Low impact exercises are any physical activities where at least one foot stays on the ground, or where your body is supported (by water, a bike seat, or the floor) so your joints absorb less force. Walking, swimming, cycling, rowing, yoga, and Pilates all qualify. These exercises deliver real cardiovascular and strength benefits while putting far less stress on your knees, hips, and spine than running or jumping.
What Makes an Exercise “Low Impact”
Impact refers to the force your joints absorb each time your body hits the ground. In running, both feet leave the surface with every stride, and each landing sends a shock through your ankles, knees, and hips equal to several times your body weight. In a low impact exercise, that jarring force is reduced or eliminated entirely. Swimming supports your weight in water. Cycling keeps you seated. Walking always has one foot planted. The result is less cumulative stress on cartilage, tendons, and bones, which matters whether you’re managing arthritis, recovering from surgery, or simply protecting your joints for decades of activity.
Low impact does not mean low effort. A 155-pound person burns roughly 252 calories in 30 minutes of moderate stationary cycling or rowing, according to Harvard Health Publishing. That’s comparable to many higher-impact activities. Swimming at a general pace burns about 216 calories in 30 minutes, while brisk walking at 4 mph comes in around 175. You can push any of these activities to a higher intensity without increasing joint stress, which is the core advantage.
Walking
Walking is the most accessible low impact exercise and one of the most studied. Research from Vanderbilt University found that as little as 15 minutes per day of brisk walking was associated with a nearly 20% reduction in total mortality. That same brisk walking pace also reduced death specifically from cardiovascular disease. You don’t need special equipment, a gym membership, or athletic experience. A pair of supportive shoes and a route are enough.
Walking also carries an extraordinarily low injury risk. A large study tracking injury incidence across physical activities found that walking resulted in just 0.03 injuries per 100,000 participants per year, making it far safer than cycling (2.81 per 100,000) or sporting activities (9.88 per 100,000). For people easing back into exercise after an injury or long period of inactivity, walking is a practical starting point with very little downside.
Swimming and Water Exercise
Water supports roughly 90% of your body weight when you’re submerged to chest level, making swimming and aqua aerobics especially forgiving for people with joint pain, back problems, or significant excess weight. A 155-pound person swimming at a general pace burns about 216 calories in 30 minutes. Picking up the intensity to swim laps vigorously pushes that to around 360 calories, on par with running.
Beyond calorie burn, water provides natural resistance in every direction. Moving your arms and legs through water strengthens muscles without the need for weights, and the hydrostatic pressure can reduce swelling in sore joints. Pool-based exercise is commonly recommended after knee and hip replacements for exactly these reasons.
Cycling and Stationary Biking
Cycling eliminates ground impact entirely because your weight rests on the saddle. It’s an effective option for building leg strength and cardiovascular fitness while sparing your knees. At a moderate effort on a stationary bike, a 155-pound person burns about 252 calories in 30 minutes. Outdoors at 12 to 14 mph, that rises to roughly 288 calories.
Stationary bikes offer a controlled environment where you can adjust resistance precisely, which is useful during rehabilitation. Recumbent bikes (the kind with a backrest and pedals out in front) further reduce strain on the lower back and are a good choice for people who find an upright seat uncomfortable.
Rowing
Rowing works your legs, back, arms, and core in a single smooth motion with no impact. A 155-pound person rowing at moderate intensity on a machine burns about 252 calories in 30 minutes, and vigorous rowing pushes that close to 369. Because the movement engages roughly 86% of your muscle mass, it’s one of the most efficient full-body low impact options available.
Proper form matters more on a rower than on a bike or in a pool. The drive should come primarily from your legs, with your back staying neutral and your arms pulling at the end of the stroke. Poor technique, particularly rounding the lower back, can create problems that the exercise is otherwise designed to avoid.
Yoga and Pilates
Yoga and Pilates are floor-based, bodyweight-driven practices that improve flexibility, core strength, and balance. Pilates in particular focuses on core stability and spinal alignment, making it a common complement to physical therapy. A four-week study comparing Pilates and yoga in stroke patients found that both produced significant improvements in balance as measured by the Berg Balance Scale, with no meaningful difference between the two. Even in a population with serious mobility challenges, three 45-minute sessions per week was enough to see measurable change.
For the general population, these practices fill a gap that cardio-focused exercises often leave open. Stronger core muscles support your lower back during everyday tasks. Better balance reduces your fall risk as you age. And the flexibility work helps maintain joint range of motion, which tends to decline in people who only do cardio or resistance training.
Resistance Training With Bands
Elastic resistance bands offer a way to build strength without the joint stress of heavy free weights or the impact of plyometric movements. A meta-analysis of elderly women found that a 12-week elastic band resistance training program significantly improved bone mineral density, muscle quality, and body fat composition. This is especially relevant for older adults, since age-related bone loss and muscle decline accelerate after menopause and increase fracture risk.
Bands are also portable, inexpensive, and scalable. Lighter bands suit beginners or people in rehab, while heavier bands challenge experienced exercisers. You can replicate most standard strength exercises (squats, rows, presses, curls) with bands alone, making them a practical option for home workouts.
How Much You Need Per Week
The World Health Organization recommends that adults aged 18 to 64 get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity, or an equivalent combination. For additional health benefits, doubling that to 300 minutes per week is the target. Low impact exercises count fully toward these goals. Five 30-minute walks, three swims, or a mix of cycling, rowing, and yoga can all get you there.
If you’re starting from zero, the 15-minute brisk walk that showed a 20% mortality reduction in the Vanderbilt research is a realistic entry point. You don’t have to hit 150 minutes immediately. Consistent, shorter sessions build the habit, and you can add time and intensity as your fitness improves.
Choosing the Right Exercise for You
The best low impact exercise is the one you’ll actually do consistently. That said, your body and goals should guide the choice. If you have knee osteoarthritis, swimming or cycling removes load from the joint while keeping you active. If you’re concerned about bone density, resistance bands or walking (which still provides some beneficial ground reaction force) are better choices than swimming, which doesn’t load your skeleton. If balance is a priority, yoga or Pilates directly targets that skill in a way a stationary bike does not.
Combining two or three types covers more ground. A week that includes walking for cardiovascular health, resistance bands for bone and muscle, and a yoga session for flexibility and balance checks every major box without ever requiring you to jump, sprint, or absorb a hard landing.