Give Your Joints a Break and Try This Muscle-Burning, Low-Impact Workout

Updated on June 20, 2018 at 3:40 PM

POPSUGAR Photography | Benjamin Stone

Need a breather from plyo or running? Maybe you're injured or just need a little break for your joints. You can still get a great workout in! And while we love low-impact workouts like Pilates and yoga in the studio, sometimes you need a great at-home (read: free) low-impact workout, too.

Try this 10-minute circuit to work your abs, legs, and booty. Keep things low key at a slower pace or speed it up and get as many reps as you can within each move's time frame. You're gonna feel sore — but you're gonna feel great.

Seated Trunk Rotation

Sit on the ground with your legs extended out in front of you and lean ever so slightly forward.
Keeping your elbows relaxed, lift your hands so they are even with the bottom of your rib cage.
Pull your navel to your spine and twist slowly to the right, touching the floor by your hip. The movement is not large and comes from the ribs rotating.
Inhale through center and rotate to the left. This completes one rep.
Continue your reps at your own pace for 60 seconds.

Beginning Seated Russian Twist

Sit on the ground with your knees bent and your heels about a foot and a half from your butt.
Lean slightly back without rounding your spine at all.
Place your hands behind your head with elbows wide.
Pull your navel to your spine and twist slowly to the right. The movement is not large and comes from the ribs rotating. Inhale through your center and rotate to the left. Come back to center.
This completes one rep/rotation.
Continue your reps at your own pace for 60 seconds.

Bicycle Crunches

Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground (pull your abs down to also target your deep abs). Interlace your fingers and put your hands behind your head.
Bring your knees in toward your chest and lift your shoulder blades off the ground.
Straighten your right leg out to about a 45-degree angle to the ground while turning your upper body to the left, bringing your right elbow toward the left knee. Make sure your rib cage is moving and not just your elbows.
Now switch sides and do the same motion on the other side to complete one rep (and to create the "pedaling" motion). Do this exercise with slow and controlled motion.
Continue your reps at your own pace for 60 seconds. Take a 15-second break, then speed it up and move as quickly as you can for 45 seconds.

Fire Hydrant

Start on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips.
Keep your right knee at a 90-degree angle as you slowly raise your leg to the right until it is parallel to the ground. Avoid lifting your right hip, as you should keep both hips square toward the floor.
With control, lower your leg back to the ground.
Continue for 60 seconds on the right side, then switch to the left leg for another 60 seconds.

Good Morning

Stand with your feet hip width apart and place your hands on your hips (or at the back of your head), with your elbows open wide.
Pull your abs to your spine and keep your back neutral while pressing your butt backward, hinging at the hips until your back is almost parallel to the floor.
Keep a slight bend in your knees as you hinge forward.
Return to standing, squeezing your glutes when you are upright to reset. This completes one rep.
Continue your reps at your own pace for 60 seconds.

Air Squat

Stand with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, feet parallel or toes slightly turned out.
Bend your knees, lowering your hips deeply. Bring your thighs parallel to the floor and bend the elbows, keeping weight back in your heels.
Rise back up, straightening the legs completely, squeezing the glutes at the top of the movement to get the most out of the exercise.
This counts as one rep.
Continue your reps at your own pace for 60 seconds. Take a 15-second break, then speed it up and move as quickly as you can for 45 seconds.

Alternating Side Lunge

Start with your feet directly under your hips. Step your right foot wide to the side, coming into a lunge, with your left fingers touching your right foot. Your right knee shouldn't go beyond your right toes. Keep your chest lifted and your weight in your heels.
Push into your right foot to return to standing, then lunge sideways to the left to complete one rep.
Continue your reps at a moderate pace for 60 seconds.