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Chrysalosity

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Low Impact Cardio Upper Body Workout

February 28, 2020 · 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!

This post contains affiliate links. Clicking these links doesn't cost you anything extra, but it does help me run my site and continue to provide free content. For more, read my Disclosure Policy.

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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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Quick & Effective Barre Workout for Toned Legs & Butt

January 10, 2020 · FEEL-GOOD FITNESS

Barre Workout for Toned Legs & Butt
This post contains affiliate links. Clicking these links doesn't cost you anything extra, but it does help me run my site and continue to provide free content. For more, read my Disclosure Policy.

 

Pregnancy has changed my workouts - a lot!

I used to work out pretty intensely, alternating between lifting heavy weights and HIIT cardio workouts. I took for granted the fact that I felt good every day - at least, good enough to push myself hard on workouts. But about halfway through that first trimester of pregnancy, I knew I needed a change in my workout regimen. I was queasy, exhausted, and I needed about 3 sports bras to jog or jump in any capacity! (Sorry, was that TMI?) 

Walking my dog became my new "workout" - a far cry from burpees and jump squats! And when the weather got cold, I'll be honest - I pretty much stopped working out entirely. The holidays were coming, and it was a difficult time to start up a new routine, just to have it interrupted by travel and holiday parties!

 

So where does that leave me now?

I actually ended up losing a lot of muscle weight over the months I took off from working out, which is kind of a bummer. I know it's going to be an uphill climb trying to get back to where I started, but it's alright. Life gets in the way and postpones our progress sometimes, but that isn't a reason to quit altogether! Right now, I'm super grateful that baby girl is healthy and doing the kickboxing for me in there! The rest will come back with time, and I'm thankful to be in that healthy mental space.

Now it's the beginning of January, and I feel absolutely fantastic. My baby bump is growing every day, but I feel energized, focused, and motivated to start working out again - even if that means taking it reeeeeallly slow. I'm starting small with going for walks with Sadie Belle (yes, even in the cold!) and introducing some yoga, pilates, and barre workouts into my daily routine. These types of workouts fit my preggo lifestyle perfectly right now, since they're low-impact, yet super effective for targeting some of my muscle groups that have lost tone over the last few months.

I just started a yearly subscription to The Yoga Collective - let me know if you'd like to see a review on that in the next few weeks! It's a database of TONS of yoga workouts, including some for beginners and prenatal yogis like myself! I kind of look like a dying flamingo while doing yoga... but hopefully regular practice will help me improve!

 

Low Impact, High Intensity!

I think when some people hear the term "low impact," they get turned off because they equate it with "easy." Say it with me: low impact does not equal easy!

As I've incorporated more low impact workouts into my routine, I've found that focusing on smaller muscle groups and more direct ranges of motion can target certain muscle groups pretty intensely! Barre is an excellent low-impact exercise for toning specific muscles, while also receiving balance support.

I'd highly recommend that beginners and those who struggle with balance try a barre routine, expecially if they're not comfortable with the floor work of Pilates or the balance required for yoga. If you're not familiar with barre as an exercise routine, recall ballet dancers warming up at the barre. Of course, you don't need an aerobics room and an actual bar to do the workout - find a chair or something about hip-height to support you.

After a walk one day, I decided to add a barre workout to quickly, but effectively, target my butt and thighs. Spoiler alert: it was effective! Ya girl was definitely sore the next day!

So today, I want to share that lower body barre workout with those who are perhaps just beginning a new fitness journey this year. If you're a beginner, this is a great place to start, since it's quick, supportive, and effective. Even if you're super fit, this workout can be made more difficult by completing additional rounds, adding more reps, balancing on your own, wearing ankle weights or adding resistance loops.

Workout Structure

For this workout, you'll just need a chair or something sturdy and hip-height for stability. I'll provide a demonstration of these exercises in the video below so that you know how to do each move. This Barre Workout for Toned Legs & Butt is made up of 10 total moves, with 20 repetitions of each move.

Check out the demonstrations below, and make sure you pin the image below to save to your fitness Pinterest board!

 

Happy January!

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Low-Impact Booty Workout

June 8, 2019 · FEEL-GOOD FITNESS

This year I learned in a big way that sometimes taking time off from exercise is 100% necessary. Multiple health concerns caused me to take a step back so that I could allow my body to rest and recharge. Forcing myself into strenuous workouts after my body had already experienced some degree of trauma would have actually been counterproductive. After managing my health concerns for a few weeks, I was ready to re-introduce exercise into my routine, starting with a low-impact program.

 

Why Low-Impact?

If you've recently gone through health issues or are simply starting from ground zero when it comes to working out, low-impact routines are the way to go for so many reasons. They are:

  • excellent for practicing proper form
  • a realistic way to establish a routine
  • gentle on your joints
  • accessible for most fitness levels

For most beginners, low-impact programs may also be bodyweight-only/equipment free. But after I finished my low-impact program, I wanted to explore more low-impact routines that would challenge even intermediate/advanced fitness levels. I put together a routine that can be modified and personalized for any degree of fitness so that y'all have no excuse not to try it!

 

Low-Impact Booty Workout

For this glute-targeting low-impact routine, I'd recommend using the following equipment:

  • Treadmill
  • Resistance loops
  • Yoga mat

If you don't have a treadmill, you can certainly take that portion of the workout outdoors, but try to find an area with a pretty good incline to elevate your heart rate. Also, especially for beginners, resistance loops/bands are not necessary, but they add an extra challenge to the mat workout for intermediate/advanced fitness levels.

This workout includes your warmup and cooldown, and you can complete the whole thing in about 35-40 minutes. (Or, if you're like me, that's about two episodes of Friends.) I recommend going through the mat workout twice, but if you're cashed out after round one, no one's judging you!

For me, this workout was sneaky hard. I'll warn you - you might be hurting the next day, but that just means it worked! Give it a try and let me know what you thought in the comments below!

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About Me

Hi, I'm Rachel! I'm a millennial wife and mama loving life in the Midwest. Follow me for lifestyle tips like balanced food, accessible workouts, and personal growth inspiration!

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