Denise Austin regularly proves why so many women continue to look to her for easy, accessible, but meaningful workout tips. Now, the fitness icon is teaming up with her daughter, Katie Austin, 32, to share a cardio routine that’s designed to work for any age.
In a series of short videos posted to Instagram, the mother-daughter duo runs through six classic cardio moves with retro aerobics vibes. “Cardio aerobics for any age!!! With a little retro vibes in the moves;),” Katie captioned the joint-post with Denise. “We love working out together, but sometimes high impact can be too much on the joints, so watch @deniseaustin for the low impact modifications!!!” She then says to “try these cardio moves anytime, anywhere to get your heart rate up, but have FUN with it💃”
The duo recommends trying each move for 40 seconds with a 20-second rest, repeating two-t0-three times.
1. Jumping jacks
Jumping jacks are a total-body cardio move that quickly raises your heart rate while working your arms, shoulders, glutes, and legs. In the video, Denise highlights how you can keep the movement low-impact by stepping one foot out at a time instead of jumping, making it gentler on the knees and ankles without sacrificing the cardio benefits.
2. Chest pull with booty kick
This move combines upper-body activation with a lighter cardio element. As you pull your arms back and open through the chest, you kick one heel up toward your glutes, alternating sides. The result is a move that fires up the upper back and shoulders while also engaging the hamstrings and glutes. This one stays mostly the same for people of any age, but those who aren’t so worried about joint issues can make things a little bit bouncier for that extra impact.
3. Aerobic pony classic
Retro aerobics fans will recognize this one instantly. The pony involves a rhythmic side-to-side stepping motion with a light bounce, paired with relaxed arm movements that complement your steps. As with the previous move, the only real difference between how Denise and Katie approach this is adding (or subtracting) bounce.
“You could stay low impact right here and still do the pony moves. Or take it up a notch and challenge yourself with a bit of a bounce,” Denise previously explained.
4. The Charleston
Inspired by the classic dance move, the Charleston adds a coordination challenge to your cardio. The move includes a forward kick and a backward step, paired with alternating arm swings. Low kicks and shallower backwards lunges will do just fine if you’re following Denise’s version of this fun workout.
5. Side reaches
Another classic exercise, side reaches offer a lighter cardio moment while still keeping the body active. As you reach your arms overhead, you also lean towards one side and lift up onto the balls of your feet, stretching parts of the torso, arms, and legs all at once.
6. Squat jumps
To finish strong, Denise and Katie demonstrate squat jumps, which is exactly what it sounds like. This move may have the biggest modification, as jumping and landing in a squat position is definitely more high-impact than some people looking out for their joints want to go. In that scenario, Denise simply raises onto the balls of her feet before squatting back down.
Any of these moves can be done independently of the others or in succession for an invigorating, customized workout.
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