Low Intensity Workout: Best Way to Train Smart, Not Hard

low-intensity-workout-best-way-to-train-smart-not-hard

A workout or an exercise is very important for everyone to do daily. We all should take out some time from our busy life schedules to carry out some form of physical activity so that we can stay fit. This also helps us a lot by protecting us from various diseases. We are able to keep ourselves in proper form. But this is why we should do workouts, and now people are focusing a lot on their daily workout routines. The result is that the people start doing the high-intensity workouts in which they have to put a lot of their force or strength. One example of such exercise is the high intensity interval training in which you do some rapid exercises of high intensity. But these are just extras, and you can replace such high intensity exercises with low intensity exercises easily. It is very necessary for you to replace it because this will save your energy. Now, what are low intensity exercises, and why should you do them? The following provides the complete details about the low intensity workout that you need. Let’s dive into the details of this concept.

1. What is a Low Intesity Workout or Exercise?

  • A low intensity workout or exercise is an exercise which do not make your heart beat fast and rapidly. Also, you do not put excessive strain or stress on your muscles and joints. But it does not mean that you are doing physical activities that are not very useful for your body. It just means that you are being gentle on yourself and are not taking a risk. You are getting all the benefits that people get during their HIIT session, but the only difference here is that you are being safe.

  • In such exercises, you are burning calories to get yourself fit, getting your heart rate increased, and building your strength, just like the HIIT, but you are not making rapid and explosive movements, and doing it with a slower pace compared to HIIT. This helps you stay safe and gentle with yourself.

1.1 Examples of Low Intensity Exercises

There are a lot of low intensity exercises or workouts that you can do and implement in your daily workout routine, but some of them are given as follows:

  • Walking

  • Cycling at a slow and steady pace

  • Mobility drills

  • Yoga

  • Flow exercises

  • Bodyweight circuits

  • Movement drills of martial arts, but at a slower pace

2. How Can You Say That the Workout Or Exercise is Low or of low Intensity?

You can try out various ways, but the best three ways to find out about an exercise, whether it is of low intensity or high intensity, are the following:

2.1 Feel Your Condition

You need to feel it. If you are feeling that your heart rate is very rapid, and you have to apply a lot of force and strength in the workout, then it is of high intensity. On the other hand, if you feel the opposite, then it will be of low intensity.

2.2 Note How Difficult It Is For You To Do a Workout

You just have to notice how hard you or your body is feeling, how difficult it is for you to do the particular workout. If it is very hard or difficult, then it is certainly of high intensity.

2.3 Apply Talk Test

  • The third way to check whether you are doing a high intensity exercise or a low intensity workout is the talk test. In this test, you need to test whether you can talk normally as you do or not. You need to do this when you are doing any HIIT workout.

  • During the test, observe how you are talking. If you can speak clearly and smoothly, you are able to listen to yourself, and you are not gasping for air, then it means that the workout you are doing is not a HIIT exercise but a low intensity exercise.

3. Why is Low Intensity Workout the Right Way For You?

The low intensity workout has many benefits. The most important benefit you all should remember is that you can get nearly all those benefits from these workouts that you get from doing the HIIT workouts. There are many other benefits that are very good reasons for you to start doing it. Some of the top benefits of low intensity workouts are the following.

3.1 Strong Aerobic Base

  • The aerobic system is very important in our body. The stronger it is, the better our physical health, particularly cardiovascular health. Many workouts make this system strong, but particularly low intensity workouts are the ones that act as a base for it, such as cardio at low intensity.

  • Doing these types of workouts can make your aerobic system very strong, but what will you get in return? Your stamina will improve to a great extent, and due to this, you can do any physical activity for a long time. You are also more able to focus on anything you are doing to get more out of it. The recovery time also shortens. So if you want a rest, the time for this will also decrease.

3.2 Your Recovery Gets Improved

  • No matter what sort of physical activity you do, you are always getting tired. Your bones, muscles, mind, and everything get tired, and they need rest. While resting, they recover and get ready to do the work again. If they don’t get enough rest or they don’t recover, then a problem happens, and you are not able to do any physical activity as you were doing before. So you need a recovery.

  • But imagine you become fast at recovering yourself. If you are able to do this, then many things will improve. To do this, you have to do some low intensity sessions during the week. If you do this, the ability of your body to recover will improve, and it will happen fast. These sessions will help your body to stay flexible, reduce stiffness and rigidity, and blood will keep flowing, and all of this will improve the rate of your recovery.

3.3 Your Mental Health Improves

  • The third benefit or reason for you to do the low intensity workout is the improvement in your mental health. Slow and gentle movement is probably one of the best ways to improve your mental health in many aspects.

  • We are very busy in our lives, and this is also putting a lot of stress on ourselves. This stress should have a way to vent out; otherwise, it will keep on building inside us, and it will eventually lead to depression.

