Bad knees

Biking is good if your knees will allow, but swimming would also be a big help.

Look up quad strengthening exercises, such as knee extensions with ankle weights. Your quads need to be strong to support the knees. Also, check your form whenever you squat or lunge. Find videos showing the correct form. When you squat, your body should look like you are getting ready to sit, with your butt sticking out. It would benefit you to do a few sessions with a physical therapist to learn how to protect your knees.

I've water rehabbed from arthroscopic surgery for a meniscus tear... and since have found that continuing the stretching and strength training - in the water - to work for me and have added swimming 4 x a week for overall cardio exercise. All recommended by orthopedic surgeon. No impact on the knees and no pain.

MissT02 wrote: »

How do I effectively exercise when I have bad knees?

Knees are very complex joints and can be affected by a number of different things, in a number of different ways. So it's very difficult to suggest anything without knowing significantly more about the problem.

That said, it seems that your weight is your big concern, in which case you need to step back and assess how you can combine getting your calories under control with cardiovascular exercise and some form of strength/ resistance training. The three work in conjunction with one another to give you the results that you're after.

Given your targets, set up MFP to determine what your calorie deficit needs to be to meet your goals. Plan out a combination of CV work and resistance work. Your question largely applied to CV work but again without knowing more it's difficult to answer meaningfully.

As far as low impact CV is concerned, then cycling or swimming could help, although in both cases depending on the knee problem could make the problem worse. From what you describe as the cause that's less likely in my view, with the strong caveat that it's based purely on a fairly open statement from you. IF you are swimming then avoid breast stroke, stick to crawl and back stroke. CV work helps you develop your stamina and ednurance, builds heart and lung capacity and burns the calories. As long as you've set up MFP then eat back the calories that you burn, or at least a significant proportion, to avoid an excessive deficit that becomes unhealthy.

For resistance training, it depends on what you have available to you. Bodyweight work, as you'll find at nerdfitness.com, will help you to a large extent. If you have access to a gym then use the free weights, basing your work around an established plan like New Rules of Lifting. That gives you structure and allows for progress. Again it depends on the knee problem, but frequently these kind of problems are related to strength related causes, so you'll potentially find that the resistance work helps improve the knee.

All very heavily caveated and to be frank I'd recommend getting the knee looked at by a physio. A decent physio will help you get back to weight bearing, or higher impact, CV work. You get benefits around the muscular and skeletal system from weight bearing work that you really want.

I know the feeling...anything that puts impact on my knees... running, jumping jacks, even lunges kill my knees. I never learn....for years now Ill decide Ive been feeling great, I can give this a go! Then end up putting myself out of commission since my knees will hurt so badly, I cant even go down stairs without feeling like Im going to die (yet going up them causes me no pain...go figure!)

Anyway, Ive started doing Pilates which has been awesome...Zumba also has been great for me since it doesnt involve *jumping* around, just a lot of fast paced fluid movements. Agree with biking, I need to get another bike, that was an awesome workout for me... Elliptical was also good for me...Swimming is *excellent*

I need to get myself to a doctor too though to get my knees figured out. It sucks to have knees like this.

If you want a DVD to follow then 'Focus T25' is quite good for bad knees. It is also good for any level from beginner to advance and only takes 25mi a a day.