This Low-Impact Cardio Workout Helps You Break a Sweat With Ease

Cardio typically involves running, jumping, or another activity that isn’t so easy on your joints. But in the latest episode of Good Moves, trainer Liv McIlkenny shared you can do a low-impact cardio workout at home that’s just as gentle as it is effective—not to mention so quiet that you can do it in your living room without disturbing your downstairs neighbors.

“This is a low-impact cardio workout you can do anywhere—even if you have roommates under you,” she says. “It’s good to swap in if you don’t want to go for a run but still want to get your heart rate up and get a good sweat on.”

McIlkenny’s workout is simple: You do eight reps of eight different exercises, and you go through everything twice. What results is a sweaty workout you can bust out in less than eight minutes of your time. After a quick warm-up of toe-touches, you dive right into the low-impact cardio workout. Starting with squat to curtsy lunges, you move on to lunge knee-ups, plank walk-outs to push-ups, pike-ups, mountain climbers, and squat punches. There’s even modified sumo burpees, which leave out the jumps and have you walking in and out of a plank position.

Even though these exercises in this low-impact cardio workout at home are modified to be quieter and easier on your body, don’t be fooled—they’re definitely not easy by any means and you’ll 100 percent still be sweating bullets. But by the time you make it through the second round, you may have found your new favorite way to check cardio off your list.

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