what to with bad knees?

deannajf4

Bad knees is a pretty general term. There are many reasons for it, and you should see a doctor first. For me, the doctor (not much of a bedside manner) said (and this is when I was still thin - 140lbs) you have big hips, and you're putting too much strain on the outside of your legs so your knees aren't moving in the proper grove...more exercise to get your outter and inner legs equal and your knees will be fine.

I hired a trainer, and the first day I did leg extensions with NO WEIGHT and had tears running down my face from the pain - but I pushed through and soon I could lift lots of weight and my knee pain went away.

yo_andi

i want to start toning again.... hopefully stick with it. I have bad knees and i have done 30ds and rin30 and i have to modify a lot of the exercises b/c of my knees... what exercises can i do that will tone up my body ( specially my core area) but not hard on my knees....

Define "bad". Do you have a known injury? Do you have a degeneration i.e. arthritis? Do your knees hurt when you exercise because you're heavy?

lin7604

sorry to be blunt here but i think some need to read from the beginning, i have stated already that i have arthritis in the left knee and i was hit by a car when i was young and should of had surgery but never did ( i am 35 ). i find it frustrating when so many have said go see a dr , etc when i have, i do still and these issues arn't going to go away. I have seen my dr about it.... it's not just bad form or something, i have legit issues with my knees....especially my left one. it can hurt walking at times. I can't run, and i bought a treadmill years ago to just walk/ power walk and now i have purchased a elliptical as it's easier on my knees. BUT i am not toning and getting tighter just doing cardio. So i tried 30ds and rin30, i have done both twice but i have to modify so many of the exercises i feel i am not getting the most out of doing them, so i wanted to just try some suggested exercised that will be good to my knees and get me more toned. I am only 5 lbs away from my goal. i am 5 ft 2 inches and 125 right now. so now i thought is a good time to start getting more toned as i look the same as i did before just smaller..... i need to tighten my thighs, arms and belly more. and would love more definition in my back. I have liked what results i have gotten from the dvd;'s so far on my back, etc but i want to be able to exercise in no pain.

all i want/ need is suggestions on toning exercises i can do at home that will help me tighten up... i have a home gym now too that was given to us but have no idea what to do with it,lol....

yoovie

well i need to firm up, tighten my thighs a bit more, especially my belly and arms.. a bit more definition in my back, etc... i am almost at my goal weight but still not looking as good as i thought i would as i just look like a smaller version of myself... so i wanted to start toning and then lifting a bit heavier and using my home gym...

ok dont say toning - say changing your body composition or lowering your body fat and building up your lean muscle. thats what you want. The only way to get there is do body weight training and heavy lifting mixed in with a little cardio and awesome eating.

check out New Rules of Lifting for Women.

rlmadrid

Most people don't have bad knees because then just walking would be quite painful. Most people's knees hurt because when they exercise, their form is incorrect. If you haven't had a professional assess your form, now would be a good time. Chances are that correct form would solve the issue.

Changing my running form eliminated my knee problems at age 51.

I'd be very interested to hear more about this.

My right knee used to hurt all the time when I ran a lot. Last year I changed my form to mid/fore foot strike and my stride so that my foot landed under my body instead of out in front. This essentially transferred the landing force from the bones and joints into the tendons and muscles where it can be absorbed, stored, and released with each stride. Google "Good Form Running" for descriptions, pictures, diagrams, and videos.

Hmm, interesting. This may help me too.

Listen to yoovie. "Tone" is just an awkward term for building muscle and lowering body fat. I find starting with body weight and slowly adding is the way to go. When you can tolerate bodyweight squats, you can start adding weight. Just maintain proper form.
In addition... maybe it's worth speaking with a personal trainer as well as your usual doctors. They may be able to guide you (as well as spot you) better than we can through anecdotes.

lin7604

i figured it ment the same...i thought toning was building muscle and lowering bf%? getting more definition???

I talked to my dr a few weeks ago and she said just do what i can that is comfortable. i felt it was a useless visit IMO as i wanted specific advice but she just kept leaning towards cardio, i told her i wanted to get tighter....and she never really answered it, just cardio. I also have no gyms nearby as i live out of the city and i really don't have the money to pay for one to get advice, etc... that is why what ever i do i have to do at home as i don't have the $$$

yo_andi

sorry to be blunt here but i think some need to read from the beginning, i have stated already that i have arthritis in the left knee and i was hit by a car when i was young and should of had surgery but never did ( i am 35 ). i find it frustrating when so many have said go see a dr , etc when i have, i do still and these issues arn't going to go away. I have seen my dr about it.... it's not just bad form or something, i have legit issues with my knees....especially my left one. it can hurt walking at times. I can't run, and i bought a treadmill years ago to just walk/ power walk and now i have purchased a elliptical as it's easier on my knees. BUT i am not toning and getting tighter just doing cardio. So i tried 30ds and rin30, i have done both twice but i have to modify so many of the exercises i feel i am not getting the most out of doing them, so i wanted to just try some suggested exercised that will be good to my knees and get me more toned. I am only 5 lbs away from my goal. i am 5 ft 2 inches and 125 right now. so now i thought is a good time to start getting more toned as i look the same as i did before just smaller..... i need to tighten my thighs, arms and belly more. and would love more definition in my back. I have liked what results i have gotten from the dvd;'s so far on my back, etc but i want to be able to exercise in no pain.

all i want/ need is suggestions on toning exercises i can do at home that will help me tighten up... i have a home gym now too that was given to us but have no idea what to do with it,lol....

What kind of features does your home gym have? You may want to look into some of the bodyweight circuits at nerdfitness.com although you might need a good brace for squats and lunges.

If your home gym has a pull up bar or a pull down pulley you can also start working on building upper body strength eventually leading up to pull ups which will greatly help your quest for definition in your arms and back.

lin7604

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/5/SportsRec/4/FitnessWellness/BenchesGyms/PRDOVR~0840608P/AX2109+Home+Gym.jsp?locale=en

this is similar to the one i have at home.

yo_andi

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/5/SportsRec/4/FitnessWellness/BenchesGyms/PRDOVR~0840608P/AX2109+Home+Gym.jsp?locale=en

this is similar to the one i have at home.

Cool, with that you should be pretty much able to do this whole workout:

http://tracker.dailyburn.com/workout_programs/1323-Universal-Home-Gym-Workout

I would still invest in a good brace for that knee (and maybe pop a couple of Advil before you do lower body work to help with inflammation)

Good luck!

yo_andi

Also meant to post this link:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw106.htm

Any of these three workouts should work too.

lin7604

thank you!

how many days a week should i do it, how long.......should i still do some cardio or the dvd's?