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How to Go Low-Impact at the Gym

June 11, 2026

Exercise physiologist and Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Alexander Rothstein, Ed.D., discusses with  how to achieve a low-impact cardio workout at the gym. For those recovering from injury or looking to protect their joints, swimming, ellipticals, spin bikes, air bikes, and treadmills—at an incline—offer excellent low-impact exercise.

Rothstein notes that while “swimming is very good for the body as a cardiovascular application, and for moving the joints through various ranges of motion,� it doesn’t train the body for everyday movements compared to something like walking on an incline treadmill.

He offers similar caution for the elliptical: “The ones that are fixed might not fit your natural hip, knee, and ankle motion very well.� To combat this, Rothstein suggests seeking an elliptical machine that allows you to alter the stride length.