Tag: benefits of low impact exercises

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6 Minute Core Workout #2

6 Minute Core Workout #2

A few weeks ago, we talked about 20 Core Exercises that didn’t include traditional crunches or sit-ups. This week we’ll be doing Core Workout #2, the second 6-minute workouts focused on the core.

As you know, my goal is to show you how to get fit at home, so I post workout videos from the comfort of my own home. These videos are not perfect by any means, and I’m okay with that. Most of the time I record them early in the morning to kick start my day. They are real-life workouts.

This is a Tabata style workout that features 2 Core Exercises: Vertical Scissors and Vertical Toe Touches. One round of Tabata is four minutes long. By adding a short warm-up and a quick cool down, we get a six-minute workout. That will jumpstart your metabolism today…especially if you do the workout first thing in the morning, like I do. The descriptions for each exercise are listed below.

Clock Abs

  • Prop up on elbows with floor
  • Hold legs at 45-degree angle
  • Circle legs CW twenty seconds, like you’re drawing a circle on the wall with your toes

Heel Touches

  • Lie on back w/ legs bent in chair position and arms straight in the air
  • Reach to the right side and touch right hand to right heel, then alternate to other side
  • Keep shoulders in contact with the floor at all times
  • Even if you don’t touch your heels, you should still get a good side crunch.

The Next Steps

Next week, I will feature two more exercises in another workout. The workout will be approximately 6 minutes long.

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6 Minute Core Workout #1

6 Minute Core Workout #1

Last week, we talked about 20 Core Exercises that didn’t include traditional crunches or sit-ups. This week we’ll be doing Core Workout #1, the first of many 6 minute workouts.

As you know, my goal is to show you how to get fit at home, so I post workout videos from the comfort of my own home. These videos are not perfect by any means, and I’m okay with that. Most of the time I record them early in the morning to kick start my day. They are real-life workouts.

This is a Tabata style workout that features 2 Core Exercises: Vertical Scissors and Vertical Toe Touches. One round of Tabata is four minutes long. By adding a short warm-up and a quick cool down, we get a six-minute workout. That will jumpstart your metabolism today…especially if you do the workout first thing in the morning, like I do. The descriptions for each exercise are listed below.

Vertical Scissors

  • Start with hands under butt and legs straight
  • Lift legs to 45-degree angle
  • Then alternate legs between 45-degrees and 75-degrees

Vertical Toe Touches

  • Lie on floor with hands at sides
  • Start with legs straight up in the air
  • With legs straight in the air, lift shoulders off floor and try to touch toes with hands
  • Options:
    • Both arms at the same time*
    • Reach R arm to R foot, then switch
    • Reach R arm to L foot, then switch

The Next Steps

In the coming weeks, I will transform these 20 core exercises into a series of Tabata workouts. Each workout will be 6 minutes long and feature two exercises.

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20 Core Exercises (Situps are NOT included)

20 Core Exercises

Who doesn’t want firm abs these days?!?! But push-up and crunches are not what folks are looking for. So here are 20 Core Exercises that don’t include traditional crunches or sit ups.

1. Horizontal Scissors

  • Start with hands under butt and legs straight
  • Lift legs to 45-degree angle
  • Then have legs go out to the sides as if doing jumping jacks and cross in the middle

2. Vertical Scissors

  • Start with hands under butt and legs straight
  • Lift legs to 45-degree angle
  • Then alternate legs between 45-degrees and 75-degrees

3. Scissors w/ a Twist

  • Start with legs straight and upper body in C-curve
  • Perform horizontal scissors
  • Twist upper body in opposition

4. Flutter Kick

  • Lie on back with arms out to sides and toes off floor
  • Scissor kick legs making sure they are 3 to 4 inches off the floor

5. Bicycle Crunches

  • Lie on back with leg straight and hands behind head
  • Lift shoulders and legs off floor, keeping neck neutral
  • Bring R knee to chest, hold for a few seconds, then switch
  • Continue alternating

6. Leg Lifts

  • Start with hands under butt and legs straight
  • Lift legs to 45-degree angle
  • Then lower them within a few inches of the floor
  • Legs should not touch the floor when lowered

