Muscle developing exercises non gym

Rhonnie501

HI. i am super unfit. I have arthritis in knees (need replacements) and this has hindered my list of activities I can do without producing humongous pain that goes for days. Consequently, all of my muscles have disappeared and I am left with much flab everywhere particularly arms, upper legs, stomach.

MichelleSilverleaf

Bodyweights are something you can do at home, and probably modify to suit your mobility. Also things like yoga can help.

WalkItOff18

I agree with Michelle about body weight training and all the possible modifications. I'm finishing my second month of "Body by You" (using the book, Mark Lauran) and can see myself getting stronger with every work out. Plus I like that the workouts are short--30 minutes.

concordancia

Have you tried swimming or water aerobics? If you start from sedentary, any activity will build muscle for awhile.

Cherimoose

Check the pinned post in the Fitness forum for program recommendations, and replace any squats with Wall Sits, which rarely hurt the knees. They are explained on Youtube. Romanian deadlifts are also easy on the knees. Again, check Youtube.

Does biking hurt your knees?

By the way, "flab" is mostly body fat and possibly loose skin too. Building muscle will help slightly, but most of your results will come from overall fat loss.

AnnPT77

Will your doctor give you a physical therapy referral?

My knees are not as severely impaired as yours - I have some osteoarthritis, a torn meniscus in the left knee, and some debris in the joints, but am deferring surgery as long as possible. I'm fortunate to be able to be very active, though within a range of carefully-selected activities. According to my orthopedist, I'm headed for knee replacement eventually.

PT (obviously) won't cure arthritis, but can help you figure out what needs to be stretched/strengthened to reduce pain to the extent practical (and give you ongoing exercises to accomplish that); teach you how to do daily life activities (walking, stairs, etc.) in ways that reduce pain and limit further stress/damage; and help you identify forms of regular exercise that you may be able to do with current limitations. Good PT, in my experience, is almost close to magic.

If you're overweight, weight loss alone may be very helpful, and that's entirely achievable with eating changes only. Losing 50+ pounds, which is the difference between obese and healthy weight on my 5'5" body, made dramatic reductions in my knee pain. I went from near-constant mild pain with bouts of higher pain (sometimes enough to interfere with sleep), to a lot of days with near zero pain (below conscious threshold, though I can feel the discomfort if I focus on it) plus the occasional bout of something a bit worse (but nothing like before).

Strategies like icing problem joints after every workout - whether there's increased discomfort or not - have been helpful to me, too. And in my overall body, knees and beyond, the stronger/fitter I get, the less discomfort/pain I tend to have. I also feel like weight loss and more attention to healthy eating have reduced tendencies to pain/discomfort in general (maybe via reduced chronic inflammation? I don't know.) This was true even though I ate mostly healthy foods even while obese . . . just too much of them.

If you can't get a PT referral, or can't afford PT, you may find some help by searching on YouTube with phrases like "arthritis exercise" or "knee pain". Look for videos from credentialed physical therapists, major orthopedic centers, and other sound professional sources. There are a bunch out there.

Best wishes!