Sore knees? A personal trainer recommends this low-impact HIIT workout to get your heart pumping

I’ve been an avid runner for almost twenty years, and while all that pavement pounding has come with plenty of benefits, there have been some drawbacks too. My knees, hips, and ankles can get cranky at times, and that can prevent me from hopping on the treadmill for my daily dose of cardio

One such flair up had me scrolling through Instagram in search of a low-impact alternative, where I found fitness influencer Cindy Yu’s No Jumping HIIT workout. The movements she included looked fun, engaging, and friendly on the joints, so I decided to give it a try.

How to do Cindy Yu’s low-impact HIIT routine

High Intensity Interval Training, also known as HIIT, involves short periods of exercise followed by even shorter periods of rest. You’ll perform the eight exercises in Yu’s routine for 30 seconds each followed by 10 seconds of rest in between the exercises. Aim to complete six to eight rounds of the circuit. The exercises are:

1. Alternating lateral step curtsey lunge
2. Rocking horse
3. Sumo squat heel lift
4. Side-tap front-tap
5. Double-step touch knee lift
6. Side-lunge touch down
7. Double-step touch ham curl

Yu does a great job at demonstrating each exercise but she doesn’t give any modifications or alternatives. The movements should be doable for beginners and experts alike, but if you’re dealing with current or past injuries, be mindful of how you move. There’s also no warm-up or cool-down included, so set aside a few minutes for both.

What I learnt from doing this workout

My average heart rate surprised me

Since I’m a bit of a cardio lover, I didn’t anticipate a low-impact HIIT routine could raise my heart rate to an average of 138 beats per minute—a lot higher than I thought it would be.

The great thing about this workout (and most HIIT workouts) is that you can perform the exercises at your own pace. I went a little faster than Cindy did in her demonstrations, which made the workout appropriately challenging. You can also slow it down to a more manageable tempo if the instructor’s speed feels too challenging. As long as you’re working for the allotted time, you’re doing it right.

It reminded me of step aerobics

If you’ve ever missed old-school step aerobics, this routine is for you. Several of the exercises included multi-step movements and even some arm choreography, which reminded me of the step classes I used to take when I first started working out. It was a nice blend of HIIT with dance-influenced exercises, so fans of Zumba and Jazzercise would likely enjoy this workout too.

It was fun

The exercises in this routine were unique and different from the usual squat jumps and burpees. While easy to follow, they still kept me focused, as they required some coordination, and made the workout fun. It was also a nice change of pace to work on new moves that didn’t impact my joints. Adding my favorite playlist to the mix made the time fly by and even more enjoyable.