High Impact Exercises for High Impact Results
“High impact workouts – which include exercises like jumping rope, skipping, running, and certain types of step aerobics – is the umbrella term used for workouts in which you take both feet off the ground at the same time. Exercises like walking and hiking, where you leave at least one foot in contact with the ground are termed “low impact” exercises. For advanced exercisers who would like to give their body a complete and intense workout, high impact exercises are ideal.
Such exercises put the body under immense pressure (what we refer to as impact) and trigger the expenditure of a higher amount of calories than low impact exercises. They also help develop more power, agility, endurance, and coordination. Perhaps the biggest benefit of all from high impact exercise is its reliability in helping build bone mass.
A study entitled Effects of Two Jumping Programs on Hip Bone Mineral Density in Premenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial, which was published in January 2014 in the U.S. National Library of Medicine (National Institutes of Health) found that women between ages 25 and 50 who hopped twice a day (10 hops or more at a time) developed significant bone density in their hipbones in only four months. Women who followed the same routine but hopped 20 times or more in one period, developed even more hipbone density than the first group.
More reasons why high impact exercises are just awesome
High impact exercises have also been linked directly to improved cardiovascular health, increased metabolism, and utilization of fats (not muscles). Low impact exercises do provide similar benefits but only in the longer term. For busy men and women who struggle to make time for exercise, squeezing in high impact exercise is easier and more practical than spending hours on low impact workouts. Did you know, for instance, that an average person can hop/jump in place 50 times in 40 seconds? You don’t even need any equipment for a large number of high impact exercises.
Further, look back to your childhood and you’ll see yourself doing high impact exercises as a child – running, jumping, skipping rope, hopping up and down, or practicing martial arts stunts to name a few. Then, you did these exercises without knowing how healthy they were. Then, you did the exercises because they were fun! As adults, you get to re-live those days with high impact exercises, while being fully aware that you are preparing yourself for a healthy and accident-free future. How awesome is that?
Say hello to high impact martial arts classes
Enrolling in martial arts classes is a great way to get the physical benefits of high impact exercises while enjoying social and mental benefits at the same time. With martial arts, you learn valuable life lessons that improve your outlook and reputation. Meanwhile, in time you improve focus and stamina; build muscle mass; strengthen joints, ligaments, and muscles to be more flexible; train peripheral vision; and understand how to deploy powerful strikes, blocks, and kicks for effective self-defense. Further, training with a team allows you to socialize, make friends, and learn from each other. A good idea is to intersperse high-impact martial arts training with outdoor running and rope-hopping to spice up exercise routine and get the best results.