing something for strength, you'd likely be better off getting a good set of bands and doing band work with some bodyweight stuff. Those DVDs that have you jumping around and up and down have some strength elements to them, but they are by and large more intensive cardio than they are actual strength work.
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    edited September 2020
    Strength training is my weak area. (No pun intended.)

    I've started building a list of easy to do (for me) things.

    So far:

    Lower: Lunges, squats, plie squats, Glute Bridge, Clamsheel
    Arms: Dumbbell rows, Dumbbell bench, Tricep dip, Bicep Curls
    Core: Plank, forearm plank, Bicycle Crunch, Mountain Climber

    I'm keeping notes on what reps I do.

    Cardio comes easier for me, as I have access to a treadmill at home and work. And I'm able to walk outdoors when the weather agrees with me.
  • BecomingMoreAwesome
    BecomingMoreAwesome Posts: 151 Member
    edited September 2020
    Walking and biking are great.

    If you’re looking for more indoor videos, in addition to Fitness Blender there’s also PopSugar Fitness and Denise Austin on YouTube. Popsugar Fitness skews a lot younger, and a lot of their videos do have high intensity and impact, but they’re really good about having one participant show all the modifications. They’re also good about showing a range of body sizes in their videos. Steer clear of anything that’s marked as HIIT or plyo for more beginner-friendly choices. Denise Austin is older (my mom made me do her videos in the early 90s), and she has more of an old-school vibe, but her videos are still fun, and she focuses a lot on stretching and warming up.

    ETA: I’ve been doing a bunch of YouTube video workouts with the bad air here in NorCal, and I’ve discovered that my biggest problem is that I enjoy the fun of dance workouts, but cannot follow a > 4-step combo to save my life. Good thing my drapes are closed.
  • mytyglotz
    mytyglotz Posts: 1,804 Member
    Rannoch3908 wrote: »
    Love all these ideas - have been walking and biking every day so far.

    Want to gain some strength/muscle too so when the pounds fall off there is something to see ;-)

    I have never been able to stick with standing in front of a TV or tablet watching and following along to exercises but maybe if they don't have me getting up, then laying down, then up, then laying down and doing a bunch of stuff I can't handle I might do better at sticking with it.

    Team Body Project - looks PERFECT but it costs money - boo.
    Wonder if it can be had free somehow.

    Team Body Project released some workout sessions on YouTube that I believe are free to the public!! :)
    I'll link some below -- I hope that's okay!!
  • mytyglotz
    mytyglotz Posts: 1,804 Member
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC_L9qAHVJ8

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3xemVqcGJo&t=56s

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SpPraOLJl4

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3aogIZfVUI

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rizij3icAOU

  • JessBbody
    JessBbody Posts: 523 Member
    I have to reiterate 3 ideas I've seen here that I was going to suggest.

    Walk at Home with Leslie Sansone is something I've just started and I'm really enjoying it. Not too challenging but I do work up a sweat.

    Fitness Blender tends to be a little more advanced and more focused on strength training but they're great if you want to work a little harder.

    Team Body Project has some free videos on YouTube and they're right in between the other two. Harder then Walk at Home but using simple movements like step touch the ground, hamstring curls, boxing moves, etc. Mostly 20-30 minutes.

    I'm looking for more YouTube channels like these three, too.
  • Rannoch3908
    Rannoch3908 Posts: 177 Member
    Thanks everyone!!!

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