kneees hurt

juliegrey1
juliegrey1 Posts: 202 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all looking for a bit of advice here!I started cycling at the end of March at the beginning purley economic as I had to put my car off of the road for financial reasons! I live 6 miles from town in a hilly area so at times its a strenous ride,I love this because my endurance has improved so much,just one problem,my knees ache like hell I was wondering if I added a bit of swimming would this help?? I also walk alot on the days I Dont cycle could my walking shoes be wrong? Anyone any ideas? Thanks

Replies

  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Swimming is always a great idea (variety is the spice of life) but the most common reason for knee pain when biking is improper fit.

    If you have a fairly basic tool kit you can do a basic fit at home (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrZBjOloChg) or get your local bike shop to do it (most don't charge too much). I had my bike set up by my physiotherapist (she specializes in bike fits) where she did the video etc etc - a bit pricey (was covered by my insurance) but made a huge difference.
  • juliegrey1
    juliegrey1 Posts: 202 Member
    Thanks for that!Ill take it into the bike shop they are very good!Thought it was old age catching me!!!
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
    ^^Yep get your bike sorted out first before you go for any strenuous rides.

    After a certain age (20+ if I remember correctly) our joints slowly start to get weaker. There are ways to slow down this process, such as exercise and good nutrition, but it is inevitable. I don't know your background so can't comment on how strong your joints may be, but at 45 years old I would suspect they aren't as strong as they were at 25.

    So work on strengthening your knees, and joints in general, by doing strength exercises in the gym (ask an instructor about correct form first) as well as doing stretching and mobility work at home, such as the videos below. Doing a course in yoga will also be useful. Work your way up to vinyasa yoga in particular. Again, a youtube search will get you some good videos.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRfxeWZrODQ
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY31J5BeKrg
  • juliegrey1
    juliegrey1 Posts: 202 Member
    Thanks very much,really appreciate that!
  • Cyclingbonnie
    Cyclingbonnie Posts: 413 Member
    Bike fit, very important. Since you are climbing quite a bit, it would show up faster than if you were primarily pedaling in flats. Enjoy!

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