A Review of Low Impact Round 2: Second Time's the Charm
I'm finishing up the last few workouts of Low Impact 2 this week (today I combined Days 22 + 23; should be done on Saturday!)! This was my second time through it and I thought it high time that I write a review. Rather than going into the nitty gritty of workout stats, I thought I'd share a general overview of the program and how I modified Low Impact 2 to meet my current fitness needs.
The first time that I completed LI2 in May, I wanted a respite from higher impact workouts, but in true anxious perfectionist fashion, I went a wee bit overboard - I did every single EC, both options on most days where one could choose one routine over the other, and added EECs on quite a few days as well 😬
This go round, my aims were to transition from Pilates back to LB strength training, increase my body awareness + flexibility, step up my intensity in the main workouts and be okay with skipping the ECs and/or rescheduling. I've succeeded on all fronts 😊
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
LI2 starts out easy on the legs and seamlessly transitions from LB focused Pilates to a manageable mix of Pilates + light strength and then finally to full blown strength training with simple, straightforward moves so that you can focus on form. Conversely, the upper body is challenged from the get go with strength training for all 4 weeks which I find very motivating. Pilates targets the core at the beginning, and then the classic cardio + core combination is introduced.
All in all, Low Impact 2 is a great way for beginners to gain confidence in their ability to complete challenging routines and prepare to move onto other strength focused programs like Strong or Mass. I would even go so far as suggesting that those newer to exercise and/or who have a lot of weight to lose try Low Impact 2 before Low Impact Round 1 as it seems to cover more of the foundational aspects of exercise and has less cardio than LI1. LI2 could also work well for more experienced exercisers as a Strong 2, especially if one swapped out the LB routines in weeks 1 & 2. It's also low key enough to add an additional 15-30 minutes of LB focused HIIT or strength without risk of over training in my opinion.
MY MODIFICATIONS:
LOWER BODY
I'd been doing Pilates for a few months before this, so I stepped up the intensity of the first few LB days by adding in booty bands wherever possible without sacrificing range of motion. When it came time to start the standing + weighted/banded work, I focused on light weights/bands, keeping perfect form and improving my ROM. I challenged myself in manageable ways - e.g. not alternating single leg exercises and staying on one leg per interval or set of reps. I tacked on short Pilates or barre workouts for glute activation or did an extra set of exercises with bodyweight only before getting into the meat of the routines. I found this quite helpful for my joints and the perkiness of my bum in the days following these routines. I also started resting for a few minutes between sets instead of trying to finish workouts as quickly as possible. My sessions took longer, but I was able to really push myself in each set. There were a couple of HIIT routines, but I didn't feel quite ready to add that back into the mix, so I replaced those workouts with pure strength or Pilates/barre options.
UPPER BODY:
I wanted my strength to improve and arms to look more "toned," so I started resting more in this area as well; giving myself 2-5 minutes to recover completely between sets. I also slowed my movements down and made them more intentional, stressing perfect form. I swapped out the first week of UB workouts for the newest Bored Easily arm routines. After that, I generally stuck with the UB routines as scheduled unless I'd recently completed said routine and was feeling a bit meh about it (I have to REALLY enjoy a particular workout to do it more than once or twice a month).
CORE:
This is where I deviated the most at the beginning - I wanted at least one intense routine/week that didn't involve cardio. I swapped out the first two FB core routines for ab workouts from another fitness YouTuber. I selected routines that mirrored what was in the program in both length and emphasis. They were just the extra challenge I needed! And thanks to FB, I had a solid foundation of core strength to build on and the ability to modify on the fly 😁 I went back to FB's core routines in weeks 3 and 4. I also scheduled the Fundamentals challenge alongside LI2 and added in the routines when I felt like it. This was perfect for when I wanted a longer warm up or cool down/stretch or EEC.
THE RESULTS:
- I'm finally back to strength training my entire body - feels like it's been forever!!
- My arms, legs and core look and feel stronger
- Lower back has strengthened - I can actually do sit ups and some sit up variations without much issue!
No measurements or weight tracking this time. My goal was simply to finish the program.
IN SUMMARY:
Low Impact 2 is up there with Abs 2 as one of my all-time favorite FB programs and I highly, highly recommend it. If you haven't tried it yet, go for it!
WHAT'S NEXT? 🤔
I'm ending 2020 with one of my favorite community challenges from this summer - Stay Upright ( https://www.fitnessblender.com/community/discussion/20210/community-challenge-balance-coordination-functional-strength-and-flexibility )! It's like Fundamentals on steroids - in that the workouts are longer - and I'm excited to work on my balance, coordination and endurance in a more challenging way. I think that it's just what I need before fully immersing myself into more intense strength training in 2021. Next year, my focus will be on body recomposition at long last. I have several rounds of Strong lined up to help accomplish those body goals. I was tempted to alternate Strong with Abs 2 or Bodyweight 2, but I didn't want to get ahead of myself or make the mistake of hopping back into HIIT/MIIT before I built up more hip + calf strength and improved my balance, so I'm going to keep everything low impact and strength-only for a while.
C'est fini! Thank y'all so much for reading and enjoy the rest of your week!
