lift weights?or cardio?

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  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    ardysedwardsmcgrath wrote: »
    alot of different ideas thanks! :)
    Whats HIIT?
    IVE GOT ONE BAD LEG that doesn't like to bend so ive got alot of troubles going up&especially down steps.. biking&elliptcal seem to help.. i ve also got troubles gettin out of a chair or bed.. &im sure its all this weight ive gotten.. seems like a slow progress to get smaller&healthier.. i get impatient at times.. lol..

    HIIT would be a dreadful idea for you with "one bad leg".
    ( For info - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-intensity_interval_training )

    You need to keep your movement controlled with knee problems and pushing to the extreme levels of HIIT would have a high chance of injury for you.

    Build up slowly and progressively.
    I've had six knee injuries (3 major, 3 minor) and have found cycling indoors and outdoors has been the best for me, no impact and very controlled movement.
    Losing weight will help for sure.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    ardysedwardsmcgrath wrote: »
    is it best to lift weights when im 248lbs? or jus do cardio? i need to strengthen my knees.. ive got that problem.. im gonna buy a elliptical.. i wanna do in am & pm.. i was wondering if i should join a gym for the lifting but im afraid the scale wont move.. any suggestions?

    Chances are good your knees will get better as you lose weight. Good luck,
  • cqbkaju
    cqbkaju Posts: 1,011 Member
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    Focus on lifting heavy weight, compound lifts.
    Do HIIT cardio afterwards or on off-days.
  • ardysedwardsmcgrath
    ardysedwardsmcgrath Posts: 120 Member
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    ok thanks all! :) ive gotta get a membership now to a gym so i can lift weights.. i jus hope my knees wont pop..
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
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    WHY in the world would you want to lift weights when you have a bad knee and struggle to even get up from a bed or chair? Plus, assuming you're currently very unfit, this is a great recipe for getting injuries. All you need to do is low impact cardio like an elliptical. Keep the resistance up (if you can, without causing knee pain) so that you're burning lots of calories but protecting your knees. Safety first! Fat loss is based on calorie deficit and cardio increases your deficit, it's not just for heart health.
  • healthy491
    healthy491 Posts: 384 Member
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    Traveler120 wrote: »
    WHY in the world would you want to lift weights when you have a bad knee and struggle to even get up from a bed or chair? Plus, assuming you're currently very unfit, this is a great recipe for getting injuries. All you need to do is low impact cardio like an elliptical. Keep the resistance up (if you can, without causing knee pain) so that you're burning lots of calories but protecting your knees. Safety first! Fat loss is based on calorie deficit and cardio increases your deficit, it's not just for heart health.

    Agree!
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    Traveler120 wrote: »
    WHY in the world would you want to lift weights when you have a bad knee and struggle to even get up from a bed or chair? Plus, assuming you're currently very unfit, this is a great recipe for getting injuries. All you need to do is low impact cardio like an elliptical. Keep the resistance up (if you can, without causing knee pain) so that you're burning lots of calories but protecting your knees. Safety first! Fat loss is based on calorie deficit and cardio increases your deficit, it's not just for heart health.

