If you’re looking to tone up your abs, there are a lot of reasons why personal trainers recommend low impact exercises. They’re easy on your joints, for one thing. Low impact exercises also tend to be less stressful on muscles and bones than high impact activities like running or jumping rope. If you want to work out without putting too much strain on your body while still getting fit, these are some favorite low impact exercises for abs:
Leg lifts
Leg lifts are a great way to get the burn going.
- Lie on your back and place a pillow under your head.
- Lift both legs up at a 90 degree angle, so that they’re parallel with the floor. Keep your feet together and pointed straight ahead for this exercise.
- Breathe in as you lift, then exhale as you lower your legs down slowly back down toward the ground until they’re about an inch from touching it again. If you want to make it harder, try lifting one leg at a time.
If done properly, this exercise should work out most of those important inner thigh muscles while also helping strengthen some of those smaller ones around the pelvis area too!
The Plank
The plank is one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your core, which in turn improves your posture. Here’s how to do it:
- Get in a push-up position with your arms completely straight and fingers touching the floor.
- Hold this position for as long as you can without dropping down or shifting your weight to your forearms or hands—the longer, the better!
The plank works out all of your torso muscles (abdominals, back extensors), along with those supporting joints like wrists, elbows and shoulders. It also strengthens glutes (your butt cheeks) by forcing them to work harder than normal because they’re supporting more weight than usual.
Cross-body mountain climbers
To start, lie on your back with your arms at your sides and legs extended. Next, raise your right arm and left leg so they are perpendicular to the floor. Then switch positions by raising your left arm and right leg. That’s one rep!
This workout is great for those who want to strengthen their core but don’t want the impact of a traditional sit-up or crunch exercise. The cross-body mountain climbers help strengthen several different muscles in the abdominal area because it requires you to contract them all at once as you move from side to side during each repetition of this exercise.
The air squat
The air squat is a great exercise to help strengthen the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. This move also helps improve flexibility in both the ankles and hips. To do an air squat, lower yourself down until your thighs are parallel with the floor or until you can no longer maintain a neutral spine (keep back flat). Then push through your heels while raising yourself up as high as possible by extending at the knees and hips. Make sure to keep your core engaged throughout each repetition.
You can try variations of this exercise such as:
- Air Squat with Dumbbells: Holding two dumbbells at shoulder level next to each other with palms facing forward.
- Air Squat using Barbell: Place barbell across upper back tight against neck muscles (start light).
- Air Squat using Kettlebells: Holding two kettlebells by keeping them close together (start light).
- Air Squat using Medicine Ball: Stand tall holding medicine ball above head with arms extended outwards until form is solid before lowering into squat position; then raise back up whilst squeezing shoulders blades together,
Knee Tucks
Knee tucks are a great way to work your abdominals without putting too much pressure on the joints. To do them, you’ll need a mat or towel. Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Now slowly pull your knees into your chest and hold for a few seconds. After that, slowly lower them back down again. Repeat this exercise 10 times before taking a break for 30 seconds and then repeating the whole process again.
Russian twists
Russian twists are a great way to strengthen your core muscles, including your abdominals. They’re also low-impact and easy to do, so you can do them anywhere—at home, in the office, or even while you’re watching TV!
To perform Russian twists, sit on the floor with legs straight out in front of you. Hold a medicine ball with both hands and raise it over your head. Twist at the waist to one side, keeping your feet planted on the ground and your back straight. Then twist back to center, then to the other side, while keeping the medicine ball above your head throughout the entire motion. Repeat this motion until you’ve completed all reps on one side before moving on to the other side.
Bicycle Crunches
This exercise is great for targeting your abdominal muscles, as well as your obliques. It’s also a great one to start with if you’re new to exercising.
Start by lying on the floor and bringing your knees up to 90-degree angles. Place your hands behind your head and raise your shoulder blades off of the floor while keeping your lower back in contact with the floor. Slowly bring one knee towards your chest while keeping the other leg extended straight out and then switch sides by bringing the other knee up towards your chest.
You can increase the intensity of this exercise by placing your hands behind your head, lifting both feet off of the ground and crossing them at the ankles or by holding a weight above your head and continuing to alternate sides without letting it touch down on either side. The speed at which you perform these crunches will also affect how many calories you burn as well as how effective this exercise will be for strengthening specific muscles.
Just because these exercises are low impact doesn’t mean they don’t kick butt.
Low-impact exercises can be great for your body, but it’s important to know what types of exercises are best for you. Eric Allen, founder of ERA fit, home of the best personal training in Miami, tells us that “You don’t have to be overweight to benefit from low-impact exercises, but if you are, these moves can help you get in shape without causing too much strain on your joints. These exercises tend to be easier on the body than other exercise types and less likely to cause pain or injury. Low impact exercises are good for people with joint pain, like arthritis or previous injuries.”