Low Impact Workout // Strength & Cardio

Low Impact Workout // Strength & Cardio is a cardio + strength workout from Heather Robertson. As the title promises, all of the cardio is low impact. Heather also increased the intensity of this workout and made it metabolic in two other ways (other than the cardio intervals); she gives you longer work intervals and shorter recoveries, plus she uses a lot of compound 4 limb exercises where you are working your upper and lower body during a single exercise. In fact, many of those exercises are more cardiovascularly intense than the low impact cardio intervals! Heather does a nice job working your entire body, too. And as she says in the short intro to this workout: low impact does not mean low intensity. This workout did get intense! It is rare to see Heather burn out during a workout but she did a few times during this one. Surprisingly, the first time was during Circuit 1 #5 below. You are doing overhead presses to a fast pace with very light dumbbells (both Heather and I were using 5 pounds), but man does it burn your shoulders out. That probably has a lot to do with all of the exercises that came before it. But my shoulders were definitely burning too!

This workout has 3 circuits, each containing 5 exercises. Each circuit is done 2 times before moving on to the next circuit. The exercises are all done interval style: 45 seconds of work followed by 15 seconds of recovery. There is a timer in the lower right hand corner of the screen counting down your intervals and recoveries. During the recoveries Heather previews your next exercise.

Low Impact Workout // Strength & Cardio is 37:21 minutes; 2 minute warm up and 3:30 minute stretch. Equipment: dumbbells and a fitness mat. Heather is using 5 and 10 pound dumbbells. The weights listed below are what I used.

Circuit 1:

1. Squat, drive & twist (stand with hands behind head, elbows open to sides, do one squat and when you stand, raise one knee, twisting torso and opposite elbow to knee, alternate sides with a squat between each side)
2. Lunge & curl (alternating reverse lunges with a double arm hammer curl at bottom of lunge) (16.5# DBs)
3. Push up climber (do one push up, at top of push up while in straight arm plank, bring one knee under body to opposite elbow, repeat on other leg)
4. Fly combo (one bent over rear delt fly + one straight arm lateral raise + with palms facing in front of you, raise straight arms/DBs out to side and overhead) (8# DBs)
5. Step jack press (alternate tapping legs out to sides while also doing overhead shoulder presses in time with tap outs) (5# DBs)
6. Repeat #1-5

30 second rest

Circuit 2:

1. Pullover crunch (lay on back with legs extended straight to ceiling, hold one DB in both hands, do one pull over + one crunch, reaching DB toward feet) (one 25# DB)
2. Plank reach & tap (start in straight arm plank holding one DB in each hand, tap DB to opposite shoulder, once each arm, then push hips back into down dog while reaching one hand/DB toward opposite ankle, once each side) (5# DBs)
3. Cross & curl (stand holding one DB in one hand, other arm is behind back, step one foot out so legs are wide, hinge forward keeping legs straight and reach DB to opposite foot, bring legs back together while straightening and do one single arm bicep curl) (one 18# DB)
4. Repeat #3 on other side of body
5. Squat & punch (hold one light DB in each hand, do one front punch each arm then lower into squat and hold while doing one front punch each arm) (5# DBs)
6. Repeat #1-5

30 second rest

Circuit 3:

1. Kickstand & row (single leg deadrows: lower into single leg deadlift with non-working leg in kickstand, do one double arm back row then straighten bringing feet together, alternate sides) (25# DBs)
2. Plank pass & drop (in straight arm plank with one DB on floor outside of one hand, reach under body with other hand, grab DB and pull it under body to other side, set DB on floor then lower knees to tap floor, alternate sides) (one 20# DB)
3. Lunge & toe touch (hold one DB in one hand, other hand is behind head, do one reverse lunge and when you return to standing, do a straight front leg lift, touching toe with hand that was behind head) (one 18# DB)
4. Repeat #3 on other side of body
5. Leap frog (stand with legs wide holding a light DB in each hand, squat and tap ends of DBs to floor, stand and raise DBs overhead while also raising onto toes) (5# DBs)
6. Repeat #1-5

For more info on Heather Robertson’s workouts and other (free) streaming workouts I’ve sampled and reviewed, check out my Streaming page.