squats & arthritis

It's my understanding that squats are good for booty shaping, which I need. I have some arthritis in my left knee which flares up when bending it (i.e. walking up stairs). Although I've gotten seriously off my walking routine, I would like to start some weight training, including squats. Does anyone have any experience with squats improving or aggravating knee pain over time? I can live through some pain, but I don't want to make my knee worse.

The three biggies (in terms of lifting): squats, deadlifts, bench press

I've got the dreaded arthritis in my lower back, neck and knees. And I do the lifts, pedal on the bike, walk and live through it all.

You could simply start with doing body squats (no weight) to acclamate and see what it feels like on your knees. Then add some light hand held weights to see how that is. Finally, move on to the bar only and the eventual addition of weights on the bar.

You can control the discomfort with good form, and if needed - Ibuprofen. A nice 5 - 10 minute warm-up with some low impact cardio (bike pedal for me) before lifting to get the blood flowing is key. Also allow for adequate recovery between sessions. At my age, I find focusing on the lower body once a week (Monday's) and the upper body once a week (Wednesday's) is enough. The rest of the days I am pedaling a bike and working the legs that way which is low impact.

In terms of the knee - I have found that weight training has improved my knee function due to building up all of the muscles that support that joint. Knee extensions, hamstring curls, squats, deadlifts, lunges, calf raises are all a part of my weekly routine.

I to have arthritis in my knee and back, the first couple of week of working out hard I had to take it slow but now it seems to be going away as far as pain, keep pushing yourself a little more each day. Break up your workouts if need be as well to help. Good luck!