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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. A no jumping, full body HIIT workout!
Before my more advanced fitness enthusiasts click away, let me say: this is a great 10 minute workout for ALL fitness levels.Â
When you think HIIT cardio, or high intensity interval training, you may think explosive, high-impact activities. But you don’t have to jump to get a great HIIT cardio workout at home.
This low impact HIIT workout is great for:
Low-impact exercises have little to no impact on your joints. Like a walk or jog versus a run or sprint.
Any good, well-rounded training routine includes low-impact exercises and rest days to allow your body time to recover.
HIIT stands for high intensity interval training; intense bursts of energy for a short period of time.
High intensity interval training (HIIT) had been named one of the most effective training methods for fat burning and strength training. Read more about the benefits of HIIT training in this post.
LIIT stands for low intensity interval training; moderate intensity activities that can be done for longer intervals of time with shorter recovery periods.
But I personally prefer to call it low impact interval training. Because low impact doesn’t mean low intensity.
There are several benefits of low impact exercise, including:
I recommend this workout to beginners because it’s low impact (which reduces risk of injury), but challenging.
It’s a timed interval workout, which means you move at YOUR pace. Completing as many reps of each full body exercise as you can in 45 seconds. If you’re new to working out you can go slow and focus on using proper form.
This 10-Minute Low Impact HIIT Workout for beginners is a strength and cardio workout at home.
A no jumping, full body HIIT workout for all fitness levels.
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.
Follow along with the guided Beginner HIIT Workout video on YouTube. Â I’ll coach you through this 10-minute low impact HIIT workout, keeping track of the timed intervals and providing form cues and modifications for each exercise.
The workout consists of five low impact, full body exercises. Perform each exercise for 45 seconds, followed by 15 seconds of rest as you transition to the next exercise.
Complete all five exercises x 2 sets for a 10-Minute, Low Impact HIIT Workout. Option to repeat all five exercises x 3-4 sets for a longer, 15-20 minute workout.
See below for a demonstration of each exercise, as well as a modification for each exercise.
Perform on the right side of the body for the first set, and left side of the body for the second set.
Modification: Split Lunge
Muscles Worked: 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.
How to do a Reverse Lunge and Press:
Modification: Hip Hinge with Dumbbell
Muscles Worked: the hamstrings (back of the legs), gluteus maximus (butt) and hips.
Note, your arms are simply a vehicle for moving the dumbbell throughout this dumbbell swing exercise. Your legs do the majority of the heavy lifting, generating power to move the dumbbell.
How to do a Hand-Switch Dumbbell Swing:
Modification: Incline Push Up with Wide Climber Tap
Muscles Worked: the 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.
How to do a Push Up and Wide Climber Tap:
Perform on the right side of the body for the first set, and left side of the body for the second set.
Modification: Uneven Squat
Muscles Worked: 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.
How to do an Uneven Front Squat and Rotational Press:
Perform on the right side of the body for the first set, and left side of the body for the second set.
Modification: Bent Over Single Arm Row
Muscles Worked: this full body exercise challenges your core while also building strength in the middle and upper back muscles, shoulders and arms.
How to do a Launcher Plank and Row:
I know starting a fitness routine can be overwhelming. That’s why we created a FREE workout program for beginners — from full body strength training to my favorite beginner HIIT workouts for fat loss.
This beginner workout plan was created for fitness beginners with a strength training emphasis. I also added a few low impact cardio workouts to add variety and increase calorie burn.