What's the purpose/benefits of High Impact Workouts? | Thread profile

I do low impact workouts only. I use a heart rate monitor and I work out in my target zone, usually the high end of the zone. What is the benefit of doing high impact workouts? Do you burn more calories with high impact? If an exerciser does low impact but works out with high intensity, would the number of calories burned be equivalent to the number of calories that would be burned by doing a ...

Calorie burn is all about intensity, not impact. Doing a high intensity, low impact workout for 45 minutes will burn about the same as doing a high impact workout of the same intensity for the same time. There is no INHERENT caloric advantage in high-impact, it's just that high impact is USUALLY more intense. The big advantage is the bone density thing. THe higher impact exercise does OODLES of ...

I personally cannot get into my target heart zone without doing high impact. High impact also allows me to burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. High impact / plyometrics builds great leg muscles too. I also just really like high impact exercises. Low impact, however, can give you just as many cardio benefits, and puts you less at risk for injury.

Quote: Originally Posted by peluso I personally cannot get into my target heart zone without doing high impact. High impact also allows me to burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. This is true for me as well. Although...when I do Spinervals workouts I burn a TON of calories!

I've wondered about this too; I'm not crazy about high impact overall, but I do like doing occasional plyos in a workout, and I was wondering exactly what I'm getting out of this.

I avoid high impact almost completely. I only do it when I feel like it, which is almost never (unless I'm doing step, then it usually feels like fun (until I get winded, then it feels like medicine, so I stop)). Osteoporosis is almost unheard of in black people, so I don't feel that I miss out on anything by not doing it.

Quote: Originally Posted by janile ... I only do it when I feel like it, which is almost never (unless I'm doing step, then it usually feels like fun (until I get winded, then it feels like medicine, so I stop)). LOL!! I wish I could do more plyos and high impact, but until I drop a good amount of weight (and maybe even after I do), my knees can't take the impact due to osteoarthritis. I ...

I do mostly low impact high intensity as I have damaged discs in my low back. I can sure feel pain when I do high impact although I do add some plyo's sometimes so I can get my heart rate up.

Quote: Originally Posted by toaster I've wondered about this too; I'm not crazy about high impact overall, but I do like doing occasional plyos in a workout, and I was wondering exactly what I'm getting out of this. Plyo moves (as you may already know) are not just high-imapct, they are "explosive" Plyo was first used in athletic and sports conditioning to build speed / power. Athletes ...

There is an article in last month's shape mag saying tht higher the intensity, lower the estrogen and progresterone levels which is help keep breat can cer at bay..So u definitely want to do high intensity..for me tht means high impact..otherwise my HR wont go up..Christi's HI/Lo r a good example..most of her work is pretty lo impact and wont get my HR up..I also see a difference with Cathe LoMax...