What exercises to do to tone up, despite having bad knees?

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CuriousKat91
CuriousKat91 Posts: 1 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone! I'm new and would like to introduce myself. My name is Summer. I'm female in my early 20's, am 5' 7 and 130 pounds. Over the past months I have lost a good amount of weight through better food choices and calorie tracking along with a bit of exercise although the exercise was light stuff like brisk walks, stretching, moderate swimming ans so on. I'm slim now but on the "skinny-fat" side so I want to tone up. The only problem is my knees. I come from a family with knee problems. They ache from time to time and are weak when I crouch down. They hurt when I tried squats which is why I had trouble doing squats. I can't run or jog more than 5 minutes without my knees giving out. And sometimes yoga hurts. This sucks because I eat healthy and am still young. But there's got to be another way I can tone my body without having to put so much strain on my weak knees. Any suggestions?

Replies

  • sfriel68
    sfriel68 Posts: 61 Member
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    Have you tried callanetics?
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
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    It would be worth getting your knees checked out. I come from a weak kneed family so I make sure I do exercises to keep them strong. Squats, lunges, etc.

    It could be that you need to strengthen the surrounding muscles before you start on a full prrogramme. A referral to a PT from your doc could help with that.

    Cheers, h.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Talk to a dr. "Bad knees" is not a diagnosis and it is not something normal at your age. Get an appointment with a specialist who will let you know if there is a problem and what to do about it.
  • OyGeeBiv
    OyGeeBiv Posts: 733 Member
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    If your knees are weak, you need to strengthen them. There are exercises you can do, so get yourself to PT. Once you learn the exercises, you can easily do them at home, with little or no "equipment".
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    What exactly is the diagnosis for your "bad knees"?

    Cycling is a low impact exercise for the knees, but good fit and proper form - like any exercise - will help keep your knees happy. I agree with others, building up the muscles needed to support your knees will help you.

    54 here and been doing it my entire life with "bad knees": snow skiing, cycling, running, weight lifting, tennis, dance, walking, hiking, golf, etc... .
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    I've got five different knee injuries affecting ligaments, bone and cartilage - which highlights why you need a proper diagnosis rather than just "bad knees".
    Different injuries/conditions require different treatments and affect your exercise capabilities in different ways.

    Having said that cycling is my main exercise of choice - no impact and very controlled movement. Strengthening your quad muscles makes a big difference to knee stability. Proper cycling shoes also help.
  • FireYankee
    FireYankee Posts: 45 Member
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    middlehaitch wrote: »
    It would be worth getting your knees checked out. I come from a weak kneed family so I make sure I do exercises to keep them strong. Squats, lunges, etc.

    It could be that you need to strengthen the surrounding muscles before you start on a full prrogramme. A referral to a PT from your doc could help with that.

    Cheers, h.

    This! So glad to see someone besides a "meat head" like me actually RECOMMEND squats for bad knees. So refreshing!!!!
  • kimiuzzell
    kimiuzzell Posts: 611 Member
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    I've had knee surgery after a ski accident and I built up the strength in my knees with guidance from a physio but it included squats and lunges.

    The main thing is to take it slowly and take special note of your form. That's why a session with a physio or good PT will help, although you shouldn't need to commit to lots of expensive sessions.

    My surgery was in 2013 and my knees are stronger than ever now although it was a painful struggle to start off with. I now do heavy squats 3 times a week and endless varieties of lunges with no problem. I also ski again, although with specially made braces....I still have confidence issues there and dare not go without, so I do understand the reluctance to try things that have hurt in the past....but don't discard squats etc just yet...you may well surprise yourself at how quickly you can strengthen those "bad knees "!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited December 2015
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    mjwoodcum wrote: »
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    It would be worth getting your knees checked out. I come from a weak kneed family so I make sure I do exercises to keep them strong. Squats, lunges, etc.

    It could be that you need to strengthen the surrounding muscles before you start on a full prrogramme. A referral to a PT from your doc could help with that.

    Cheers, h.

    This! So glad to see someone besides a "meat head" like me actually RECOMMEND squats for bad knees. So refreshing!!!!

    Depends on the cause of the bad knees unfortunately.
    Squats would be OK for one of my knees and bad news for the other. Ditto lunges - OK for my right knee but are the most important thing to avoid for my left knee (no PCL).

    Totally agree about the need for strong muscles to support weak knees though, for stability, prevention of further injury and reduced pain.

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