Get the heart-pumping benefits of HIIT cardio at home with these five low impact, beginner HIIT exercises! This 10-Minute Low Impact HIIT Workout for Beginners will raise your heart rate and build muscle using one dumbbell. The best HIIT workout at home, no jumping.
This HIIT workout for beginners is a quick but effective, low impact cardio workout at home.
If you’ve done one of my low impact workouts before, you know: low impact does NOT mean low intensity.
These low impact HIIT cardio exercises are great for beginners, bad knees and weight loss.
That said, this workout is as tough as you make it — grab a heavy dumbbell. You don’t have to jump to get a great HIIT cardio workout at home.
Low-impact exercises have little to no impact on your joints (a walk or jog versus a run or sprint). They’re great for beginners, pregnancy/postpartum and those recovering from an injury. Low impact exercise is also a joint-friendly cross training option for high impact athletes. Any well-rounded training routine includes low-impact exercises and rest days to allow your body time to recover. Examples of low impact activities include: strength training, swimming, walking, climbing stairs, biking and rowing.
Low impact workouts encourage beginners to move slowly and focus on proper form. This helps reduce risk of injury. No jumping (and no running) cardio exercises are a great way for any fitness level to raise their heart rate at home.
High intensity interval training (HIIT) requires intense bursts of energy for a short period of time, followed by short rest periods. HIIT workouts are effective for calorie burn and fat loss. Read more about the benefits of HIIT training in this post. Low intensity interval training (LIIT) is moderate intensity activities that can be done for longer intervals of time with shorter recovery periods. I personally prefer to call it low impact interval training because low impact doesn’t mean low intensity.
Build total body strength and burn calories at home with this 10-Minute Low Impact HIIT Workout.
A no jumping, full body HIIT workout for all fitness levels.
Add this full body, fat burning workout to your beginner workout plan 1-2 times a week to build strength and improve your cardiovascular endurance.
One medium-to-heavy dumbbell. I suggest between 8-30 lbs. I’m using a 12 lb, 15 lb and 20 lb dumbbell for this workout. Use what you have available — option to make this a bodyweight workout.
Follow along with the guided Beginner HIIT Workout on YouTube, led by certified personal trainer, Lindsey Bomgren.
Your Workout Looks Like This:
Low Impact Workout
Targets: The reverse lunge targets the quadriceps muscles (front of the thighs) and the gluteus maximus (butt). Adding the single arm shoulder press targets the shoulder muscles and core strength.
Pressing the dumbbell overhead (above the heart) is a sure-fire way to raise your heart rate while building core strength, balance and stability.
Modification: Option to omit the knee drive and perform a split lunge.
Targets: Hamstrings (back of the legs), gluteus maximus (butt) and hips.
Modification: Option to omit the handswitch and perform a hip hinge with the dumbbell.
Targets: Chest, triceps, shoulders, abs and core.
Adding the wide climber tap not only increases core engagement, but it’s a great mobility exercise to increase range of motion and open tight hips.
Modification: Option to take the push up from your knees or from an incline.
Targets: The front squat targets the quadriceps muscles (front of the thighs), the gluteus maximus (butt), and hamstrings (back of the thighs). Adding the rotational shoulder press targets the shoulder muscles, core and obliques.
Modification: Option to omit the rotational press and perform an uneven squat.
Targets: This full body exercise challenges your core while also building strength in the middle and upper back muscles, shoulders and arms.
Modification: Option to omit the plank launcher and perform a bent over single arm row.
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