21 Joint-Friendly, Low-Impact Cardio Workouts from a CPT

The benefits of cardio abound — from regulating blood sugar, supporting better sleep, strengthening our immune systems, weight management, and improving heart health — but running, jumping, and plyometrics can be a no-go when we've got cranky joints.

To build or maintain your fitness when you've got pain when you hit the pavement, low-impact cardio training can help elevate your heart rate, improve your VO2 max, and boost endurance without placing excessive stress on your joints. We'll cover options that allow you to stay consistent, train effectively, and support long-term mobility — all while keeping discomfort to a minimum.

What is Low-Impact Cardio Training?

First, we must understand what cardio is. "Cardio" is the cute little nickname for cardiovascular exercise — any activity that lifts your heart rate for an extended period to improve heart, lung, and circulatory system.

Now, cardio comes in all shapes and sizes, including running, jumping, swimming, and so on. And there are two categories: high-impact and low-impact.

High-impact exercise involves a forceful impact with the ground — think jumping and running. To put it in perspective, every time you jump and land, studies have shown that your legs are sending roughly 3-4 times your bodyweight into the ground, which is a lot of stress on your joints over time.

Low-impact cardio, on the other hand, keeps your heart rate up without smashing your joints, making it a gentler way to get all the benefits of cardio while staying easy on your body.

Low-Impact Cardio Workout Benefits

Low-impact doesn't mean low-intensity. "Low-impact aerobics allow you to push yourself without placing too much stress on your joints," says Ashley Boyer, ACE-CPT and master's candidate in Sports Performance and Conditioning at Southern Utah University.

Here are some of the science-backed benefits of low-impact cardio training:

• Reduced stress on joints 
• Burns calories and supports fat loss
• Improves heart health, circulation, and lung efficiency
• Reduces anxiety and depression
• Improves brain function, memory, and cognitive performance
• Better sleep quality
• Reduced fatigue with consistent efforts

Low-Impact Cardio Exercises

If you're looking to skip your high-impact workouts, but still want those glorious cardio benefits, here are some joint-friendly low-impact cardio workouts you can tackle.

1. Cycling

An air bike like the Strive™ Air Bike™ featuring VPR™ lets you turn up the intensity on your cardio training, while lowering stress to your knees, ankles, and hips. This type of cardio is also a total-body machine — target your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and hip flexors as your feet pedal, and push and pull with the handles to work your arms, shoulders, back, and chest.

[Read More: Strive™ Series Overview]

2. Walking

Walking is one of the best forms of cardio because it's widely accessible and for most people, very easy to do or start. Plus, walking at a brisk pace that helps raise your heart rate can count toward the minimum 150 minutes of moderate-itensity activity recommended a week by the CDC.

Head outside for a walk through your neighborhood, on a trail, or just to tackle your daily tasks, or keep your workout indoors with the Strive™ Curved Treadmill. You can even add a weight vest to increase the calorie burn while keeping the impact low. The curved design of this treadmill supports a more natural gait, which can reduce joint impact when compared to walking on a flat treadmill.

[Read More: HIIT Training Treadmill Workout]

3. Rowing

Rowing is a low-impact cardio workout that targets your entire body: quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves as you drive, the lats, traps, rhomboids, erector spinae, biceps, triceps, and shoulder rotators as you pull the handle, and your core throughout, helping to transfer force from the legs to the upper body.

4. Swimming

If you think low-impact means less work, swimming is sure to change your mind. Jump into a pool or go for an ocean swim to engage your chest, shoulder, arms, legs, glutes, and core. This activity supports cardio conditioning and joint mobility, and thanks to the buoyancy that water provides — the Archimedes' principle — the near weightlessness you feel in water significantly reduces stress on your joints, making it a very low-impact form of exercise.

5. Yoga and Pilates

Depending on the type of yoga or Pilates you're tackling in your daily flow, it can count as cardio if you're raising your heart rate, breathing heavier, and often tackling more difficult holds or faster flows. Practices like vinyasa flow, ashtanga, hot yoga, and power yoga can help support endurance, strength, and cardiovascular health.

If you want to make sure your yoga or Pilates workout is also supporting your cardiovascular health, increase the intensity by utilizing fewer rests and picking up the pace between move changes. Add some yoga blocks if you're new to yoga to help your work through more difficult moves.

