Why should you include low impact exercise in your hybrid training routine

If you've read our other blogs by now, you know we're big fans of Hybrid Training over traditional types or one-dimensional training types. We regularly discuss the Hybrid Training scene in Australia, including recovery and preparation for a Hyrox, among other topics.

At Go Nutrition, we love to know about how to push the limits of what your body can do. 

However, while we're all about that, let's focus on one area that most people overlook: low-impact exercise.  If you haven't included it in your routine, then you could be delaying your recovery and adding setbacks to your performance goals.

Jump in with us today and learn about what low-impact exercise exactly is, its benefits and the types you may want to add to your hybrid training routine in Australia. 

What is Low Impact Exercise? 

Low-impact exercise is a form of exercise that slowly increases your heart rate. Compared to other types, it places less stress on your joints and is more gentle. Common examples of low-impact exercises include yoga, pilates, cycling, rowing, walking, swimming, and other similar activities. 

Too much high impact can add stress to your body when you land, potentially causing difficulties with your muscles, connective tissues, joints and more. 

What's the difference between Low Impact Exercise and LISS 

When discussing low-impact exercise, you may get confused with LISS, which stands for low-intensity steady-state (LISS) cardio. But they're not the same. 

LISS is the opposite of HIIT and differs slightly from low-impact exercise. It is primarily cardio-centric, where you maintain a steady heart rate for approximately 30-60 minutes. LISS focuses on fat burning and endurance, typically performed at a zone 2 pace, where you can maintain a conversation.  

On the contrary, low-impact exercise is a form of physical activity that focuses solely on minimising stress and protecting your joints. Compared to zone 2, the focus is on placing less stress on joints and making it easier for them to move. 

5 Benefits of Low impact exercise 

At Go Nutrition, we're dedicated to helping you push past your potential and break barriers. However, sometimes you need to take a break and slow down with low-impact exercise. You might not be convinced at first, but there are a ton of benefits  to low-impact exercise, such as: 

1.Reduced risk of injury

Let's jump straight into the main benefit of low-impact exercise: it can greatly reduce your risk of injury. With low-impact exercise, your feet mainly stay planted on the ground, and your movements are controlled and fluid. This means there's less strain on your knees, hips, and ankles, allowing them to rest from the usual wear and tear of intense exercise. 

Take swimming, for example. The buoyancy of the water supports your body, taking weight off your joints. It's the perfect exercise and environment to rebuild strength after an injury or if you're experiencing joint pain from other workouts.

Remember that low-impact exercise does not mean low results; you still get to utilise a full range of motion without the risk of straining a muscle. It's one of the best forms of active recovery, especially for those of us who love to push past our limits but know when to dial it back and play a long game.  

2. May improve flexibility

Many low-impact exercises can help enhance your flexibility, reducing muscle stiffness and muscle pulls. Low-impact exercises like pilates, yoga, and swimming can help strengthen your core and significantly improve your range of motion.

3. Accessible form of workout

With low-impact training, you don't have to rush to the gym to get your workout done. These workouts are versatile and require minimal experience or equipment. They're suitable for anyone and can be done anywhere. Because they're so accessible, they're also sustainable and can easily be kept up with without any glitches. 

4. Reduced recovery time

Low-impact exercise may help accelerate your recovery. As impact is reduced, so is your recovery time and these types of workouts can be done more often to integrate sustainability into your training. 

5.  Can prevent further injury

If you're already experiencing an injury, low-impact exercise may be your best friend in helping it heal. With less stress on your joints, you're less likely to aggravate your injury as exercises are gentle, not sudden and harmful. You can think of low-impact exercises as a form of injury rehabilitation; they help you build strength and stability, setting you up for a stronger comeback.

How Low impact exercise can help Hybrid training in Australia

Now that we've covered the benefits of low-impact exercise in general let's delve more specifically into how it can aid your hybrid training. Low-impact exercise can offer the following:

Reduced fatigue and quicker recovery

As a hybrid athlete in Australia, the best way to add low-impact exercise into your routine is by using it as a form of active recovery. Doing this helps reduce muscle soreness and helps you maintain a higher overall training volume. As these workouts are gentle, they can be performed frequently, allowing for a sustainable routine and minimising burnout. 

Greater balance and mobility 

Many low-impact exercises focus on controlled movements, which help improve balance, mobility, and coordination. The improved balance and mobility can help strengthen performance during both resistance and endurance sessions in your hybrid routine. 

Helps with mental wellbeing

Low-impact activities also help improve mood, reduce stress, and increase mental clarity. When you've had a heavy training load, it can become taxing on your mind, and a few different types of low-impact exercise sprinkled into your routine can help alleviate stress and have greater mental clarity, motivation and consistency over your schedule. 

Examples of high impact and low impact exercise

To know which to add to your routine, it’s best to know the differences between the two:

Wrapping up low impact exercise and hybrid training 

To recap, as a hybrid athlete in Australia adding low impact exercise to your routine is a MUST. Due to the different intensities and training volumes hybrid exercise holds, your muscles and joints often need a break from the strain placed on them. 

Low impact exercises like yoga, walking, swimming and more are perfect for keeping you moving, they help reduce your injury risk, speed up recovery time, rebuild muscle and are a fantastic form of active recovery. 

When adding low impact exercise to your routine, be patient. The exercise that benefits your routine may differ according to your body needs and training volume each week. If you’re someone who likes to go hard and intense, remember that factoring low impact exercise won’t set you back, it can actually help you recover quicker and perform better. 

To know more about recovering quicker from hybrid exercises in Australia0 check out our post- the role of supplements in preventing burnout and injury. 

FAQS

What is a low-impact exercise?

Low-impact exercise is a form of exercise that places minimal strain or pressure on your muscles and joints during exercise. Exercises like yoga, swimming, pilates, cycling and walking are classed as low impact. 

Can I lose weight with low-impact exercise?

When we think of weight loss programs, we often associate our minds with hardcore and intense exercise. However, weight loss can also be achieved through low-impact exercise. It’s simply a matter of diet and exercising the right way. 

What’s the difference between low-impact exercise and LISS?

While low-impact exercise and LISS overlap to some extent, there are distinct differences between them. LISS workouts are not always low-impact, and their focus is more on having a steady heart rate. In contrast, low-impact exercise can be done at a higher intensity, just with less stress on your joints.