    Because it's a cycle that can corrected with lifting as part of the process. Also low impact doesn't mean it helps certain conditions. Example bike riding hurts my bad knees, while running doesn't. Lifting with proper form and a well tailored program to the individual person will improve the life of that person.
  • ardysedwardsmcgrath
    ardysedwardsmcgrath Posts: 120 Member
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    woodnt lifting weights like for my legs like leg extensions or leg press or leg curls help to strengthen my knees?&make my 1leg more bendable than jus cardio?
    sounds terrible at my current size.. :( i dont like to think i can't do anything.. becuz of my size or weight.. U have to start somewhere.. ya i maybe the biggest one there but hey im at least trying.. to get healthier&smaller&flexible :) yay to that! Ive been looking in to gyms&yes need a personal trainer that i can afford. &say yes u can do this&yes u will succeed&yes this injury will go away. I do biking, walking,&elliptical i feel i need more.. &at my age i wood think good for me too? IM the one in the tan in this pic.. i need to update my pic. im on my 3rd year of losing weight i started at 267 got down to 229 then gain back to 248 :( seems like ive got the yo yo effect..
    thanks every1for the advice.. &yes i try to eat healthy :) sometiems i still like or want my sweets.. ive started to make smoothies with fruits&veggies&sip on thru out the a.m... keeps me full
  • p8yn02016
    p8yn02016 Posts: 12 Member
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    Just remember that 90% of losing or gaining weight is in nutrition but weight training is a must in my opinion just start low and slowly go up and good luck
  • ardysedwardsmcgrath
    ardysedwardsmcgrath Posts: 120 Member
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    so good especially i just turn big 50 to add that to my cardio lifting weights?? i use to yrs ago &got toned.. jus have fell off the wagon.. can u tell? my girls r always on me eat healthier mom soo we can hvae u around for a long time.. do u recommend supplements? i take now multi.. vitamin, ginko, glucosamine,cod liver oil pill&gensing.. idk bout that raseberry ketones some1said they aren't really that good for ya
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    if your leg won't bend you probably have things going on that need an expert's advice, or at least someone with hand-on access to you so they can assess what the issue is. i don't want to get into a whole opinion war with other posters, but my two cents would be on the 'be careful' side.

    i'd say to start out with the stuff that you already know doesn't bother your knee. and if you do want to lift right away, find a trainer or physiotherapist who can get you started safely.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    ardysedwardsmcgrath wrote: »
    so good especially i just turn big 50 to add that to my cardio lifting weights?? i use to yrs ago &got toned.. jus have fell off the wagon.. can u tell? my girls r always on me eat healthier mom soo we can hvae u around for a long time.. do u recommend supplements? i take now multi.. vitamin, ginko, glucosamine,cod liver oil pill&gensing.. idk bout that raseberry ketones some1said they aren't really that good for ya

    I would recommend using the site examine.com to check out the "need" for particular supplements.
    You may well find that most claims aren't actually supported by research.
  • cqbkaju
    cqbkaju Posts: 1,011 Member
    edited October 2016
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    Lift weights / weight training within your capacity and with good form by following a good progressive overload training program.
    I'm not talking about some "fitness" workout with pink dumbbells.
    Lifting heavy-for-you weights in a progressive manner will improve your knee problem in almost every case.
    The exception is if a orthopedist says specifically not to do certain exercises.

    I bet my surgeon would say my knees and ankle are far worse than yours and I do squats and deadlifts every week.
    The stronger my legs are, the better my knees and ankle feels.
    Same with dips and overhead presses for my shoulders, by the way.

    The impact and wear from running, cardio etc. is usually far worse for your knees than lifting.
    Again, this is according to my orthopedic surgeon and corroborated by every athlete I work with.

    If you have any gas in the tank after lifting (or on off-days) then you could consider HIIT for cardio.

    According to a PT in the family, being too weak to get out of a chair or off the toilet is why many people end up in nursing homes.
    Their "cardio fitness" has nothing to do with it.
  • serapel
    serapel Posts: 502 Member
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    ardysedwardsmcgrath wrote: »
    is it best to lift weights when im 248lbs? or jus do cardio? i need to strengthen my knees.. ive got that problem.. im gonna buy a elliptical.. i wanna do in am & pm.. i was wondering if i should join a gym for the lifting but im afraid the scale wont move.. any suggestions?

    From my own experience, I found lifting and cardio together made me very hungry and I had a hard time doing both. I ended up focusing on cardio to lose weight, so I wasn't so hungry and then once I had lost a certain amount of weight, I then began incorporating weight lifting into my program.

    What worked for me is not recommended though and I only needed to lose 10 lbs (post-pregnancy weight). After losing the first 5 lbs, I then began weight training while losing the other 5 lbs, so when I was finished, I weighed the same, but my body composition was different.