7. Reverse Crunches

  • Start with hands under butt and legs in upside down V
  • Lift knees toward the chest, lifting butt off floor
  • Keep shoulders and upper back “glued” to the floor

8. Clock Abs (*not featured in video)

  • Prop up on elbows with floor
  • Hold legs at 45-degree angle
  • Circle legs CW twenty seconds
  • Circle legs CCW during the next round

9. Single Leg Drop

  • Lie on the floor with hands under butt
  • Start with legs straight up in the air
  • Lower one leg until it is few inches off the ground
  • Return to starting position
  • Repeat with the other leg
  • Think of this as an exaggerated scissors exercise
  • Control your lower abs and do not allow gravity to take over

10. Vertical Toe Touches

  • Lie on floor with hands at sides
  • Start with legs straight up in the air
  • With legs straight in the air, lift shoulders off floor and try to touch toes with hands
  • Options:
    • Both arms at the same time
    • Reach R arm to R foot, then switch
    • Reach R arm to L foot, then switch

11. Pulse Ups

  • Lie on floor with hands under butt
  • Start with legs straight up in the air
  • Lift legs toward ceiling, lifting butt off floor
  • Imagine that you’re trying to place your footprints on the ceiling

12. Windshield Wipers

  • Lie on back w/ legs bent in chair position and arms to the sides
    • Keep knees tight together and move them to the right, the center and the left
    • Keep abs engaged and do not allow gravity to take over
    • Knees should not touch the floor
    • Keep shoulders in contact with the floor at all times

13. Dead Bug

  • Lie on back w/ legs bent in chair position and arms to the sides
  • Extend R leg while lowering L arm to the ground, then return to starting position.
  • Do the same with L leg and R arm

14. Heel Touches

  • Lie on back w/ legs bent in chair position and arms straight in the air
  • Reach to the right side and touch right hand to right heel, then alternate to other side
  • Keep shoulders in contact with the floor at all times

15. Bow

  • Lie on right side with arms and legs fully extended w/ body aligned
  • Lift and lower arms and legs to the ceiling simultaneously
  • Legs, shoulders and arms do not touch the floor
  • Switch sides

16. Seated Angled Bow

  • Balance on butt with knees together and heels off floor
  • Roll onto left butt cheek and bring heel to right side of body
  • Return to starting position and repeat to other side
  • (Make sure your feet are off the floor to get the maximum effect.)

17. V-Sit

  • Sit with back at a 45-degree angle, legs in broken V and hands out in front
  • Hold as long a possible
  • Options
    • Lift heels from floor
    • Lift legs in air at 45-degree angle
    • Move arms either out to sides, straight in air over head or in line with upper body

18. V-Sit w/ Alternating Knee Lift

  • Sit with back at a 45-degree angle, legs in broken V and hands out in front
  • Bring R knee to chest, return to floor, bring L knee to chest, return to floor, repeat
  • Upper body remains at 45-degree angle the entire time.

19. Russian Twist

  • Sit with back at a 45-degree angle, legs in broken V and hands together at chest
  • Twist torso making R elbow touch floor; return to center, twist to the left
  • Upper body remains at 45-degree angle the entire time.

20. Earthquake

  • Sit with back straight and legs and arm out in front
  • Lean back to 45-degree angle and hold for as long as possible, reset if necessary

The Next Steps

In the coming weeks, I will transform these 20 core exercises into a series of Tabata workouts.

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8 Low-Impact Exercises

As I said in a previous post, “Every exercise is not for every body!”

There are TONS of reasons why some people are unable to do a variety of high-impact exercises that are known to result in a high-calorie burn and significant weight loss. Sometimes they are recovering from an injury. Maybe they’re just starting their fitness journey.

Rest assured, you can still get a good workout by doing low-impact exercises.

This video is actually first in a five-part series, so let’s get to those exercises. The asterisk (*) in the options indicates the option featured in the video.

