Try this 15 Minute Quiet Cardio Workout at home! No Jumping and Low Impact But Lots of Burn!

Looking for a low impact, cardio at home, apartment friendly workout with no jumping? This quiet cardio hits all the marks! 

In this full body cardio workout you’ll get cardio exercises with some serious burn! This silent workout is a 15 minute cardio killer (in a good way!)  

SEE THE WORKOUT VIDEO HERE

 

 

WHAT IS CARDIO?

If you think cardio exercise is running or jumping or just something that gets you sweating, you might be surprised to learn differently!

Cardio is any activity that increases the heart rate. Ideally, this activity will get the heart rate up to at least 65% of its max. The fitter you become, the more efficiently you do cardio (because more oxygenated blood is sent to your muscles) and the higher your heart rate can go. (This is why strength training is so important.) 

 

CARDIO EXERCISE IS NOT JUST RUNNING OR JUMPING

Running and jumping are two types of cardio exercise but they are not the only forms of cardio. As you saw above, cardio can be anything that increases your heart rate.

Any workout which has you moving through exercises relatively quickly, with short recovery times, can be cardio. 

Pilates, Barre, Yoga, Dance and Weight Training can all become cardio if programmed correctly into your home workout routine or training schedule. So whenever you see recommendations on how much cardio to do each week, know that this cardio can even include fast walking! 

 

WHAT IS LOW IMPACT CARDIO?

Low impact cardio exercises increase the heart rate without causing as much strain on the joints as running or jumping. This is how you do cardio without damaging the joints.

Examples of low impact cardio exercises include many of the activities already mentioned such as Yoga, Pilates, Barre and Dance. Certain Martial Arts inspired workouts can also be practiced in a low impact way. 

When you do low impact cardio, you softly land on the feet (or keep the feet on the floor) instead of landing on them with force. 

Low impact cardio exercises are an essential part of any training program as they give you cardiovascular benefits without exacerbating or causing injuries as much as running or jumping. 

NOTE: Low impact does not mean NO impact. Some impact is going to be natural in any movement and is essential to bone strength. 

 

HOW TO DO CARDIO WITHOUT RUNNING OR JUMPING? (LOW IMPACT)

There are three main ways to get your heart rate up without running or jumping. When you're planning your cardio exercise for the week, think about these three things:

• REDUCE RECOVERY TIME: If you reduce how long you rest between reps and sets or intervals, you will increase the heart rate naturally. Your body can move more powerfully in short bursts vs. over long periods of time. This is why HIIT (high intensity interval training) can be so effective.

• UP/DOWN MOVEMENTS: When you move from a position at one level to one of another, quickly, you will increase the heart rate. As an example, you could move quickly from a plank on the floor to standing upright. Alternatively, you could move from a low squat to standing on the toes in a squat thrust movement. You do NOT need to jump in order to get the heart rate to increase. 

Include powerful and quick up/down transitions for cardio without running or jumping.

• CONTRACTION/EXTENSION MOVEMENTS: The heart rate will increase if you powerfully and quickly move from a muscle contraction to a muscle extension. This is what running is; you're contracting and extending the leg muscles in a fast and powerful way. A low impact example of this type of movement might be a punch or a kick with a soft landing.

You're not getting a LESSER cardio when you do low impact exercises, you're just getting a DIFFERENT cardio. 

 

HOW DO I MAKE CARIO QUIETER?

Any low impact exercise will be quieter than a high impact one. The key is to either land very softly on the balls of the feet (as in a controlled kick) or to keep the feet on the floor (as with a punch.)

Even with high impact cardio like jumping or running, it is ESSENTIAL to land more quietly and controlled so that you can avoid unnecessary strain on the joints.

Don't just focus on how fast or quick your movements are but also how you land them in order to make your cardio quieter and more efficient. 

 

WHAT CARDIO EXERCISE SHOULD I DO?

This depends on your fitness goals, fitness ability and how you prefer to move. What you like to do is VERY important and something that many people forget!

• If your goal is weight loss then do high intensity (still low impact) exercises usually in short bursts as in a HIIT workout. Explosive movements such as kicking or boxing will also be ideal for your weight loss goals. 

• If your goal is to maintain your current fitness level, any type of low impact cardio you're already doing is probably fine. Examples could include Dance, Dynamic Yoga, Power Pilates, Cardio Barre or modified martial arts such as my Brazilian Flow.

• If your goal is to increase endurance or train for a high endurance event then your cardio should include HIIT (high intensity interval training) as well as training in whatever form of cardio you'll be performing. 

Be sure to adjust cardio exercises to YOUR fitness ability. For example, there is no point in doing high kicks if you struggle to lift your knees. Work with where you are and build up from there.

