At-home workouts can be the best solution when you have a busy schedule and minimal time to break a sweat at the gym. With so many quality pieces of indoor exercise equipment on the market currently, working out from the comfort of your home is easier than ever.
Beyond avoiding late gym fees to cancellations, building a mini athletic club inside your home has many health benefits. It's easier to stick to your goals because you don't have to go anywhere to get in a workout.
And you don't need to do HIIT to get results. For starters, in a 2017 study from the University of North Dakota, it was also found that low-impact exercises like tai chi and yoga can improve balance and muscle tone. Both of which can easily be done at home!
To keep up with your fitness journey, Shop TODAY talked to two fitness experts for the best workout tips and low-impact exercises to maintain your overall wellness. We also found several topnotch low-impact exercise equipment options that will keep you in shape.
Low-impact cardio machines
Sunny Health and Fitness Adjustable Rowing Machine
Weight capacity: 220 pounds | Levels of resistance: 12
Tailor your low-impact exercise experience with this Shop TODAY-approved rowing machine. The equipment comes with a hydraulic resistance system that offers a smooth and quiet workout. It also features a multifunctional digital monitor, ergonomic seat, pivoting pedals, foam handlebar and steel slide rail that will help you burn fat.
Anwick Foldable Treadmill with Incline
Weight capacity: 250 pounds | Speed limit: 0.6 mph — 7.5 mph
Whether you like to walk or run, this treadmill is perfect for your at-home gym. It comes with a multiple LED display to visually show your speed, calories, distance and more. You won’t have to worry about bothering your neighbors, as this foldable equipment has a low-noise motor that provides a quiet workout experience.
Sunny Health and Fitness Rowing Machine
Weight capacity: 220 pounds | Levels of resistance: 4
While this machine requires a bit of extra space in your room, the rowing machine is a great choice if you want to increase your fitness level with low-impact workouts. The equipment feature an elastic cord resistance with four levels of adjustable tension, an oversized contoured seat and a large LCD monitor to track your progress.
Home Fitness Code Space Saving Motorised Treadmill Walking Machine
Weight capacity: 242 pounds | Speed limit: 0.6 mph — 6.2 mph
A treadmill is always a great option to keep up with your cardio routine. This walking pad comes with a remote control that allows you to adjust speed and workout intensity. It’s small enough to place under your standing desk and features a LCD display so you can see your progress.
The treadmill also comes with a walking and running mode, with speeds ranging from one to six miles per hour. Though we will note it does not have a handrail.
Sunny Health and Fitness Walking Treadmill
Weight capacity: 220 pounds
This portable treadmill folds down to easily hide behind furniture, in storage closets or even underneath raised beds. Plus, it has wheels on the bottom to make moving it from spot to spot simple.
Once you learn to “control your stride and tempo,” reviewers say getting the hang of this manual treadmill makes it well worth the investment.
Circuit Fitness Folding Upright Exercise Bike
Weight capacity: 250 pounds | Levels of resistance: 8
Score some miles in this easy-to-store bike. The equipment is foldable, compact and customizable for all fitness levels. It features non-slip pedals, an easy-to-read LCD monitor and a premium steel frame that provides ultimate performance.
"If you are looking to invest in your cardiac health, this could very well be the product for you! The best features for me are the durability of the product, the adjustable weights/resistance, and the scan setting that cycles through the different stats of your ride," said one Amazon customer.
Utryup R10 Water Rowing Machine
Weight capacity: 265 pounds | Levels of resistance: 16
In a workout routine rut? At-home workouts just got easier thanks to the ability to stream workout inspiration via the Utryup smartphone app, and you can prop a phone or tablet on the machine to follow along, with an included stand.
XTERRA Fitness Folding Exercise Bike
Weight capacity: 225 pounds | Levels of resistance: 8
If you love cycling, this exercise bike is an option to add some resistance to your workouts. The bike offers the perfect save-saving solution and is lightweight enough to move around. It features a padded seat, comfortable handlebars and a simple LCD display to monitor your progress. Customers rave about how quiet the bike is and how easy is to fold up.
Sunny Health and Fitness Recumbent Stationary Bike
Weight capacity: 220 pounds | Levels of resistance: 8
Exercise with ease no matter the weather outside, thanks to this stationary bike whose seat can be adjusted with the pull of a lever and whose resistance can be heightened with the turn of a knob.
Multiple reviewers rave about how easy and simple this piece of workout equipment was to set up.