A Review of Low Impact Round 2: Second Time's the Charm
I'm finishing up the last few workouts of Low Impact 2 this week (today I combined Days 22 + 23; should be done on Saturday!)! This was my second time through it and I thought it high time that I write a review. Rather than going into the nitty gritty of workout stats, I thought I'd share a general overview of the program and how I modified Low Impact 2 to meet my current fitness needs.
The first time that I completed LI2 in May, I wanted a respite from higher impact workouts, but in true anxious perfectionist fashion, I went a wee bit overboard - I did every single EC, both options on most days where one could choose one routine over the other, and added EECs on quite a few days as well 😬
This go round, my aims were to transition from Pilates back to LB strength training, increase my body awareness + flexibility, step up my intensity in the main workouts and be okay with skipping the ECs and/or rescheduling. I've succeeded on all fronts 😊
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
LI2 starts out easy on the legs and seamlessly transitions from LB focused Pilates to a manageable mix of Pilates + light strength and then finally to full blown strength training with simple, straightforward moves so that you can focus on form. Conversely, the upper body is challenged from the get go with strength training for all 4 weeks which I find very motivating. Pilates targets the core at the beginning, and then the classic cardio + core combination is introduced.
All in all, Low Impact 2 is a great way for beginners to gain confidence in their ability to complete challenging routines and prepare to move onto other strength focused programs like Strong or Mass. I would even go so far as suggesting that those newer to exercise and/or who have a lot of weight to lose try Low Impact 2 before Low Impact Round 1 as it seems to cover more of the foundational aspects of exercise and has less cardio than LI1. LI2 could also work well for more experienced exercisers as a Strong 2, especially if one swapped out the LB routines in weeks 1 & 2. It's also low key enough to add an additional 15-30 minutes of LB focused HIIT or strength without risk of over training in my opinion.
MY MODIFICATIONS:
LOWER BODY
I'd been doing Pilates for a few months before this, so I stepped up the intensity of the first few LB days by adding in booty bands wherever possible without sacrificing range of motion. When it came time to start the standing + weighted/banded work, I focused on light weights/bands, keeping perfect form and improving my ROM. I challenged myself in manageable ways - e.g. not alternating single leg exercises and staying on one leg per interval or set of reps. I tacked on short Pilates or barre workouts for glute activation or did an extra set of exercises with bodyweight only before getting into the meat of the routines. I found this quite helpful for my joints and the perkiness of my bum in the days following these routines. I also started resting for a few minutes between sets instead of trying to finish workouts as quickly as possible. My sessions took longer, but I was able to really push myself in each set. There were a couple of HIIT routines, but I didn't feel quite ready to add that back into the mix, so I replaced those workouts with pure strength or Pilates/barre options.
UPPER BODY:
I wanted my strength to improve and arms to look more "toned," so I started resting more in this area as well; giving myself 2-5 minutes to recover completely between sets. I also slowed my movements down and made them more intentional, stressing perfect form. I swapped out the first week of UB workouts for the newest Bored Easily arm routines. After that, I generally stuck with the UB routines as scheduled unless I'd recently completed said routine and was feeling a bit meh about it (I have to REALLY enjoy a particular workout to do it more than once or twice a month).
CORE:
This is where I deviated the most at the beginning - I wanted at least one intense routine/week that didn't involve cardio. I swapped out the first two FB core routines for ab workouts from another fitness YouTuber. I selected routines that mirrored what was in the program in both length and emphasis. They were just the extra challenge I needed! And thanks to FB, I had a solid foundation of core strength to build on and the ability to modify on the fly 😁 I went back to FB's core routines in weeks 3 and 4. I also scheduled the Fundamentals challenge alongside LI2 and added in the routines when I felt like it. This was perfect for when I wanted a longer warm up or cool down/stretch or EEC.
THE RESULTS:
- I'm finally back to strength training my entire body - feels like it's been forever!!
- My arms, legs and core look and feel stronger
- Lower back has strengthened - I can actually do sit ups and some sit up variations without much issue!
No measurements or weight tracking this time. My goal was simply to finish the program.
IN SUMMARY:
Low Impact 2 is up there with Abs 2 as one of my all-time favorite FB programs and I highly, highly recommend it. If you haven't tried it yet, go for it!
WHAT'S NEXT? 🤔
I'm ending 2020 with one of my favorite community challenges from this summer - Stay Upright ( https://www.fitnessblender.com/community/discussion/20210/community-challenge-balance-coordination-functional-strength-and-flexibility )! It's like Fundamentals on steroids - in that the workouts are longer - and I'm excited to work on my balance, coordination and endurance in a more challenging way. I think that it's just what I need before fully immersing myself into more intense strength training in 2021. Next year, my focus will be on body recomposition at long last. I have several rounds of Strong lined up to help accomplish those body goals. I was tempted to alternate Strong with Abs 2 or Bodyweight 2, but I didn't want to get ahead of myself or make the mistake of hopping back into HIIT/MIIT before I built up more hip + calf strength and improved my balance, so I'm going to keep everything low impact and strength-only for a while.
C'est fini! Thank y'all so much for reading and enjoy the rest of your week!