Cody says shaking battle ropes is a good low-impact alternative to high-impact exercise.

By Cody Lichthardt, Personal Trainer, Rock Valley Physical Therapy

Are you not able to run, jump or sprint because of joint pain, joint replacement, or other condition?

You’re not alone. Many of my personal training clients, group fitness participants (and even myself!) have a restriction that prevents us from doing certain high-impact exercises.

The good news is that there are other extremely effective forms of exercise you can do to get results. Check them out:

1. Biking

Biking is a suitable alternate for long-duration lower-intensity running. Its rhythmic low-impact nature allows it be performed for a longer duration, making it good for increasing endurance.

It also can be performed outside, which is an awesome bonus this time of year in the QC!

Linda Lueders had one knee totally replaced. The low-impact medicine ball squat-and-throw is a great high-intensity exercise for her.

Tip: To save your joints and improve your endurance, shoot for at least 20 minutes of steady biking twice a week. 

2. Medicine ball

Throwing a medicine ball is a great replacement for jumping.

Like jumping, throwing a ball is an explosive movement that trains the central nervous system.

Tip: To get the benefits of jumping without the impact, hold a medicine ball in your hands at chin height. Next, squat down and forcefully push the ball up into the air or onto a wall using your legs and arms. Let the ball bounce or carefully catch it and repeat. Do 4 sets of 4 repetitions.

3. Battle Rope

Mel Block had both knees partially replaced, so shaking the battle ropes gives him a great high-intensity, low-impact workout.

Shaking a rope may not look challenging, but battle ropes provide a good substitute for high-intensity, high-impact exercise such as sprinting.

They increase the heart rate quickly and burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time.

Tip: If you have access to a battle rope, try standing with an athletic stance and the ends of the rope in your hands.

Next, move the handles of the rope up and down creating a wave pattern. Do this for 20 seconds, and then rest for one minute. Repeat 4 times.

Note: There’s a difference between low-intensity and low-impact.

Low-impact generally refers to keeping one foot on the ground at all times, where low-intensity refers to a heart percentage below sixty five percent.

If you read my last blog on the differences between high- and low-intensity exercise, you know the importance of incorporating both into your routine.

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be high impact for you to get the results you desire!

Cody Lichthardt is a Performance Enhancement Specialist at Quad City Sport Performance and a Certified Personal Trainer at Rock Valley Health. Cody works to help others gain the benefits of training and proper nutrition. You can read Cody’s bio and other blog posts by clicking here.