  • The best way to do this is through the low intensity workouts. These light exercises will help you relax your mind and keep you stress free. You will take deep breaths slowly and reflect on yourself without feeling any pressure. So these light sessions are the best way to improve your mental health.

3.4 Everyone Can Do it

  • When you do anything, you know if you have done it before, you can do it perfectly, and if you have never done that, then it will become very difficult for you to do. But this is not the case here. The fourth benefit of low intensity workouts is that everyone can do them. If you are a beginner or have never done it before, you can also do it.

  • But in contrast, if we talk about the high intensity workout, then you will not be able to do it for the first time. You need practice, training, or a guide to do it. In low intensity exercises, you do not need anything. You can just do it easily. Moreover, they are perfect for old people. These people don’t have enough energy and strength like the young adults to do the HIIT and make rapid and explosive movements. So they cannot do a HIIT workout like young people. The best form of exercise for them includes the slow ones, which do not require a lot of strength and force. So the low intensity exercises are ideal for old people.

3.5 Helps You In Everything

  • The gift benefit is that these low intensity exercises can help you in everything you do. They act as a base that you require for doing anything. They can help you achieve your goals and meet your dreams. They can be ideal for getting successful in your life in any context. But how do you get these benefits just because of simple and easy exercises? Let’s discuss the logic behind it.

  • This light form of exercise helps you in everything you do by making you ready for it. What do you get from them? Only physical fitness and strength? No! You are getting a lot of other things, such as learning the discipline, confidence, mental focus, mental clarity, and keeping yourself active both mentally and physically.

  • Now let’s move to the other side. Do you need only struggle and hard work to get something in your life? Certainly No! You need many other things. You need confidence so that you can face and counter every situation easily. You need mental toughness and strength to face tough situations and challenges in your life. You must be strong enough in your mind that you are not getting panicked in a pressure situation. Where do you get all of these things from? Obviously, from low intensity exercises. You are getting many of these things, and then this will help you in your real life as well to make you able to meet your dreams and convert them into reality.

4. Do You Get Bored with Low Intensity Exercises?

  • Another common misconception is that you are having a lot of fun when you are doing HIIT, but not when you do low intensity exercises. This is just a myth and nothing else. You do not get bored. Instead, you enjoy these light exercises like you do HIIT. It just depends on how you are doing the workout.

  • Walking or jogging is a light exercise. You can make it more active by adding some movements from different martial arts that you can do while walking. One example is hand or foot movements, like you do in boxing.

  • You can also make low intensity exercises fun by combining three or more. Continue doing each of them in a cycle. This will keep you more active mentally and physically.

  • Another way to increase your fun while doing light intensity exercises is by doing them with a training partner.

5. Last Words

Low intensity exercises are best for everyone, and they do not depend on age or strength. You are of a young age, or old, you can do these workouts. It is more like a smart way of doing exercises and getting all the benefits you need, which people think they only get from the high intensity exercises. So if you are a beginner or you have never done exercise regularly before, then ideally you should start with these exercises. So now you know why these exercises are important and almost the same as HIIT in terms of the benefits. Now just ask yourself one question: why should you do hard work when you can do smart work? Better do smart work and save your energy for the day ahead, as you have to do many tasks in a day.

6. Frequently Asked Questions

6.1 What is a Low Intesity Workout or Exercise?

A low intensity workout or exercise is an exercise which do not make your heart beat fast and rapidly. Also, you do not put excessive strain or stress on your muscles and joints. But it does not mean that you are doing physical activities that are not very useful for your body. It just means that you are being gentle on yourself and are not taking a risk.

6.2 What Are the Examples of Low Intensity Exercises?

  • Walking

  • Cycling at a slow and steady pace

  • Mobility drills

  • Yoga

  • Flow exercises

  • Bodyweight circuits

  • Movement drills of martial arts, but at a slower pace

6.3 How Can You Say That the Workout Or Exercise is Low or of low Intensity?

You can try out various ways, but the best three ways to find out about an exercise, whether it is of low intensity or high intensity, are the following:

  • Feel your condition

  • Note how difficult it is for you to do a workout

  • Apply the talk test

6.4 What Are the Benefits of the Low Intensity Workout the Right Way For You?

Some of the top benefits of low intensity workouts are the following.

  • Strong aerobic base

  • Your recovery gets improved

  • Your mental health improves

  • Everyone can do it

  • Helps you with everything

6.5 How Can You Make Low Intenisty Exercises Fun?

  • You can make walking more active by adding some movements from different martial arts that you can do while walking.

  • You can also make low intensity exercises fun by combining three or more.

  • Another way to increase your fun while doing light intensity exercises is by doing them with a training partner.

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