6. Elliptical

If you walk into a commerical gym, chances are you'll see rows of ellipticals mixed in among the treadmills and bikes. This piece of cardio equipment mimics the movement of walking, however, since your foot remains connected to the foot pedals, the impact with each step — affecting your knees, hips, and ankles — is lowered.

7. TRX

TRX is a form of suspension training, where you suspend part of your body in the air while tackling exercises. You hang the TRX Suspension Trainer to an anchor or a door, grab onto the handles, then adjust the placement of your body to make moves easier or harder. This is a total-body training system, allowing you to do rows, pull-ups, lunges, presses, core work, squats and more.

To turn your TRX training into cardio training, cycle through exercises quickly, limit rest, and aim for 50-85% of your maximum heart rate.

8. Vertical Climbers or Rock Climbing

A vertical climber is a machine where your hands and feet work up and down, simulating the upward climb of rock climbing. This, and rock climbing, are low-impact, since you're typically climbing upwards, without any impact onto the ground (bouldering may require some impact as you fall, but you should be rolling onto your back rather than landing on your feet for safety).

This type of workout targets your forearms, lats, biceps, triceps, shoulders, core, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. To make sure you're turning it into a cardio workout, you'll want to tackle longer or more challenging routes, and shorten your rest periods between attempts.

9. Stair Climber

A stair climber, like the STEPR Stair Climber, reduces the impact of your feet, minimizing the amount of force your joints absorb with each step. This allows you to build cardiovascular health and strength in your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves, with less strain to your knees, hips, and ankles.

10. Rollerblading

Strap on a pair of rollerblades for one of the best low-impact forms of cardio out there. This type of cardio workout limits the impact on your joints. You're not striking the ground hard with your feet, you glide instead of bounce as your move, the wheels help to dampen shock from the ground, and each movement is generated by your muscles pushing outward and back, rather than down into the ground.

Just be sure to wear protective gear like a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads.

11. Cross-Country Skiing

Similar to rollerblading, but much cooler (literally), cross-country skiing allows you to glide over the snow, keeping your feet in continuous contact with the ground which eliminates repetitive pounding forces.

You'll also get a full-body workout as you're tackling cardio: engaging your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves as your legs work to move your forward, and the shoulders, triceps, back, and lats, when utilizing a pole to push. And lest we forget, the core is working overtime to keep you stable throughout.

12. Step Aerobics

A step aerobics class typically requires a low step that you'll step up onto and then off of, in a controlled rhythm. This type of cardio workout primarily targets your legs and glutes, but also requires engagement from your core to keep you steady as your body continually shifts position.

13. Dancing

Remember high-school dances, where you'd jog of the dance floor to avoid your crush because you were dancing so hard your face is red and your entire body is drenched in sweat? That, my friends, is cardio. To keep your dancing low-impact, aim to tackle Zumba, barre-inspired, and gentle hip-hop or salsa. 

Studies have shown that dancing can reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress — perhaps a combination of movement, music, and social interation.

14. Beach Volleyball

You might look at beach volleyball and think all the jumping, sprinting, and diving are a far cry from low-impact, but the sand is naturally shock-absorbing, which cushions each step and jump, reducing stress on the kness, ankles, and hips compared to playing on a hard court.

Research has also found that landing and jumping on sand produces significantly lower force and outputs than on hard ground — another reason why you can't jump as high or move as fast in the sand. However, this tradeoff in maximum power provides a joint-friendly training surface.

At-Home Low-Impact Workouts

If you don't have access to commercial cardio equipment, fear not! We've got easy-to-do low-impact cardio you can tackle at home, without equipment.

15. Step Touch

The step touch is a simple, low-impact cardio move that raises your heart rate while being gentle on the joints, making it one of the best low-impact cardio exercises for seniors, beginners, or those recovering from injury.

It works the legs, glutes, and core through lateral movement, improving coordination and balance. To do it, step to the right with your right foot, bring your left foot to meet it, then step to the left with your left foot and bring your right foot together, continuing side to side in a controlled motion.

16. Squats

Squats are a low-impact exercise that strengthen the legs and glutes while keeping stress off the joints, making them an effective option for cardio and toning. They engage the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and core, improving lower-body strength and stability.

