Alternatives to squats and lunges???

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courtm82
courtm82 Posts: 35 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Squats and Lunges are awesome exercises for the butt/thighs... HOWEVER.... what are some alternative, equally effective exercises for someone like me with a very bad knee? I'm fine walking and running, but anything that involves bending my knee (and especially putting weight on it in that position) is out of the question. I hurt it many years ago in Jr High on the basketball team... and continued to abuse it all through high school playing ball. It doesn't aggravate me daily, only if I try to squat or bend my knee past the comfort zone... any suggestions?

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  • krhn
    krhn Posts: 781 Member
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    That's a downer! :sad:

    Off the top of my head I don't think there are alternatives to build your legs since most of the exercises requires contractions or bending of the leg :frown:
  • ladyjoie
    ladyjoie Posts: 165 Member
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    Can you do a hands and knees position? Leg raises could be good. Assuming you can bend your knee and it's weight that's the main issue, doing a bridge position might be something to look into. The only other exercise I can think of (and it's more of an abs one) is a leg and butt lift. Depending on what kind of injury it is, you could possibly still squat - maybe starting with slightly past the point of comfort, and just practicing that, and if it feels better go a little further until you can do a full squat. However, I'm not a doctor, and I don't know your body like you do - so feel free to ignore that bit about squats.
  • Shelby1582
    Shelby1582 Posts: 191 Member
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    I would try pilates or step aerobics. The site below also has several exercises to try and to avoid.

    http://www.active.com/fitness/Articles/The_Best_and_Worst_Exercises_for_Bad_Knees
  • GetSoda
    GetSoda Posts: 1,267 Member
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    You should talk to a sports therapist / specialist.
  • courtm82
    courtm82 Posts: 35 Member
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    Thanks everyone... maybe if I just tyr to gradually work past the comfort area it will improve... sort of like at home physical therapy! It was so bad when I was a teenager I would actually miss school because of the pain. I couldn't move..
  • courtm82
    courtm82 Posts: 35 Member
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    I saw a therapist years ago, but didn't get much help from it
  • GetSoda
    GetSoda Posts: 1,267 Member
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    I saw a therapist years ago, but didn't get much help from it

    Sorry to hear that. I've had physical therapists tell me to not squat AT ALL. Or pick up heavy things. Or use my wrist. (I've got some physical limitations.) but I was able to do a lot of research, and find ways around that. I'm squatting around ~250 currently and have had NO significant knee pain in a very long time.

    But we're all different. I'm an idiot: I'll keep doing stuff until it gets better, or kills me. It's not a great approach.
    I'd start with looking into mobility exercises - like from MobilityWOD. Take it slow, don't overuse the joint, and listen to your body.
  • szarlotka717
    szarlotka717 Posts: 85 Member
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    I highly recommend knee strengthening exercises. You can do some of them while seated. Here are some online resources that I've found helpful:

    http://www.bigkneepain.com/knee-exercises.html
    http://www.permanente.net/homepage/kaiser/pdf/64676.pdf

    Recumbent stationary bikes at low levels of resistance are also good alternatives for cardio (but do note that you may need to build up to longer sessions - I needed to start at 15 minutes or so). Just losing weight (even if it's mostly by changing your diet) can help reduce some of the stress on your knee.
  • shano25
    shano25 Posts: 233 Member
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    I hurt my knees when I was a teenager and a competitive figure skater. Like you I cannot do any lunges or squats. So I do a lot of any sort of leg raises, weighted calf raises, that's about all I can do without pain.

    After years of doing exercises that don't put weight on the knee and seeing therapists for strengthening the only thing that has made an actual improvement in my knees is Bikram Yoga. There are still a few poses that I absolutely cannot do because of the pressure they put on my knees but for the most part I'm able to do poses I never could before in the heat.

    Also, a lot of the time our knees hurt, it's caused by something other than our knees. My kneecap rubs against the bone which causes my pain (patella femoral syndrome). One fantastic therapist discovered that taping my feet before skating led to less pain. Tight hips are also a cause of knee pain.
  • kw85296
    kw85296 Posts: 265 Member
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    If you have access to a pool, there is a lot you can do as the water lessens the weight/pressure on your knees. My daughter was in a serious car accident about 6 years ago and they said she would never be able to squat or even walk normally. She only has a knee cap about the size of less a quarter due to the injury. Between water aerobics and just consistently trying to push past it, she is able to do squats/lunges, etc. She just has to be careful not to overdo. You may also want to check with your local gym and see who they have as personal trainers and what kind of background they have. My husband is currently working with one that used to be a physical therapist and also has a strong background in sports injuries. She is helping him more than the physical therapist that he was going to.
  • marie_2454
    marie_2454 Posts: 881 Member
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    I hurt both my knees in middle school and had to wear knee braces for a while. I went to a different doctor who told me to do knee extensions (start light and gradually add weight) to help strengthen my knee muscles. I can't remember the name of the muscle, but it's the one on the inside of your legs by your knee. Doc said that it's actually a fairly common problem with women because that muscles tends to be weaker (compared to men). This was 12+ years ago though, so I may not be remembering 100% correctly. What I do know is that I started doing knee extensions and my knees stopped hurting and I stopped having to wear the braces completely. I stopped lifting all together for a while, and my knee pain slowly came back. I've since been lifting off and on and haven't had any issues with my knees. When I first started the knee extensions, my quads were so weak I could barely do 3 sets of 8 lifting 30 pounds. Now I'm lifting 110 pounds for 3 sets of 10 relatively easy. Good luck!

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