Leg/glute workout for bad knees/back?

xxthoroughbred

I've been getting my knees checked out since I was 13 and no doctor can really find anything wrong with them. I think one has less cartilage than it should, but nothing ever alarming to doctors. The last doctor I saw was amazed at how puffy my knees were even though I hadn't worked out in two weeks and had been icing them. I think it's mostly genetic at this point. Even when my quads were a pretty decent size, I still had these issues.

Anyway, I've been dying to do squats but doing them even without weight results in lots of crunching. I read online that sometimes knees just make noise and this shouldn't be alarming if it isn't painful, so I went ahead and tried bodyweight squats again. When I was walking around afterward, they felt a little weird. I don't usually have the same problem with the leg press unless I'm doing my max.

What else can I do to build my legs? I'd really like to focus on quads and glutes right now, but deadlifts are also out because of an old back injury.

ETA: I'm in my early 20s and I get sharp knee pain stepping out of a shower after a workout.

xxthoroughbred

No one?

xxthoroughbred

Let's try this again... anyone? :flowerforyou:

jennyrebekka

i do leg lifts in the pool.....with ankle weights......and it feels like it is not making my knees any worse...?...that's about the best i can offer.
Good luck!

BaileyP3

Hip and knee problems here....aqua aerobics are the best.

Dragonnade

No real advice I'm afraid. I strap my knee and power through with squats and stop the moment I get pain as opposed to discomfort. Lunges are the ones that really kill my knees.

sunshine_gem

I have a problem with my left knee too and it can be a real b*tch sometimes. An old injury I had wasn't fixed properly resulting in a chronic sprain of the ligaments. Because of this my knee cap is off centre so it grinds which is not necessarily painful, more uncomfortable. I do get pain in the ligaments though if I do too much, even walking for a long distance can cause inflammation. I mostly do yoga and pilates now as I find it's the most low impact and doesn't cause the crunching. I use this website: www.blogilates.com because it's pilates based workouts but they're still hard. You don't necessarily need to do squats and deadlifts to work your glutes and your quads. There is still some squatting involved but just do what you can. If squats make your knees hurt, then you're either doing them wrong or your body is trying to tell you something. Give it a try and see how you go. Good luck

p.s. Do you have supports for your knees, because if not you really should.

trogalicious

as far as back workouts, I've picked up an exercise ball and do some body-weight workouts at home on a regular basis. When I hit the gym, I'll do squats and some leg machines along with the cardio.

have you tried glucosamine?

tinytasha7

I agree with Bailey on the Aqua exercises. They are much easier on joints and you can get a pretty good cardio workout with some....depends on the instructor or if doing them on your own, how much you push yourself.

I have a bad knee as well, and my doc basically said to do whatever I could without hurting myself to build quads. I have just been using machines at the gym for quad and glute area. I work specifically on lower body 2-3 times per week, while upper body only once or twice. Mostly I'm focusing on cardio but since this is a specific issue for me, I've added it in.

So far, my knee has improved a lot, though, with more than 100 lbs to lose, I still have a long way to go.

Good luck with a resolution. It's tough when you don't know what is wrong.