How to work out in a flat without annoying the neighbours

If you live above someone, you already know the sound of their life through your floor. They know yours, too. A home workout doesn't have to become part of it.

Where the noise actually goes

Music and voices travel through the air, and walls and floors stop a fair bit of that. Impact is different. When you land a jump, the shock goes straight into the floor and the building carries it, so the people below hear a thud that sounds much closer than it is.

So the biggest win isn't turning the volume down. It's not hitting the floor.

1. Swap the jumps

Almost every high-impact move has a quiet version that works the same muscles:

Instead of	Try
Jumping jacks	Step-out jacks: one foot at a time, arms still going overhead
Squat jumps	Fast squats, rising onto your toes at the top
Burpees	Step-back burpees: walk the feet back, then walk them in
High knees	Marching knee drives, as fast as you can control
Skaters	Lateral lunges, or a skater step with the back foot touching down
Running on the spot	Fast feet, staying low on the balls of your feet

You'll still get out of breath. Pace does the work the jumping was doing.

2. If you do jump, land like a cat

Land on the balls of your feet, let your knees and hips bend to soak it up, and come down quietly. A useful test: if you can hear your landing, so can they. Soft landings are kinder to your knees, too.

3. Put something between you and the floor

A thick exercise mat helps. A rug with a mat on top helps more. Interlocking foam floor tiles, the kind sold for home gyms and playrooms, are cheap and absorb a good share of the impact.

4. Choose your spot

Floors usually flex less near the walls than in the middle of a room, so if you have the choice, set up near a wall rather than dead centre. Stay off loose floorboards; you'll know which ones they are.

5. Mind the clock

Early mornings and late evenings are when a thud carries furthest and annoys most. Keep the jumping for the middle of the day, and save the 6:30am slot for Low Impact 30 or Stretch 30. Plenty of buildings have quiet hours in their rules, so it's worth a look.

6. Headphones for the class

A class needs to reach you, not the whole building. Headphones or earbuds keep the coach's cues clear without turning the TV up.

7. Have a word

If you're going to train at home regularly, a short note or a chat on the stairs goes a long way: "I've started doing a half-hour workout around six. Tell me if it's ever a problem." Most people are fine with noise they know about and know will stop. It's mystery thuds at odd hours that cause trouble.

Safety, briefly

Clear your two metres properly. Coffee-table corners and trailing cables are the usual culprits. Socks on a wooden floor are a slip waiting to happen, so go barefoot on a mat or wear trainers.

Low Impact 30 was built for exactly this: a full cardio session with no jumping, both feet near the floor the whole way through.