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!

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Before my more advanced fitness enthusiasts click away, let me say: this is a great 10 minute workout for ALL fitness levels. 

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.

Enter this 10-minute no jumping, HIIT workout for beginners. It’s low impact, but high intensity. 

This low impact HIIT workout is great for:

• Beginners
• Pregnancy and postpartum
• Recovering from an injury
• A quiet, apartment workout or nap time workout
• Joint-friendly cross training for high impact athletes

What is Low Impact Exercise?

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.

Examples of Low Impact Exercise:

• Strength training or lifting weights
• Swimming
• Walking
• Climbing stairs
• Biking
• Rowing

HIIT vs LIIT: What’s the difference between these two training styles?

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.

5 Benefits of Low Impact HIIT Workouts for Beginners

There are several benefits of low impact exercise, including:

1. Joint-friendly, low impact workouts won’t hurt your back or knees.
2. No jumping and no running cardio exercises; a great way to raise your heart rate at home.
3. Cross training — low impact exercise is great cross training for runners.
4. Quiet workout, great for working out in an apartment or near a sleeping baby.
5. Accommodates all seasons of life. Whether you’re a beginner just starting a fitness or weight loss routine. Or pregnant or postpartum in need of no jumping workouts.

What makes this a good HIIT Workout for Beginners?

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.

10-Minute Beginner HIIT Workout (Low Impact HIIT, No Jumping)

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. 

Equipment:

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.

Instructions:

Follow along with the guided video at the top of this post.  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.

5 Low Impact Exercises: 

1. Reverse Lunge and Press
2. Dumbbell Swing
3. Push Up + Wide Climber
4. Uneven Front Squat + Rotational Press
5. Launcher Plank and Row

See below for a demonstration of each exercise, as well as a modification for each exercise.

1. Reverse Lunge + Press (with optional knee drive)

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:

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart. Holding one dumbbell in your left hand at your shoulder, neutral grip.
2. Step your right leg back into a reverse lunge, dropping your right knee down towards the ground as you lower your hips until both knees reach a 90 degree angle, front thigh parallel to the floor.
3. Then squeeze your left leg glute, driving your back, right leg forward as you stand up. Option to challenge your balance by pulling your right knee up parallel to your right hip; balancing on your left standing leg (soft bend in your standing leg).
4. As you drive your right leg forward, press the dumbbell in your left hand overhead. That’s one rep.

2. Handswitch Dumbbell Swing

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:

1. Hold the dumbbell in your right hand between your legs.
2. Hinge at your hips, pushing your hips and butt back towards the wall behind you; letting the dumbbell swing between your legs.
3. Squeeze your glutes to ‘swing’ the dumbbell up to chest level as you drive through your heels to stand tall. At the peak of the swing, or at chest level, switch the dumbbell to your left hand. That’s one rep.

3. Push Up + Wide Climber Tap

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:

1. Start in high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists, weight evenly distributed amongst all 10 fingers. Pull your kneecaps up towards your belly.
2. Hold the high plank position, maintaining a straight line with your body, gaze slightly in front of you.
3. Slowly lower your chest down towards the ground, with elbows falling back towards the hips. Maintain a straight line with your body — head, chest and legs in one straight line.
4. Once at the bottom of your push up, exhale as you push back up into high plank position.
5. With a tight core, step your right foot up towards your right hand (striving to get your right foot outside your right hand). Keeping both hips stable and square to the ground.
6. Then step back to a high plank position and repeat this movement, alternating the leg that steps up toward your hand.

4. Uneven Front Squat + 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: 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:

1. Stand with feet hip-distance apart, toes pointing straight ahead or slightly angled out away from the body.
2. Holding one dumbbell in your left hand at your shoulder, palm facing your body.
3. With your weight in your heels, sit your hips back. Lowering your hips down, parallel with your knees. Keeping weight in your heels, chest up.
4. Then drive through your heels to stand tall; driving your hips forward. While simultaneously rotating your hips to the right as you press the dumbbell in your left hand overhead towards the right (rotational press). Note, left foot should pivot following the direction of the dumbbell.
5. Return to the starting position and repeat this movement on the right side of the body.

5. Launcher Plank and Row

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:

1. Start in high plank position with your right hand on the dumbbell. Hold this position, maintaining a straight line with your body, gaze slightly in front of you.
2. From this plank position, engage your core as you push your hips back towards your heels; bending at the knees. Then explosively drive your body back into plank position (nose to finger tips).
3. Hold plank and pull your right elbow back towards your right hip, performing a plank and row on the right side of the body. Keeping hips square to the ground as you row.

FREE Beginner Workout Plan

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.

Get the Free Beginner Workout Plan here.

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.

More No Jumping, Low Impact Workouts

• 7 Best Strength Training Exercises for Women
• 20 Minute Full Body Strength Workout(No Repeats, No Jumping)
• 10 Minute No Jumping Cardio Kickboxing
• 15 Minute Low Impact Cardio Workout

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