What Are Low Impact Workouts and the Advantages?

Virtually anyone can benefit from incorporating low impact workouts into their daily life. With advantages for both physical and mental health, low impact exercise can bring improvements in balance and strength in a format that works just as well for beginners as experienced gym-goers. FS8 classes remix pilates, tone and yoga to provide low impact, full body workouts for everyone, adjusting difficulty based on experience and fitness level. From high intensity workouts to restorative yoga sessions, FS8 emphasises low impact exercises to help reduce physical stress, and functional training that makes daily life easier. So, what does low impact workout mean?

What is low impact exercise?

Low impact exercises are movements that reduce pressure on the joints and are low load bearing; but that doesn’t have to mean lower intensity.  Low impact exercise is beginner friendly but can still challenge any experience level. FS8 classes are built on variety and incorporate low impact exercises that are customisable to your fitness needs – like reformer and mat pilates, use of weights and activation bands, yoga flows and static stretches. If you want to continue the workout after class, swimming and cycling are great ways to implement low impact workouts into your everyday life.

Low impact workout benefits

Low impact workouts can deliver a host of benefits to your body and lifestyle. Because of the reduced pressure on joints, low impact exercises can also reduce your risk of obtaining an injury during exercise, which makes these kinds of workouts ideal for people with existing health issues or beginners. Ahead, see key low impact workout benefits.

Increased balance

Many low impact exercises require slow, controlled movements or holding stationary positions which can increase your body’s ability to stabilise and balance. These slower paced actions promote the mind-muscle connection and in turn encourage alignment and technique. Better balance can help with daily life, especially for tasks like carrying heavy items or reaching and lifting. Hybrid FS8 workouts help to increase balance through a combination of cardio and resistance exercises to improve posture, core strength and body alignment.

Lower risk of injury

Mobility related injuries are more common in high impact workouts – and beginners or those recovering from a past injury can be at risk. Low impact exercise still requires proper form and good breathing techniques, but this kind of exercise puts less physical stress on the body. If you’re looking to work up a sweat and achieve optimal results but want an option that is gentle on your joints, try FS8 Cardio. These workouts will elevate your heart rate and aim to improve endurance for better blood flow and circulation.

Strength building

Because low impact exercises often emphasise slower paced and controlled movements, your muscles are engaged for a longer duration. This is an important factor in building both muscular strength and core strength. Anyone can look to low impact workouts for strength building, but this category of exercise is especially beneficial for people with health conditions or building back strength after injury. Check out FS8 Strength workouts – these classes   aim to improve overall strength and encourage muscle growth through free weights, spring tensions and body weighted exercise.

Stress relief

One of the best benefits of low impact exercises is stress relief. It’s even easy to add a little low impact exercise to rest days, because they don’t have to be structured workouts. Some of the best low impact cardio activities to try are going for a walk or bike ride, and even gardening. These options can help boost mental health by releasing endorphins and spending time outdoors. With a focus on yoga principles, FS8 Restore workouts include body calming yoga flows which leave you feeling relaxed and help to improve flexibility and sleep quality.

How to implement low impact workouts in your life