    There is some information on this here that backs up what others are saying and it includes pictures and a dexa scan:

    https://bretcontreras.com/strength-training-is-fat-loss-training/


  • serapel
    serapel Posts: 502 Member
    edited October 2016
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    Traveler120 wrote: »
    WHY in the world would you want to lift weights when you have a bad knee and struggle to even get up from a bed or chair? Plus, assuming you're currently very unfit, this is a great recipe for getting injuries. All you need to do is low impact cardio like an elliptical. Keep the resistance up (if you can, without causing knee pain) so that you're burning lots of calories but protecting your knees. Safety first! Fat loss is based on calorie deficit and cardio increases your deficit, it's not just for heart health.

    I recommend you try swimming to get the initial weight off if you have an injury.

    I had a knee injury 20 years ago and it took almost a year to heel with swimming and water aerobic. Be careful!!!
  • subcounter
    subcounter Posts: 2,382 Member
    edited October 2016
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    ardysedwardsmcgrath wrote: »
    is it best to lift weights when im 248lbs? or jus do cardio? i need to strengthen my knees.. ive got that problem.. im gonna buy a elliptical.. i wanna do in am & pm.. i was wondering if i should join a gym for the lifting but im afraid the scale wont move.. any suggestions?

    Okay, with a bad knee even elliptical can be a little bad for your knee, as the whole body weight is distributed on it. I would recommend cycling. Stationary ones that you can change the difficulty can do wonders for you. You need to shed some of the weight before you go in to more intense stuff. Make sure you would be cycling in a fat burning HR zone, and without too much stress on your knees.

    Luckily your upper body can take more! Lifting weights helps you with one specific thing. It lets you consume more calories as you make muscles. You need more food to keep your muscles fed basically. So its kind of a "cheating" method we can use to lose fat :smiley: . For a beginner, I would recommend dumbbell exercises, you definitely could use a weight bench. There are thousands and thousands of exercises online. You can focus on single muscle groups in the beginning, and as your knee heals, and you lose more fat, you can continue in to more core exercises where you use your whole body.

    Good luck!

    P.S. ALL of us, start somewhere. Never ever feel shame about not being able to do a certain move, or not being able to do a certain thing, that someone else does. Everyone have different goals, and bodies. Where we start our journeys are different too.

    You are the best judge of yourself. Make sure you push yourself just enough, your body can do wonders! Give yourself time too. The progress will come in months but you will love every step of the way once you see the results.
  • mommazach
    mommazach Posts: 384 Member
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    Oh these answers... Pretty sure that is why people get discouraged. Holy cats. Here's my 2 cents.

    I started with 3 surgeries on my left knee. Started elliptical for knee strengthening. Small times. 10 minutes, 15 minutes, worked my way up to 45 minutes and decided to try jogging. (I was feeling froggy) I found an app called C25K that worked my way up to increase my stamina. I used it on the elliptical and treadmill too. Now... Saying all of that, my legs looked great. Best they ever had, but the rest of me needed a workout too. So I started a p90x video. It was great. Sweat bunches and started working on my arms and core. Then... I did a summer boot camp with weights. Now... I only lost 6 lbs, but I lost 12 inches in 2 months. I am now a firm believer that you should do both cardio, and weight lifting. I have a muscle on the back of my arm. Didn't even know it could happen. There's one on the top of my shoulder too.... WHO KNEW! You will continue to lose weight if you eat at a deficit. You will gain muscle by doing either cardio weights. Just depends on what kind of definition you want to see. Try both, and you will not kill your knees lifting. You will strengthen them. It will help you. Keep focused on them and don't push too hard. Jogging will kill them... seriously had to figure out some of the running techniques and always have a rest day if you are doing high impact anything. My elliptical didn't jar them and I was dandy. Squats are great. Lunges are great. Just go slowly and get to where you can do more and more and more. And..... Find workout buddies or join classes. I do 3 different classes during the week and the folks there are my workout buddies. TRX is my FAV, Circuit- truly sweat, Spin... kills me... Best of luck on Your journey

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