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Low Impact Cardio Upper Body Workout

· FEEL-GOOD FITNESS

Low Impact Cardio & Upper Body Workout

Cardio + upper body workouts are an excellent combo!

I love lifting weights, but I often find that upper body workouts don't elevate my heart rate enough to get a really good burn. Pairing traditional cardio moves with each strength exercise is a great way to work the upper body and break a sweat. This low impact cardio upper body workout is a great way for both beginners and workout veterans to strength train!

I wanted to keep this workout low impact because frankly, high impact is not in the cards for me right now at 7 months pregnant! To those who run and continue their high impact workouts at this point in pregnancy - I salute you! But it ain't me.

Whether you're looking for a good prenatal workout or you're just beginning to dip your toes into an exercise routine, this cardio upper body workout is a great place to start. Plus, this workout requires very little equipment aside from a set of dumbbells. I use adjustable weights (which I'll link below), but even if all you have is a set of 5-lb dumbbells in your basement, you can still get a great workout in!

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Equipment for This Workout

For all of my weightlifting workouts, I use Bowflex SelectTech Adjustable Dumbbells. I'll be honest - these are on the spendy side as far as workout equipment goes. But if you're ready to invest, I couldn't recommend these more! It's nice to be able to adjust to the weight that suits your strength level without having to own a collection of dumbbells. Plus, they're still so much cheaper than a yearly gym membership - and you'll never have to share them with a random stranger!

Additionally, I used a yoga mat for this workout - the one I've linked has great reviews on Amazon! You can choose from a variety of colors, and it's slip-resistant. If you don't already have a yoga mat, this would be another (much cheaper!) investment for your home gym.

Workout Structure

This cardio upper body workout is performed in an AB/AB format. That means you'll complete round one of the cardio exercise, then a round of the upper body exercise, and then repeat the entire group before moving on.

Complete 60 seconds of each cardio exercise, followed by ten reps of each strength exercise, and then repeat each group. Take breaks between each set as needed to catch your breath, but try not to wait so long that your heart rate drops significantly between sets. In all, this workout should only take you about 25 minutes to complete.

As always, make sure you get a good warmup and cooldown in. For this particular workout, I'd suggest a warmup of arm swings, side steps, and low-impact versions of traditional cardio moves such as jumping jacks or high knees. As for a cooldown, focus on stretching out the upper body muscles with overhead tricep stretches, arm cross stretches, and wall chest stretches.

For a quick demonstration of how to complete each exercise, watch the video below. Otherwise, feel free to print out this workout for your use at home or at the gym!

 

Happy sweating!

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Low Impact Cardio Upper Body Workout

 

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Lower Body Cardio + Toning Workout | Day 19 of #30DaysOfBlogging

· FEEL-GOOD FITNESS

Lower Body Cardio+Toning Workout | Day 18 of 30 Days of Blogging

I have a love/hate relationship with lower body workouts.

I love that they work, but man, aren't they the worst? Before a cardio workout, I have to prepare myself mentally for a half hour of huffing and puffing. But recently I asked you on my Instagram stories whether you preferred strength or cardio workouts, and it turned out to be a pretty even split! So today's workout was designed with you in mind: half bodyweight strength training, half bodyweight cardio.

Note that this is another bodyweight workout, which means you'll need no equipment at all to do this workout. This one is moderately challenging and high-impact, but feel free to modify it by taking out the jumps or taking breaks when needed.

As always, make sure you get in a good warmup before starting. I like to do some marching in place, leg swings, shallow squats, butt-kickers and jumping jacks to gradually elevate my heart rate. For a cooldown, I like to do slow butt-kickers, marching in place, hamstring stretches, quad stretches, side lunge stretches, and deep glute stretches. Make sure you take your time with these!

 

Lower Body Cardio+Toning Workout | Day 18 of 30 Days of Blogging

 

Workout Structure

For this workout, you'll go through each group twice in an AB, AB format. Do each exercise for 45 seconds, take a quick break to catch your breath, and then start the next move. There are 6 groups total.

Group 1

  • squat + calf raise
    • Keep your back flat and sink into a squat as low as you can control. When you come up, raise up onto your toes for a calf raise.
  • plank jacks
    • In a plank position, hop your legs out and in like a jumping jack.

Group 2

  • curtsy lunges
    • Step back and to the side in a lunge position, then repeat on the other side.
  • burpees
    • Jump up, go down to the ground in a plank position (optional pushup), then jump back up & repeat.

Group 3

  • sumo to ski squats
    • Squat in a wide leg stance, then step one foot in and squat with your feet together.
  • lateral jumps
    • Jump off of one leg to the side, then repeat on the opposite side.

Group 4

  • reverse lunge-kick
    • Step back into a lunge position, then come up and kick forward with the same leg. Repeat on opposite side.
  • jump squats
    • Sink into a squat, then jump up and land as softly as possible.

Group 5

  • bridge march
    • Laying on your back in a bridge position, alternate lifting your legs in a "march."
  • jumping jacks

Group 6

  • side lunges
    • Step off to the side into a lunge, then back up to center. Repeat on the other side.
  • high knees
    • Run in place, lifting your knees up as high as you can.

 

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