Low-impact vs. high-impact exercise—which do you prefer and why? Can you differentiate between the two? When it comes to getting in shape, both workouts are helpful.
But understanding the difference between low-impact vs. high-impact exercise will help you choose the better workout for achieving your fitness goals. When it comes to striving for your goals, you typically want to go with whatever offers you the most benefits. But it’s also important to consider what is right for you. Be smart and safe with your workouts.
Don’t let the words low and high mislead you. We’re talking about impact here, not intensity. So while you might aim to get in a few sessions of high-intensity workouts each week, you may want to re-think your choices if those workouts are also high-impact.
The benefits of low-impact exercise are different from high-impact exercise benefits. We’ll compare these and also share the secret to how you can experience the benefits of both in a single workout. So keep reading!
What Is Low-Impact Exercise?
There is no forceful landing or shock absorption through your joints in low-impact exercise¹. It involves physical activities or movements in which one foot is still on the ground. Walking, for instance, is an everyday activity that can double as low-impact exercise. Increase speed or add the element of incline to your walk to up the intensity level.
While it’s common to think of low-impact exercise as low-intensity, too, this isn't always the case. It’s possible to elevate your heart rate to the same level it reaches during high-impact exercise. It may be more challenging with a low-impact workout, but it is possible. You just have to put in a little extra effort to raise the intensity of your workout.
Other examples of low-impact exercise are cycling, rowing, yoga, hiking, Pilates, and spinning. You can also opt for the elliptical machine or stair climber at the gym. Swimming—technically in the no-impact category—is also a great option for a low-impact workout. With summer approaching, you may want to spice things up and go for an outdoor swim if the weather permits.
One of the major benefits of low-impact exercise is that it allows those with chronic or active injuries to keep their bodies in motion. It’s a safer alternative to high-impact workouts. Below we’ll explore additional benefits of low-impact exercise.
Benefits of Low-Impact Workouts
It may surprise you, but low-impact workouts come with a long list of benefits. Following are a few examples of the benefits of low-impact exercise:
- Provides an easier option for beginners, older adults, or those who are overweight or less experienced
- Reduces impact on the joints, decreasing the risk of injury
- Decreases recovery time after workouts (compared to high-impact workouts), allowing you to safely train more often
- Provides a wide variety of options and modalities of exercise
- Accommodates a range of abilities, making it ideal for group fitness
- Burns calories
- Increases heart rate and strengthens the heart and lungs
- Improves your balance and stability
- Fosters better technique and alignment
- Relieves stress
Even if you are feeling low-energy, or dealing with any aches or pains, you can still reap the benefits of low-impact exercise.
What Is High-Impact Exercise?
When comparing low-impact and high-impact exercise, you can start by thinking of them in the following way. Low-impact exercise typically equals slower results, but is easier on the body, whereas high-impact exercise equals faster results, but is harder on your body².
High-impact exercise is movement or physical activity that generally involves jumping or being airborne. Both feet are off the ground at the same time at some point, followed by a landing³. When your feet land back on the ground, this creates a force, or high impact. Just as walking is an example of low-impact exercise, running is an example of high-impact exercise.
Any activity that involves jumping is considered high-impact. This includes jumping rope, jumping jacks, and jump squats, for example. Other high-impact exercises include plyometrics, burpees, gymnastics, and CrossFit. Sports such as tennis, racquetball, basketball, and soccer also serve as high-impact workouts.
High-Impact Exercise Benefits
High-impact workouts come with some powerful benefits. This type of exercise helps you:
- Burn calories efficiently
- Increase your muscle strength
- Elevate your heart rate and strengthen your heart and lungs
- Increase your power and speed
- Improve your neuromuscular coordination and reaction time
- Increase your bone density
There’s no arguing that high-impact exercise benefits you in many ways.
High-Impact vs. Low-Impact Workouts: Which One Is Better for You?
When considering low-impact vs. high-impact workouts, in terms of benefits—high-impact exercise tends to win. If you want to achieve optimal results, a high-impact workout is usually the most efficient route to get there. However, high-impact workouts aren't the best option for everyone.
The choice between low-impact and high-impact exercise will vary from person to person. This means there isn't a straightforward answer to which one is better in general. Experience, ability, age, and any history of injuries are factors that need to be considered. But now that you have a better understanding of low-impact vs. high-impact exercise, you can make the decision for which one is better for you.
Today, most of the popular HIIT (high-intensity interval training) classes are also high-impact. This puts so much unnecessary stress on your joints and muscles. It’s this very reason that high-impact exercise increases the risk of injury. You’re more susceptible to joint pain, stress fractures, and other bone injuries with these types of workouts.
If you are pregnant, have osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, or any chronic joint injuries, high-impact exercise might not be the best fit for you.
On the other hand, if you’re physically healthy and fit, high-impact exercise may be a good option. Typically, you’ll see results faster since the intensity is inherently higher. So if your goal is to lose weight or build muscle quickly, for instance, a high-impact workout might be the better choice in this case.
Is Lagree High or Low-Impact Exercise?
Want some great news? A dynamic, full-body workout that is low-impact but high-intensity does exist. With Lagree, you can experience all the benefits of a high-impact workout—minus the actual high-impact itself. Lagree combines high-intensity with low-impact to provide you with a favorable workout.
Remember, it’s important to understand the difference between impact and intensity here. The terms high-intensity and high-impact are often confused, but they mean two very different things. In exercise, impact refers to the amount of force that is placed on your body during movements—specifically on your joints and bones. Intensity, instead, is a measure of how much your cardiovascular system is working.
Once again, leave it to Lagree to revolutionize fitness and offer you the optimal workout. Exercise doesn’t have to be high-impact to be high-intensity. Lagree proves this point with a workout that has a low-impact factor but is also deceivingly intense. With Lagree, you get both low-impact and high-impact exercise benefits.
High-Impact Exercise Benefits with Lagree
We believe in working out smarter, not harder. That’s what low-impact, high-intensity exercise is all about. This is the secret to maximizing your workout benefits. And you avoid putting extra stress on your joints, which is a bonus. It’s the ultimate win-win situation.
Luckily, you get to experience this with Lagree. Keep your risk of injury low, but your benefits high—join the Lagree train and hop aboard a Megaformer. Check out one of our Pilates Plus LA studios and sign up for your first Lagree class!
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