To do a squat, stand with feet about shoulder-width apart, bend your knees and send your hips back as if sitting in a chair, then return to standing, keeping your chest up and core engaged throughout.

17. Low-Impact Burpees

Low-impact burpees provide a full-body cardio workout without the high-impact jumping of traditional burpees, making them gentler on the knees and ankles. They work the chest, shoulders, arms, core, glutes, and legs while elevating heart rate and improving strength and endurance. To do a low-impact burpee, start standing, step one foot back at a time into a plank position, then step your feet forward one at a time and stand up.

18. Bear Crawl

Bear crawls are a low-impact, full-body exercise that build strength, stability, and coordination while being gentle on the joints. They work the shoulders, arms, core, glutes, and legs through controlled movement.

To do a bear crawl, start on all fours with knees slightly off the ground, then move forward by simultaneously stepping your right hand and left foot, followed by your left hand and right foot. Engage your core and work to keep your back flat throughout. 

19. Plank Up-Downs

Plank up-downs are a low-impact exercise that strengthen the core and upper body while minimizing stress on the joints — no jumping here. They work the shoulders, chest, triceps, core, and stabilizing muscles in the back and legs.

To do a plank up-down, start in a forearm plank, press up onto one hand at a time into a full plank, then lower back down to your forearms one hand at a time. Keep your hips stable (no dipping side-to-side) and core engaged throughout.

20. Squat Oblique Crunch

Squat oblique crunches are a low-impact, full-body exercise that combine lower-body strength with rotational core work. They target the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hip flexors, and obliques, helping improve balance, stability, and core strength.

To do a squat oblique crunch, tackle a squat by bending your knees and pushing your hips back. Then, as you stand, lift one knee and twist your torso toward that knee, engaging your obliques. Alternate sides with each repetition.

21. Low-Impact Cardio Lifting Circuit

Strength training and cardio are different things, and we need both for a well rounded routine. But what if your strength training was your cardio? By turning your workout into a circuit, you can transform your strength routine into a cardio powerhouse: lower the weights, move quickly from one exercise to the next. skip the rest, and keep your heart rate elevated throughout. 

20-Minute Full-Body Dumbbell Cardio Strength Circuit

And for our 21st low-impact cardio workout, we've put together a 20-minute strength circuit for you to tackle with dumbbells. Perform each exercise for 45 seconds, and take 15 seconds to recover while setting up for the next move. Complete 2 rounds, with 1 minute of rest between rounds. 

Properly warm-up before you dive in — try bodyweight squats, cat cows, and threading the needle to help prime your body for the work to come.

• Deadlifts
• Russian Twists
• Thrusters (Squat to Overhead Press)
• Bicep Curls
• Tricep Kickbacks

Tackle this circuit 2-3 times a week, with adequate rest between sessions so your muscles have time to recover.

Low-Impact Cardio Equipment List

Whether you're looking to tackle your low-impact cardio workout with minimal gear, or you're ready to invest in the sort of equipment that'll support your longterm goals, REP has the gear you need to get the job done. Here are some of the best choices to support your cardiovascular health and your joints:

• Strive™ Air Bike featuring VPR™
• Strive™ Curved Treadmill
• Concept2 RowErg
• Concept2 SkiErg
• STEPR Stair Climber
• TRX Suspension Trainers™
• QuickDraw™ Adjustable Dumbbells
• Strata™ Weight Vest and Plates
• Yoga Mat

FAQs

What equipment do I need for low impact cardio sessions at home?

You only need minimal gear for low-impact cardio at home, but we recommend a yoga mat for comfort and stability, resistance bands or dumbbells to add intensity, and optionally an air bike or curved treadmill to maximize your workouts while keeping it joint-friendly.

How can I create a weekly low impact cardio workout plan?

Schedule 3-5 sessions per week, mix moderate-intensity and interval-style movements, choose joint-friendly activities, and include warm-ups, cool-downs, and rest or active recovery days.

What are some effective low impact cardio exercises I can do at home?

Options include a brisk walk or riding an air bike, bear crawls, plank up-downs, and squat oblique crunhches. If you have dumbbells, consider tackling a full-body circuit where you limit rest to keep your heart rate elevated.