Interval / "HIIT" videos for bad knees

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sofrances
sofrances Posts: 156 Member
edited October 2020 in Fitness and Exercise
Can anyone recommend some interval / HIIT* videos that don't feature squats, lunges etc? I have some issues with my knees that get inflamed by these sorts of movements. I have two Joe Wicks videos that fit the bill, but I get bored of doing the same two videos so frequently.

Google etc. Not much help.

* HIIT in the marketing sense, rather than "real HIIT".

Replies

  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    What are your issues with your knees?

    Just general inflamation? Perhaps tighten up your load management while doing strength training if you aren't already.
  • sofrances
    sofrances Posts: 156 Member
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    Chieflrg wrote: »
    What are your issues with your knees?

    Just general inflamation? Perhaps tighten up your load management while doing strength training if you aren't already.

    Chondromalacia patellae, the doctor says. It doesn't cause a problem immediately, but I can still hear the creaking noise it makes when I squat. Then, a few weeks after I start squating regularly, pain starts pretty reliably.
  • cgvet37
    cgvet37 Posts: 1,189 Member
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    I have the same thing. Try knee sleeves, they provide compression and help keep the joints warm.
  • sofrances
    sofrances Posts: 156 Member
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    cgvet37 wrote: »
    I have the same thing. Try knee sleeves, they provide compression and help keep the joints warm.

    Thanks. I do use these. They mean I can run, but I still get issues squatting and lunging.
  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
    edited October 2020
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    Look up beginner and low impact Tabata on YouTube and there's tons of them. Kettlebells swings are great. I have a terrible knee and can do them. Assault Bikes and Rowers are great too. Wide front lunges are good. So are Goblet Squats usually. Plyo boxes are great too -- not for jumping but for step ups.

    Something else that will help with runner's knee is building lateral strength. I'd get a band and go side to side with it. Also great for getting your HR up.

    Runner's knee can be painful, but if you pay attention to what aggravates it and what doesn't, you can figure it out. I was told 13 years ago I desperately needed a total knee replacement. I shredded the meniscus literally right off the bone. Also tore all of my tendons (didn't have an ACL for 20 years prior). Took me a year to walk and two to not limp severely. I'm 56 and I have the same cruddy right knee. I just know what I can tolerate and what I can't. I have full range of motion as well.

    I can't run, I can't do standing lunges at all. I can't do box jumps. I would never, ever attempt jump lunges. I can't handle real heavy barbells or the knee feels like it's buckling. I would never do knee extensions with more than 20 lbs or so. But there's a lot more I can do -- bike, assault bike, rowing, stairmaster, Spinning (yes, I can outspin most instructors now), etc.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,900 Member
    edited October 2020
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    I was first diagnosed with knee issues 11 years ago, and at first did not head the advice and keep up with my knee strengthening exercises, so still have problems today. I suggest you find something other than squats/lunges and perhaps not HIIT with impact.
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    edited October 2020
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    @kshama2001 Wise advice, right there.

    A relative of mine is an athlete. Had both hips and knees replaced now. The relief was short-lived. Within 2 years, all of the pain is coming back. There are no more antidotes now. Prevention is better than the cure.
  • sofrances
    sofrances Posts: 156 Member
    edited November 2020
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    I've found some now. Wasn't aware of the tabata search term. That helped.

    Might also just cobble together some workouts of my own by writing down exercises I see in videos in new combinations and using a timer app. Not as motivating as a video, but at least let's me work around the knee.

    Looking into physio for the knee too. Rest doesn't seem to have fixed it (at least not if the clicks and noises it makes are any indication). I don't know if physio can fix it, but it would be great to be able to get back to normal, especially since I'm relatively young, so worth a try.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    sofrances wrote: »
    Chieflrg wrote: »
    What are your issues with your knees?

    Just general inflamation? Perhaps tighten up your load management while doing strength training if you aren't already.

    Chondromalacia patellae, the doctor says. It doesn't cause a problem immediately, but I can still hear the creaking noise it makes when I squat. Then, a few weeks after I start squating regularly, pain starts pretty reliably.

    So if you can squat pain free for a few weeks, I would dissect programming with that data in mind and adjust accordingly. Your load management might include taking some weight off the bb that results in low to tolerable pain that doesn't increase over time and actually gets better as you strength train over time.

    I'm not so confident you should fixate on clicks and whatnot of the knees, it is fairly common for many people. Though they may be a result of chondromalacia patellae, that is a poorly dx'd issue.

    What volume, average intensity, frequency are your sets?

  • MikePfirrman
    MikePfirrman Posts: 3,307 Member
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    Diatonic12 wrote: »
    @kshama2001 Wise advice, right there.

    A relative of mine is an athlete. Had both hips and knees replaced now. The relief was short-lived. Within 2 years, all of the pain is coming back. There are no more antidotes now. Prevention is better than the cure.

    One of my siblings had both knees done. One went great, the other not so much. He's on pain pills all the time now. I'll stick to my cruddy knee as long as I can before replacing it. 14 years after being told I need a total replacement, still going strong.
  • lesdarts180
    lesdarts180 Posts: 2,724 Member
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    You could try Lucy Wyndham-Read. she knocked Joe Wicks off the top spot a few weeks ago. She has lots of videos, HIIT, walking, beginners etc, many of them very short (7 minutes) but you could run them together.

    https://www.lwrfitness.com/

    You can also find her on YouTube, Instagram etc

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