Finally, choose the type of workouts and exercises that you enjoy. The key to fitness results is consistency. When you enjoy something, you are much more likely to keep it up permanently. 

 

HOW MUCH CARDIO EXERCISE SHOULD I DO?

Your training schedule and workout routine will depend on your fitness goals. For example, the cardio workouts of a future marathon runner will be very different from someone working towards weight loss. We often assume that more cardio is better, but that isn't true.

The RIGHT amount of workouts and the RIGHT amount of cardio is what will deliver you the best results. Often, the RIGHT amount involves much less cardio than you think.

The general recommendation is about 2.5 hours of physical activity per week of moderate intensity (e.g. walking) or 75 minutes per week of high intensity (e.g. HIIT workouts.) However, much of our daily routine will involve some physical activity such as walking, climbing stairs, etc.

Below are cardio training suggestions. These are based on the assumption that you are walking around during the week and doing strength training as well: 

• If you're a beginner to cardio: at least 20 minutes, x3 a week. This is in order to increase your stamina. 

• If your goal is maintenance: at least 15 minutes, x2 a week. You can do longer sessions but keep in mind that it is MORE effective and BETTER to do shorter sessions at a higher intensity. This is because your body can push for more intensity over shorter periods of time.

• If your goal is weight loss: at least 20 minutes, x3 to x5 a week. More than x5 will be counterproductive. In fact, it's best to do a max of x4 cardio sessions a week because then you can rest the muscles or focus on strength training (a necessary component of any weight loss program.)
  
  
• If your goal is to increase endurance: at least 30 minutes, x3 a week. If you are training for a marathon then you should look for a specific training schedule for marathon runners. 

Any cardio should be done in combination with a good strength and flexibility workout plan. Stretching needs to be done after EVERY cardio session. Strength training is advisable to do at least 2x a week. You can combine strength and cardio into one session. 

WHAT IS CARDIO FOR WEIGHT LOSS? 

Cardio is often seen as essential for weight loss because it can increase the number of calories we burn.

In truth, cardio is NOT essential for weight loss but it is still IMPORTANT for your health. 

Weight loss is determined by burning/expending more calories than you eat. You can manage weight loss just by eating smarter and healthier. No cardio is required. 

Admittedly, cardio can increase the overall number of calories that your body burns. HOWEVER, the amount of calories burned during even the highest of high intensity exercises, is not so important as how you eat and how your body uses energy for basic biological processes or at rest.

However, cardio is so beneficial to your respiratory system, circulatory system, muscle and bone health that it is worth including for ANY fitness goals. Remember that cardio does not need to be high intensity in order to be effective. 

The key is to not look to any one weight loss answer, but rather look for a combination of things; smart cardio, proper strength training and a balanced diet will all help to meet your weight loss goals. 

 

DOES INTERVAL TRAINING OR HIIT BURN MORE FAT?

The short answer is yes; because interval training or HIIT (high intensity interval training) make use of short bursts of energy and quick recovery times, they tend to be more effective in burning calories than other forms of cardio. 

Your body can push harder and perform better for a shorter amount of time than it can over a long period of time, which is why interval training is so effective for weight loss. 

HIIT and interval training are particularly good as cardio exercises if you don't have time to do longer workouts. For instance, if you have 15 minutes or less than HIIT is definitely the way to go. 

The longer, more appropriate answer is that burning fat or weight loss is not dependent on the type of workouts you do alone or the type of cardio you choose. If burning fat or weight loss is your goal then you should focus on a balanced approach that includes cardio, strength training and a healthy diet.

 

Do 10,000 steps a day count as cardio? 

Walking can count as your cardio exercise for the day. If you are working through an injury, have a physical limitation or are just short on time then walking can absolutely work as cardio. 

The key is to maximize your heart rate increase while walking. You can do this by playing with different walking speeds, inclines and maybe even alternate walking with strength training exercises (e.g. lunges.) 

However, 10,000 steps is not the best guideline for walking as cardio exercise. This is because of a few things:

• Not everyone walks at the same rate 
• 10,000 steps are not equal; a hike vs. a neighbourhood stroll will have different levels of challenge
• It is very challenging to fit 10,000 steps into a weekday if you don't have a job where you're constantly moving

Walking is a great way to get your cardio exercise but it would be best to combine it with other forms of cardio if at all possible. 

WHAT'S BETTER FOR WEIGHT LOSS CARDIO OR WEIGHT TRAINING?

Both. You need both to sustain weight loss. In addition to a balanced diet, cardio and weight or strength training are essential to maintaining optimal health. 

Together, both of these types of physical activities can increase how efficiently you perform workouts and your resting metabolic rate when you're not working out. 

NOTE: Weight training can be done WITHOUT weights and still give weight loss results. You just need to know how to do it. 

 

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