My poor Hubby...

polar5554

He has NEVER been the fitness guru EVER...Just recently though, things have changed and he is delving into fitness headfirst by doing P90 with me.

He has a very bad knee (he wears a knee brace daily) due to a torn lateral meniscus. He's had several surgeries, but they still can't fix it completely.

While he isn't crazy overweight, he DOES have a belly that he wants to get rid of...and knowing that cardio is the place to burn fat, he has a hard time doing cardio workouts due to his knee pain.

Does anyone have any suggestions for him to get a good cardio workout without putting a lot of strain on his knee?

georgiagorwell

Swimming?

LuckyLeprechaun

mine has a bad knee too. The only thing he can do a lot of that doesn't ever hurt his knee is swimming.

Good Luck:flowerforyou:

fitaliciag

Swimming?

i agree, swimming is very good cardio, and in fact, the military offers it as an alternative to running on the fitness test.

HotMomma86

Swimming, boxing, biking/cycling? Those are all I can think of that aren't high impact.

bjshields

I vote for swimming. He could also do biking, as long as he NEVER -- I mean NEVER -- stands up on his bike. Weight lifting while sitting on a ball or a weights bench would also help.

SpartanHard

Swimming gets my vote

susanrsocal

Biking, that's how I got in the best shape of my life. And the motion of cycling actually helps "lube" the joints.

Melis25Fit

Ellipticals are supposed to be alot easier on knees as well!

Teresa652

Ellipticals are supposed to be alot easier on knees as well!

Agree with this too. There is little to no impact.

OLP76

Congrats on doin' Power90. I'm almost finished Power90 - I'm 18 days away - just around the corner.

That is awesome that your Husband is doin' the workout also.

Swimmin' or Bikin' seems to be the popular answer. Best wishes on your journey of weight loss :flowerforyou:

janalayn

If he doesn't like to swim he can "water walk" in the shallow end of the pool it burns more calories than regular walking because of the resistance but the water supports your weight so it is low impact.

kweenofulz

Rowing...

angiemartin78

He could try some boxing...feet hip width apart and sink down a little and then just go with punches. Maybe a jab-cross combo. That would burn some calories.

30tips

A stationary bike might work

ladybug1620

He could try some boxing...feet hip width apart and sink down a little and then just go with punches. Maybe a jab-cross combo. That would burn some calories.

Yes! Learned this from the 30 Day Shred. It really gets your heart up.

mmtiernan

If he doesn't like to swim he can "water walk" in the shallow end of the pool it burns more calories than regular walking because of the resistance but the water supports your weight so it is low impact.

What she said!! When my daughter was little, I used to plop her into a floaty ring and "pool jog" while pushing her - 20-30 minutes of that is an absolutely fantastic workout! You wouldn't believe it, but when you are done, you are pooped!!

That being said, I wonder if the weight lifting might help strengthen the muscles supporting the knee and help? I have knee issues because of on old college skiing accident and the leg workouts help tremendously. I'm always careful not to use too much weight or squat too low - you have to be sensible about it.

Great going on the P90 and good luck!!

hilsidney

I have two bad knees from old soccer injuries and my ortho dr. said that spinning is a great exercise that shouldn't hurt my knees, and of course swimming. He said with the spinning to pay close attention to how much tension you are adding and how your knee feels. Also if doing jumps, feel it out and don't do the jumps if it's putting strain on the knees. The great thing about spinning though is that you really build up the quads which when strong can help you rely way less on your knees in general. My pt had me walk around with a really thick rubber band around my ankle and do squats regularly to build up my upper leg muscle too so that I would be less likely to hurt my knees. So far it's been working... knock on wood!

time2move

Mini Trampoline!

bouldert

first off two thumbs up and a pat on the back to your hubby and a great job for you to research some options for him. i had surgery on my knee also ,yea not successfull either ,when i ask the doctor about it he said i could pay for another surgery or try and deal with the pain .i have found that eliptical and swimming and stationary bikes are great.

Celo24

I agree with everyone else. Swimming and biking are great options! I've been doing a ton of both lately (along with some running) and I am steadily losing weight.

MegaMech

if he has a tummy he wants to get rid of... He'll need to strengthen his abs... lose weight with out toneing the muscles will just lead to droopy tummy... include crunches or sit ups in what ever you do..