Upper Body Exercises

Speed Bag

  • Stand tall will both arms raised overhead and up to the side
  • Keep abs engaged (stomach muscles pulled in tight)
  • Rotate your arms wrist over wrist toward the ceiling
  • Switch sides
  • Options:
    • Stand still*
    • Squat
    • Shuffle

Back Fat Blaster

  • Stand tall with arms up in the air like football goalposts
  • Slowly lower elbows toward ribs while adding resistance by squeezing muscles in the upper back
  • Return to starting position
  • Options:
    • Stand still*
    • Squat
    • Jump Squat

Core Exercises

Torso Twist

  • Stand with knees slightly bent and feet hip-width apart
  • Point elbows to the floor
  • Keep abs engages
  • Rotate from side to side
  • Options:
    • Stand still*
    • Squat
    • Squat and add knee lift on every third twist

Side Cruncher

  • Stand tall with feet hip-width apart
  • Lift right arm overhead to the left
  • Pull arm down while actively engaged the right obliques (side core muscles)
  • Repeat desired number of reps
  • Switch sides
  • Options:
    • Keep both feet on the floor*
    • Lift right leg while crunching on right side

Lower Body Exercises

One-Legged Jumping Jacks

  • Stand with feet hip-width apart and arms at your sides
  • Step out to the side with one leg while raising arms up in the air
  • Step leg back to starting position while lowering arms back to sides
  • Options:
    • Lift arms only as high as your shoulders
    • Lift arms all the way up as if doing jumping jacks*
    • Kick legs out to the sides

Side Leg Lift

  • Stand with feet together and hands on hips
  • Lift one leg out to the side
  • Return to starting position
  • Options:
    • Hold onto a chair for balance
    • Lift leg in air and return foot to floor
    • Lift leg in the air and lower foot without letting it touch the floor

Rear Leg Lift

  • Stand with feet together and hands on hips
  • Lift one leg to the back
  • Return to starting position
  • Options:
    • Hold onto a chair for balance
    • Lift leg in air and return foot to floor
    • Lift leg in the air and lower foot without letting it touch the floor

Chair Squats

  • Place chair directly behind you
  • Perform squatting motion
  • Return to standing position when you feel the chair on your legs

The Next Steps

In the coming weeks, I will post four different Tabata style workouts based on these exercises.

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3 Reasons to Do Low-Impact Exercises

There aren’t too many fitness professionals out there advocating low-impact exercises. In the age of cross-fit and HIIT, some think that the more intense the work out the better. I don’t believe that. In fact, I encourage people to engage in low-impact exercises.

What are low-impact exercises?

Low-impact exercises include any form of physical activity that has a “low-impact” on your joints. Exercises like walking, bike riding, swimming, and yoga. It’s even possible to convert a number of high-impact exercises, like jumping jacks, to low-impact exercises.

There are four distinct reasons people may want (or need) to consider low-impact exercises.

Reason #1: Change Things Up

The human body is completely adaptable. Your workout starts to seem ineffective if you always to do the same thing. However, incorporating some low-impact moves can help get things going again.

Reason #2: Increase Intensity and Preserve Your Joints

Some people are convinced that you can’t get a good workout with low-impact exercises. That’s not true. In reality, you can have super intense low-impact workouts that produce more sweat than some high-impact workouts. How? If your high impact workout, requires a great deal of jumping, you can only jump for so long. Your knees and ankles will eventually need a break from all the pressures. However, switching to a low impact form of the same exercises will enable to have longer more intense sessions because your joints won’t suffer.

Reason #3: Build Strength and Endurance

If you’re just starting out on your fitness journey, you might not be in the best shape right now. You may even have a significant amount of weight to lose right now. The idea of doing plank jacks, burpees and high knees probably sounds a bit intimidating or even painful. Starting out with low-impact exercises allows you to gain strength and see just how far you can grow in your fitness. When you’re ready, you can switch out some low-impact exercises with their high-impact counterpart and see how you feel.

Reason #4: Injury Recovery or Limited Mobility

Every exercise isn’t for every body. In other words, we all have physical limitations. There are things some people simply can’t do as a result of limited mobility and former injury. Someone who blew out their knee playing college football, might not be able to perform jump squats. The person who had shoulder surgery won’t be able to do push-ups or planks. Even so, there are low-impact versions of exercises individuals can do that will help them reach their fitness goals.

Hopping on the Scale! Don’t forget to hop on the scale and see where you are this week. Remember: if you were able to maintain and not gain, that’s still a win!

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