High intensity, low-impact cardio DVDs?

hausisse
hausisse Posts: 90
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello! A while ago I strained my calf muscles and I can't do too much high-impact cardio anymore- that's running, jumping jacks, burpees... even the elliptical can hurt them. The only time of the day that I have to work out right now is really early in the mornings when no gyms or pools are open around here, so that rules out swimming and stationary bikes. I've found some high intensity, low-impact workout videos online, but they're short and having to repeat them over and over gets monotonous... so I was wondering if anybody could suggest some HIGH INTENSITY low-impact cardio workout DVDs? I've been working out hard for a veeeeeery long time, so I'm often disappointed and frustrated by the "low-intensity cardio" suggestions that I get. I'm looking for something that'll kill me, lol. Any suggestions?

Replies

  • wanttolose62
    wanttolose62 Posts: 53
    I googled low impact high intensity cario workouts and got the page below\. Some you've already mentioned, but some other suggestions may work for you. Good luck!

    http://exercise.about.com/od/cardioworkouts/a/lowimpact.htm

    Adding Intensity to Your Workouts

    The key to making low impact exercise work is to work a little harder by involving your entire body in what you're doing. Try some of these ideas for making your workouts more intense:

    Add upper body movements. Upper body moves can contribute to your overall intensity so think of swinging your arms when you walk, raising the arms overhead during step or other types of aerobics or choosing machines at the gym with upper body options like a cross-country ski machine or elliptical trainer.

    Go Faster. Picking up the pace, whether you're walking, cycling or ellipticalling (did I make that up?), is another way to make your workouts a little tougher.
    Use big movements. Another way to add intensity is to use big, exaggerated movements. For example, if you were marching in place, you could make the move harder by bringing the knees up high and circling the arms overhead.

    Involve the lower body. Most cardio activities do involve the lower body, but you can add intensity without impact by doing things like squats or lunges to really get the legs involved. Add walking lunges or side steps with squats to your usual walking workout to increase intensity.

    If you're looking for a low impact workout check out this Low Impact Cardio Blast Workout and this very challenging Low Impact Cardio Challenge. These workouts involve circuits of intense, low impact moves that will get your heart going without any jumping.
  • wanttolose62
    wanttolose62 Posts: 53
    Oops, if you go to the page, you will see the links available on the page. They didn't show on my post.
  • hausisse
    hausisse Posts: 90
    Thank you for the suggestions!! But I really was just looking for DVDS :x
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    cathe friedrich has a whole series devoted to just this issue, and several more workouts that fit in this category.
    you can get downloads for your phone or computer, or buy the dvd. sometimes the downloads are cheaper, so compare both.
    like the poster above said there's a lot you can do to increase intensity. she also uses paper plates.
    even if you decide not to buy them, they are full of ideas to add to workouts you make yourself, that's how I used them.
    you can also go into the workout manager, if you decide to make an account which is free, and there's detailed notes on
    the exercises in all the DVD's. and calorie count info.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
    almost any weightlifting workout could be done too, and if you're looking for one of those, she has plenty to choose from.
  • ValerieMomof2
    ValerieMomof2 Posts: 530 Member
    Really anything that is out there you can modify some of the moves to be low impact. I know it may affect the intensity in a way, but it would be dependent on your intensity the rest of the DVD. Les Mills Combat is a great workout and you don't have to do the high impact. Lots of punches and kicks and just do the modifications when they run or jump
  • hausisse
    hausisse Posts: 90
    Thank you guys! Yeah, I do tons of pilates and yoga, and lately I've been riding the stationary bike but for some reason my apartment complex decided to make the usually 24-hour gym, uh, not 24-hours. It's just super inconvenient not having many cardio options in the first place and then... grrrr.

    How accurate do you think the calorie counts on the videos of places like fitnessblender.com are and stuff?
  • RamoZimm
    RamoZimm Posts: 95 Member
    Bump!
  • micheleld73
    micheleld73 Posts: 914 Member
    Not sure what you consider high intensity and low impact but any of Jillian's might be a good start. My favorite is Six pack in 6 weeks. It's also a longer workout that the 30 Day shred or Ripped in 30.
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
    I highly recommend Leslie Sansone's Ultimate Five Day Walk Plan. It is surprisingly effective, I saw more results than with Jillian Michaels. If you are very fit, try some of the miles with hand weights. When I added weights, I sweated like crazy and I don't usually sweat.

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