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Search the words “anti exercise” on TikTok and you’ll be met with literally billions of results. It’s a number so high it implies the earth’s entire population is fed up with working out. That isn’t the case, but when “working out” often equates to sweaty, fast and furious HIIT sessions, it isn’t surprising people are looking for something new.
From online trainers to your local gym class, low-impact exercises are becoming ever more popular. In fact, there’s a name for it: LISS, an acronym of “Low-Intensity Steady State.” Think using the elliptical for half an hour instead of doing burpees for five minutes. Your heart won’t beat as fast, but you’ll get an equivalent workout without quite as much sweat—findings backed up by a 2015 study.
Spending 15 minutes fighting the battle ropes or jumping on and off boxes isn’t the only way to gain the health benefits of exercises, either. A study published in The Annals of Physiological Anthropology found that regular workouts performed at just 50 per cent of your max effort can reduce your blood pressure, as well as improve brain power and reduce your risk of heart attack.
Whether you’re working through injury, just getting started, or looking to mix it up for the long-term, if you want to stay healthy and strong without becoming a gym bro, this is your steady state solution.
Why LISS is so good for summer
As the dark nights of autumn close in, having a gym to retreat to in the evenings can be a helpful routine. In summer, we’re often far too busy enjoying the 8 p.m. daylight to consider the gym after work. Thus is the beauty of LISS.
“Summer is a busy time, so people prioritize sustaining their athleticism compared to making significant strides with their physical performance,” says Farren Morgan, PT and Tactical Athlete founder. “Low-impact exercises allow individuals to maintain their fitness levels without the risk of overtraining or injury, while staying consistent.”
In other words, LISS lets you keep things ticking over until it’s time to level up again in the colder months. What’s more, LISS exercises like swimming and cycling are easily done outdoors and thereby likely to boost your mood without raising your heart rate too much in the heat.
There’s also nothing wrong with taking a hard-won break and enjoying life. “Summer can be a great time to focus on recovery,” says Morgan. “By incorporating recovery periods into your training, you’ll enhance your overall performance and reduce the risk of injury long-term.”
The long-term benefits of low-impact exercises
As well as helping you kick back in summer without turning into a potato, the reduced wear and tear on your tendons, ligaments, and bones through LISS exercises means you’ll improve your chances of staying mobile into old age, reducing the risk of chronic ailments like osteoarthritis, as well as helping to manage and reduce symptoms of arthritis.
And, as Morgan points out, LISS is great when it comes to working out with friends of all abilities. “Low-impact exercises are generally more manageable for people of all fitness levels, promoting consistency,” he says. “Consistency is key in any fitness regimen, and being able to perform exercises regularly without the fear of injury helps in maintaining overall health.” And because you aren’t ending each session in a sweaty heap, you’re more likely to have gas in the tank for next time, which not just helps you stay consistent, but builds mental resilience.
If you have gone too hard, LISS might even be the answer. “Regular low-impact exercises can enhance flexibility, balance and coordination,” says Morgan. “Since they also aid in active recovery, many athletes use low-impact workouts to help the body heal and strengthen between more intense workouts, improving physical performance.”
Can 25 minute workouts get you shredded?
“I’m a fan of the saying, ‘No pressure, no diamonds,’” says Blairito Provan, a trainer at F45 Chelsea. “Twenty five minutes is not a long time to create those physical wins, but if you’re working within a lower heart rate zone of 50-60 % of your max for 45 to 60 minutess, you will start to use fat as your primary energy source (rather than glycogen/carbs in a more intense HIIT session).”
In other words, it just takes longer. “You need to ask yourself, do I want to be on the ski erg for that long?” asks Provan.
A 2014 study found that HIIT is best at torching calories, but LISS combined with a good diet can lead to good results. “It’s cliché, but it is very much down to what you eat outside of the 30 minutes you are training which will dictate results,” agrees Roo Allen, head coach at Instate Fitness.
Whichever way you lean, you should consider exercise a lifestyle choice, not a weight-loss tool.
For best results, don’t ditch your usual workout, but use steady state days as a way to add variety to your usual program, and shock your system. Train smarter, not harder, by mixing it up. There’s even research to prove that doing so will make you more enthusiastic about training, full stop.
“Variation is the spice of life,” says Provan. “Your body is incredibly smart, but we need different stimuli for the neurological pathways to be kept on their toes. This will stop us from plateauing in results and growth.”
You don’t need to drastically lengthen your sessions, either. “I think being time efficient when training is an important factor. If you’re training properly and focusing on your session, you shouldn’t need any more than 60 minutes,” says Allen.
Keep lifting weights
Maintaining muscle mass is as important as protecting your joints. It too protects us as we age and helps with a variety of functional and postural movements, so even within a steady-state program, you should still incorporate controlled weightlifting.
What’s more, there is some truth that endless cardio will affect your ability to build muscle – it’s the reason why ultra runners are so slender. But if you want to ditch heavy, face-bursting weight sets, Provan recommends focusing on time under tension to build size, rather than volume.
“Strip it back and hit the negative phase with a longer hold (typically 3-4 seconds),” he suggests. “For a bicep curl, squeeze the bicep at the top of the concentric movement and lower it back down slowly. Full control, full return, without having to rinse the dumbbell rack for 20 different weight options per session. Nobody has time for that.”
Essentially, you’ll still be working hard, without having to lift quite so much. It’s a great way to build strength, especially as we age. “Heavier weight performed with correct form and full range of motion equals results and increased muscle mass,” says Allen.
Try these low-impact exercises first
“By incorporating different training modalities, you will be able to gain muscle mass and reduce body fat,” says Allen. “Tempo work (focusing on both concentric and negative portions of the movement), increased range of motion, speed reps, weighted plyometric, isometric holds, higher rep ranges, rest pause sets, cluster sets and reducing rest times are just a few ways of spicing up your workouts.”
Using this idea of tempo work and time under tension, Provan has put together the low impact workout below. Instead of sending you out for an hour long run, or 20 minutes on the step machine, it incorporates the movements you know and love, just at slightly lower weights and intensities.
Aim to complete the below once a week, working to four sets of ten reps per move, and resting for a minute or two between reps to allow recovery—we’re aiming to stay sweat-free, after all…
- Squat
“The squat is the king of all exercises,” says Provan. “It hits most muscle groups in the body, with emphasis on the core and large lower body muscles. Grab either a barbell or dumbbells (whatever you prefer), and keep the weight range lower so we are bringing our BPM to 50-65% max. Get comfy with dropping it low; the greater the range of motion, the more shaping of the muscle.” - Ergs
“Either row or ski—both offer low-impact, high-efficiency workouts. Again, reduce the resistance so we are keeping within LISS. Just be prepared for a longer ski than most enjoy. Think French alps and not sweaty gym floor.” - Deadlift
“If the squat is the king, then the deadlift is queen. The deadlift hits not just the back, but the entire core, recruiting and strengthening the large lower body muscles. Drop the weight and work away. Feel the movement and the wins.” - Bench Press
“The bread and butter of pec moves. Keep it simple, with the bench flat. Either dumbbells or a barbell will do the job. Top tip: change up the area of the pec every other week to get all-round definition and strength (An incline bench will work the upper pec, and a decline will work just under the pec to create a bit more presence under the shirt).” - Bent Over Row
“Working your back will also open the chest, and vice versa; we need both in the mix to max those results. I love using a barbell. Hinge at the hips, and bring the bar slowly to your navel, and back again.”
Remember, it’s all about pace: try to keep at about half of your maximum heart rate for a fresh, effective approach to your tired workout program.
This story originally ran on British GQ.