Kent Probst, BS, MEd
Kent Probst is the owner of Long Healthy Life Blog
High Impact Aerobic Exercise: The Basics
High impact aerobic exercise involves exercise in which your feet frequently leave the ground at the same time. It’s great for getting your heart rate up, improving cardiovascular fitness and health.
But high impact aerobic exercise is just one piece of the puzzle to consider when designing a workout. An effective workout should be varied, and there are many other forms of aerobic exercise to consider.
High impact aerobic exercise may not be right for everyone..
A workout that doesn’t address your needs will waste your time and make it harder to reach your goals, increasing the likelihood that you’ll stop exercising. The frequency, intensity, time, and type of exercise should be appropriate for your goals.
Factors such as fitness level, medical history, and comfort should be considered as well when selecting the type of aerobic exercise.
Types of Aerobic Exercise
High Impact:
- Running
- Jumping Rope
- Tennis
- Step aerobics
Medium Impact:
- Walking
- Hiking
- Stepmill
No Impact:
- Swimming
- Spinning
- Elliptical Crosstrainer
Advantages and Disadvantages of High Impact Aerobic Exercise
Pros
- Weight bearing exercise – High impact aerobic exercise will increase bone mass and is good for preventing osteoporosis.
- Increased caloric expenditure – Generally, weight bearing exercise (in which your legs support your body weight) tend to burn the most calories. Higher exercise intensity means higher caloric expenditure.
- Improved balance – High impact aerobic exercise such as step aerobics or jumping rope will improve balance more than riding a stationary bike.
- Improved coordination – High impact aerobic exercise may result in better coordination in your activities of daily living.
Cons
- Joint Precautions – People with joint replacements, such as hip and knees, should avoid high impact aerobic exercise, since it will wear out the joint implants faster.
- Osteoporosis – If you have a diagnosis of osteoporosis, you should avoid exercise that involves explosive or high impact loading movements. Bending, twisting, or compression of the spine should also be avoided by people with osteoporosis, since it increases the risk of fractures.
- Contraindicated for impaired balance – People with severely impaired balance may not be able to participate in high impact aerobic exercise since it may increase risks of falls and fractures. Other less challenging types of exercise may be more appropriate, while still improving balance.
- Painful joints – People with arthritis may experience joint pain during high impact aerobic exercise. Exercise that causes pain should be avoided.
Designing Your Workout
Whether you choose high impact, low, or no impact aerobic exercise, having someone to work out with will make it more interesting and improve your exercise adherence.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise, or 75 minutes per week of vigorous cardiovascular exercise to significantly reduce the risk of disease.
Moderate intensity is 40%-59% of heart rate reserve (HRR) and vigorous intensity is 60%-89% of HRR.
To calculate your target heart zone:
- Maximum heart rate = 220 minus your age
- Measure resting heart rate in one minute
- Calculate heart rate reserve (HRR) by subtracting resting heart rate from maximum heart rate
- Multiply HRR by 40%. Add your resting heart rate to this number.
- Multiply HRR by 59%. Add your resting heart rate to this number.
- These two numbers are your target heart zone for moderate intensity cardiovascular exercise
Modes of cardiovascular exercise should involve major muscle groups such as running, swimming, bicycling, cross country skiing, stair climbing, high intensity interval training (HIIT), or walking.
Frequency: 3-5 days per week. Regular cardiovascular exercise is instrumental in achieving a healthy body composition.
Find a form of aerobic exercise that’s appropriate to your fitness level, medical history, and comfort level. Find a workout that you enjoy.
An unpleasant experience can cause you to drop out rather quickly. So make exercise fun!
Need help designing a workout? The American Council on Exercise has resources to help you find a fitness professional.
Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through these links. Please note that I’ve linked to these products purely because I recommend them and they are from companies I trust. There is no additional cost to you.