Other exercise equipment for low-impact workouts
Renoj Resistance Bands
Achieve the legs and glutes of your dreams with this resistance band set. This one is great for at-home workouts and total body workouts. The pack comes with different resistance levels and you can adjust your workout with a lighter band. These resistance bands will help you develop your muscles and can be used for a variety of workouts including yoga, pilates and more.
Athletic Works Home Gym Kit
If you don't have much space in your home for equipment, you can improve your strengthening and cardio with this kit from Gaiam. The set includes an ab wheel, jump rope, push-up bars to enhance upper body strength and a resistance band. These tools require no extra storage space and are easy to use with the included exercise guide.
Cigocivi Instructional Yoga Mat
If stretching is not your favorite thing to do, you can get some extra assistance with this mat. Whether you’re into yoga or circuit training, this mat welcomes all levels. Its design features 70 illustrated, easy-to-follow yoga poses to help you stretch and pose properly.
Chirp Wheel+ 3-Pack
This is a great alternative to the traditional foam roller. The bundle features three different wheel sizes ranging from four to 10 inches with foam padding to target back and neck pain, reduce tension and help your muscles recover, according to the brand.
What are the best low-impact exercises for weight loss?
According to fitness expert and certified personal trainer Janet Parker, the ideal low-impact exercise that engages your entire body is indoor rowing. “It offers both a cardiovascular and a strengthening workout at the same time. This is because it uses not only your legs and glutes (two of the largest muscle groups), but also your upper body and core with minimal impact on your joints.”
Other low-impact exercises you can do at home include swimming, lifting, barre workouts, indoor biking, walking and strength training. “We would follow something that does not require any impact or jumping (such as plyometric moves). Most exercises can be low-impact depending on the intensity at which they are done,” shared personal trainer Denise Chakoian.
How to build a workout routine for beginners
Once you start working out, it becomes easier to incorporate into your daily routine through practice and consistency.
Parker advises choosing an activity, finding a workout partner and setting an attainable goal that you can achieve. “Start with a goal of five push-ups a day and not 500 push-ups a day. It’s better to set a reasonable goal, not one you may never achieve.”
She also recommends writing your routine down in your calendar. “If it isn’t written down or in your phone, let’s face it, it probably won’t happen. Write it down and set aside the time to make it possible.”
For Chakoian, building a workout program that includes cardiovascular or endurance levels will help you achieve your fitness goals. In order to measure your cardiovascular level, Chaokian suggests monitoring your heart rate with a fitness tracker or monitor. If you don’t have either, “you can manually take a heart rate by checking how many beats your heart is pumping in 10 seconds and multiply that by six. To find your heart rate, you can take two fingers at your wrist or your carotid artery area [on the neck].”
She recommends starting a cardio routine with a 3-4 mile per hour pace or biking indoors with a low resistance level for 15-20 minutes.
Additionally, she advises incorporating push-ups and lower body exercises into your routine to improve your flexibility and strength. “Lower bodywork can be done with just bodyweight squats and lunges alternating legs. To introduce weight, start small at three pounds in each hand.”
Can I get fit with low-impact exercises?
Yes, you can lose weight and get toned with low-impact exercises. Usually, low-impact workouts are great for “individuals returning back to activity from an injury, as well as those who are deconditioned, overweight or new to exercise. It is often used to offer high-impact and cross-training athletes an alternative to their normal high-impact and contact sports activities,” mentioned Parker.
Low-impact exercises are also effective at improving your pace, stamina and strength. According to Parker, this type of workout does not have to mean low intensity. “You can get a productive workout without running or jumping, which can be hard on your joints causing pain or inflammation.”
How we chose
Shop TODAY interviewed experts to gain insight as to what low-impact workouts are best for specific workout goals. Then, based on their guidance, we found a number of products that will help our readers accomplish these goals, such as stationary bikes, portable treadmills and more.
As an editorial team, we independently create content and determine coverage based on research, reporting and what we think TODAY.com readers would like to read about. The goal of our content is to provide a service and inform readers who are on the hunt for the latest products to help make their life better. Items are sold by retailer, not TODAY. Pricing and availability are accurate as of publish time.
Meet the experts
- Janet Parker is a fitness expert, certified personal trainer, master barre instructor and the founder of Space Between Fitness, LLC.
- Denise Chakoian is the owner and founder of CORE Cycle.Fitness.Lagree and is a cancer exercise specialist and boutique fitness consultant.
