cardio

wishfullthinking79

I am really curious what cardio people have found works the best. I use to run on the treadmill. But 10 months ago I fractured my knee somehow which eventually lead to the doctor telling me I could not bare any weight on it. anyhow, long story short it has taken forever for it to heal. At my last appointment 2 months ago he said I still could not do high impact cardio. I have not spent much time in the gym since this happened. I am trying to get back to it. Boy is it hard. Today I did 20 minutes on the elliptical with a resistance of 4, 10 minutes on the stair stepper, and then a short 5 minutes on the treadmill to lower my pulse rate. * This is only the 2nd day back in the gym in like 4 months.

TavistockToad

Swim?

callsitlikeiseeit

swim, recumbant (spelling?) bike

wishfullthinking79

I did lots of swimming while on vacation this summer in florida. That and all the walking I did is probably why I lost weight while I was there. My gym doesnt have a pool and at the moment it is really cold here. I have only briefly tried a bike. Not sure if it is the kind mentioned. I felt like I was doing nothing at all.

sijomial

Didn't they tell you what you could do and not just what you can't do?

Sounds like my knee surgeon - "You have a level of disability, get used to it".
What would you say if I was a pro athlete? - "Retire."
(Thanks Doc - you're fired!)

Cycling is the thing for my particular set of injuries, no impact, controlled range of motion and as challenging as you want it to be. My running is very limited but I can cycle all day long but your injuries and potential will be different. I'm not a fan of recumbent bikes as you can't get your weight over the pedals.

I've found Sports Physios far more helpful than Doctors/Surgeons who seem content with getting you back on your feet and returned to work rather than maximizing your potential.

ElizabethOakes2

Walking is good. I can't run (back injury) but just getting out and walking has been awesome,
Your gym doesn't have a pool, but is there maybe a public pool or swim club locally that you can join?

wishfullthinking79

At my last appt when I asked if I could do high impact cardio yet. He advised against it. He told me to ease myself back into it. This was a orthopedic doctor. He did say he has seen my type of injury before. Because my knee just started hurting really bad until I got where I could not walk anymore. My fractured my knee but never fell. I use to be all about the gym, but I was out for so long that I have lost the motivation. With the recent weight gain I am trying to force myself back into it. Eventually, I would like to be running at least part of my cardio. What I know about working out is limited so I asked the question to learn. The trainers I have worked with in the past have all told me I should be doing cardio different (they each told me to do it a different way than the previous). I have never taken the time to ask others what they feel has worked the most for them.

There is one indoor pool I am aware of like 30 miles from where I live.

Stevecutler0

try swimming and interval training on the stationary bike I have bad knees too and find the bike on a low cadence excellent.

robertw486

I'd think the bikes would be preferred if you can't find a place to swim, and possibly the elliptical machines as well. I'd be more cautious on anything where you support your weight though, as it's more strain on the joint. The good thing about machines is they often have data of some type to let you know where you are out in terms of output, which is very useful if or when you get discomfort due to the injury.

I've had some back issues, and the doctors were fairly vague about what I could and couldn't do. But weight loss and working on my core has improved the back, so hopefully I'll be back to some running soon. But really I've discovered for cardio I really enjoy the bike, and the elliptical isn't bad if I'm stuck inside.

fiddletime

I can't jog because of a foot injury. I got a stationary bike and find that if I push myself I get a good burn (I use a Polar HRM). I'm not a bike person and would prefer to run/jog. I spent quite awhile trying to see which would be best for my foot. Rowing would have been OK too. My podiatrist calls the treadmill the "overuse machine". I hate swimming- I like to sweat, and feel it .