I finished Low Impact yesterday evening. This is the first time I have done this program (and only my second completed program – I did FB Abs 2 in 2018), and I found it to be well-rounded and enjoyable. I decided to go with Low Impact because I was easing back into strength training and more intense cardio after a long hiatus during which I mostly did Pilates, yoga, and easy cardio (i.e. walking). This break was due to a couple of things, including recurring knee pain and a pinched nerve in the palm of my left hand that becomes aggravated and painful with a lot of weight-bearing exercises such as push-ups and planks. So, low impact exercises were exactly what I was looking for and exactly what I got with this program.
I know a lot of people new to Fitness Blender and exercise in general in the community seem to be referred to either Reach or Low Impact when seeking out a program to start with, but I would say that Low Impact is not really a beginner program. It certainly can be if the low impact modifications provided in most of the routines are followed, but it seems to me that many who are new to working out approach exercise with an all or nothing mentality where they believe they are failures if they have to modify and take breaks. For example, in week 2 there are a couple of the routines from FB’s five day challenges, where either Kelli or Daniel show modifications while the other does the more advanced exercise. Many of us who are longtime FB’ers know well to “listen to our bodies,” but, imho, I think people who are truly beginners or don’t have that healthy approach to fitness yet can get discouraged by not being able to keep up with the more intense version of the workout. Now, for my purposes, Low Impact was exactly what I needed. But I don’t think a true beginners program would be a bad idea in the future for people who are brand new to fitness but still want to do cardio and strength. And that being said, I would also definitely purchase a Low Impact Round 2 featuring newer routines. That’s on the top of my future programs wish list.
As for results, my goal wasn’t to lose weight. And starting this program the Monday after Thanksgiving and finishing it the week after Christmas, I’m pretty sure that I didn’t :)! (I don’t weigh myself often and I actually seem to gain weight at first when I start strength training). But in four short weeks I can say I definitely feel stronger, and I can also see some physical results in my arms (mainly my shoulder definition) and the definition between my butt and the backs of my thighs – there’s definitely some lifting going on back there. As far as my PFT results, I didn’t do the mile run, but I added 22 squats, 16 seconds onto my plank, 1.5 inches on to my sit and reach, and where I started only being able to do half push-ups, I ended with 5 full push-ups and 15 half.
Low Impact Complete
I finished Low Impact yesterday evening. This is the first time I have done this program (and only my second completed program – I did FB Abs 2 in 2018), and I found it to be well-rounded and enjoyable. I decided to go with Low Impact because I was easing back into strength training and more intense cardio after a long hiatus during which I mostly did Pilates, yoga, and easy cardio (i.e. walking). This break was due to a couple of things, including recurring knee pain and a pinched nerve in the palm of my left hand that becomes aggravated and painful with a lot of weight-bearing exercises such as push-ups and planks. So, low impact exercises were exactly what I was looking for and exactly what I got with this program.
I know a lot of people new to Fitness Blender and exercise in general in the community seem to be referred to either Reach or Low Impact when seeking out a program to start with, but I would say that Low Impact is not really a beginner program. It certainly can be if the low impact modifications provided in most of the routines are followed, but it seems to me that many who are new to working out approach exercise with an all or nothing mentality where they believe they are failures if they have to modify and take breaks. For example, in week 2 there are a couple of the routines from FB’s five day challenges, where either Kelli or Daniel show modifications while the other does the more advanced exercise. Many of us who are longtime FB’ers know well to “listen to our bodies,” but, imho, I think people who are truly beginners or don’t have that healthy approach to fitness yet can get discouraged by not being able to keep up with the more intense version of the workout. Now, for my purposes, Low Impact was exactly what I needed. But I don’t think a true beginners program would be a bad idea in the future for people who are brand new to fitness but still want to do cardio and strength. And that being said, I would also definitely purchase a Low Impact Round 2 featuring newer routines. That’s on the top of my future programs wish list.
As for results, my goal wasn’t to lose weight. And starting this program the Monday after Thanksgiving and finishing it the week after Christmas, I’m pretty sure that I didn’t :)! (I don’t weigh myself often and I actually seem to gain weight at first when I start strength training). But in four short weeks I can say I definitely feel stronger, and I can also see some physical results in my arms (mainly my shoulder definition) and the definition between my butt and the backs of my thighs – there’s definitely some lifting going on back there. As far as my PFT results, I didn’t do the mile run, but I added 22 squats, 16 seconds onto my plank, 1.5 inches on to my sit and reach, and where I started only being able to do half push-ups, I ended with 5 full push-ups and 15 half.
Thanks for reading!