Sore knee.....need help with cardio alternatives.

collinsje308

Hi everyone,
So I am pretty new here just joined a few weeks ago. A little back story on me here....I am 6 foot 1 inch tall and currently weight 284 lbs. I recently went on a hunting trip out west and figured out that I am in a lot worse shape than I thought I was. I was completely burnt out everyday when we go back to camp. Also I am getting married in May and want to look better than I do now. So I took it upon myself to make a change and live a better life style. My goal is to lose 60 pounds and keep it off.

I have started eating better and logging everything and making sure to eat in a deficit everyday. And also started going to the gym 5/6 days a week depending if I can get away from the farm on the weekends. But I go 5 days Monday-Friday for sure. And I have found that I actually enjoy it and like the way I feel when I am done.

Typically I run everyday at 5.5mph for 15-17 minutes and walk at 4.0 mph for 8-10 minutes. And then either ride the bike at the gym for 25 minutes or do my lifts depending on which day it is.

Now here is the problem I woke up last Friday with my knee bothering me. When I went to the gym yesterday I thought I could just play through the pain and run any way because I am new to this I thought it was just my body not used to all the new work. Well I couldn't run because it hurt too much. So I walked at 4.0 mph for 10 minutes and then rode the bike for 40 minutes to make up for not being able to run. But to me riding the bike doesn't feel like it is as intense as running is and I don't feel that it is as good of a workout as running on the treadmill. Is there any truth to that? Also what else can I do to get my cardio workout in until my knee feels better and I can go back to running?

Sorry for the long winded post and thanks for any help!!!

redfiona99

I was going to suggest cycling but I see you've already got that covered. The other traditional low-impact option is swimming, if your gym has a pool.

mohanj

May be you want to try elliptical in your gym. My knee pain went away when I added yoga to my routine. Just my 2 cents.

kshadows

I'm having knee surgery next week and I know now that I'll be doing some swimming, elliptical and walking when I'm back up on my feet, until I can run again!

Leigh_b

I could be your shoes... if you don't have good running shoes it can cause knee pain

Glowiie1

As an avid runner - never push through the pain. That's your body's way of telling you to stop what you're doing. You can try running on your toes - your gait could be what is hurting your knee. In general, if it hurts, you're doing it wrong, so do the logical thing and try something else!

For biking, I felt the same way for a while. For some reason I only feel like I get a workout when I bike outside. I recommend getting a heartrate monitor. That will tell you whether or not you're getting anything out of it. Another (free) option is to look at your watt output. Does the bike trainer at the gym show power output? As a 30 year old female, I can maintain about 300 watts for 40 min at 60% max heart rate. My hubby who is a competitive cyclist can reach a PEAK power output of about 1450 (not sure about his sustained output - I know that would be a more useful piece of info, SORRY!). Just trying to give you a range.

Good luck!

acpgee

I quit running years ago due to repeated impact injuries. For cardio, I currently use the elliptical, the stationary bike or the rowing machine. A stair ergometer is also no impact and is pretty strenuous. In the past I have also done speed skating (both ice and inline).

collinsje308

Thank you guys for the advice. @Glowiie1....How does a person figure out what my max heart rate is? And yes the bike trainer shows watt out put. Again thanks for the help.

Just_Ceci

Leigh_b wrote: »

I could be your shoes... if you don't have good running shoes it can cause knee pain

+1
I was having knee pain until I got fitted for good running shoes at a running store. No more knee pain.

d6melanie

I second the suggestion for swimming, it's an excellent full body, gentle cardio, and light resistance workout. Also you may want to consider a rowing machine.

ndj1979

if you have not been running it could be "runners knee" I got that once and it hurt like a b*tch for a few days. I believe it is from inflammation ..the advice that I received, and did, was to take an anti-inflammatory, ice down my knee, and stay off it for about two to three days...I did that and the pain went away no problem ...

You may want to give that a shot ...

I am not a doctor but I play one on MFP LOL...

TossaBeanBag

Last night, I just ran in a pool lane. I got my heart up pretty good. Not a lot of pounding and worked my quads good running backwards.

StaciMarie1974

Try walking - but increase the incline.