30 day shred + bad knees = ?

I have just started the 30DS this morning and the only thing that was high impact was the jumping jacks and butt kicks, but you can adjust your impact level if you need to. I have a bad knee and it didn't seem to bother it. That's just on L1. I haven't made it to the others yet.

As in all things, modify to your specific needs.

Tonight was my first night. My knees are a bit funky and so in addition to the jacks and butt kicks mentioned, I also took it easy on the side and front lunges - they're not walking lunges so it's less strain, but I would be a little careful with those. It didn't seem to be too much pressure overall. It's a good workout too!

I have a bad right knee--two surgeries so far and am putting off another as long as possible. I noticed your age--I'm 38, so perhaps we have a similar situation. I completed the 30DS last week. I just worked around. If something bothered my knee, I did the modification or just a different strength exercise from a different level. Mainly I found difficulty in the strength work on the floor and some of the side lunges. I didn't find the cardio portion to bother my knees. Watch your form carefully--I was able to do some of the things that initially bothered me if I was a stickler to the form that she demonstrated and tried not to go too deep on the squats or lunges. HTH!

I think it would totally depend on how you modify the exercises at first. Two months ago I would have insisted that I'd never do another jumping jack in my life. Then I started Nike Training Club, which is kinda like Jillian on steroids, except you get your own music, and realized that I could do shallow squats instead of deep ones to begin, then, later, deep squats instead of squat jumps, and lunges instead of split jumps, etc.

the thing about any lower body work is to keep your weight over your heels, not your toes, and jillian and NTC agree on that. that makes your quads and hamstrings do the work, not your knees. Once I got the hang of it, I started to understand how to modify things so that I still got my heart pumping (heck, even a little hop works great if you're not used to it) and didn't kill my knees or hips.

that said, i've got some osteoarthritis in my knees (40) but nothing as major as having had surgery. but i think if you start off really small and watch it the first time through without doing it, you can figure out how to modify things without wrecking your knees. she shows a few modifications, but you will have to make your own, too, at least at first.

i'd strongly suggest trying out the drills once or twice and making sure you're got the form right before diving in.

***NOTE: Corrected to say "weight over HEELS" not "weight over KNEES." duh. see, flakes like me are why you have to be careful what you read... ***

hi. my knees aren't that great. i am easily injured when doing things like butt kicks, squats and hamstring curls. but what helps is when i keep it low impact. try not to jump around on the butt kicks, but rather do hamstring curls or front kicks. jumping jacks, don't jump... raise your hands over your head like you are going to do jumping jacks and do side steps. you could check online for modified jumping jacks. also, you could squat low, and do side twists with a front punch, this serves as cardio, as well. keep up the good work and don't overdo it!

There are modified versions that assist with that. You don't have to stress yourself out unless you want to. However, it does require a lot of knee bending. I am not a doctor, so talk to your doctor to see what you can do because the 30-day shred has lunges and squats.

I broke my leg, cracked the kneecap and tore the ACL ligaments twice 2 consecutive winters about 3 yrs ago. I never had surgery to repair it, just tons of physio. So I was a bit nervous to start 30DS, especially since this is my 1st time actually "working out" regularly.

I've been doing 30DS since I joined MFP 3 wks ago and I'm doing ok so far. I braced my knee the 1st couple of days, just in case, but stopped using it after the 4th day. I modified some of the exercises a bit so I can ease into the movement and impact on my knee. I went a little easier during the jumping jacks, kick-backs & jumprope but by L1/Day 7 I was able to keep up w/Jillian! (well, mostly...those bicycle crunches at the end are tough! LOL) And I use a folded up beach towel to cushion my knees for the modified push-ups - it makes a huge difference.

I just finished L2/D1 today...I did 15 days of L1 b/c I wanted to conquer the 1st level w/increased weights before moving on to L2. There aren't any hard & fast rules as far as I know. Just give it a try - go slowly and modify the movements to your needs (listen to your body, your knees shouldn't hurt but your muscles should definitely feel it!). Listen to Jillian during the squats about your form too, it made a difference on my knees once I realized I needed to correct my form and not let my knees bend over my toes!

Good luck & have fun with whichever workout you decide to do

(and in case you're interested in my progress on 30DS: I started 3 wks ago, do it 4-5 times/wk (along w/Zumba Cardio Party DVD 3-4 times/wk) and so far I've lost 10-11 lbs and 7". I'm also 5'8")

I have a knee dislocation problem....I have dislocated my knee several times in my life and its a painful slow recovery. I wear a knee brace every time I do any exercise above a brisk walk. I am just about to finish up 30DS and have found that I was able to do it. Some days when my knees were a little swollen or acting up I just did modified exercises. In Level 1 the only difficult on the knee exercise that I recall was jumping jacks and at times butt kicks. Level 2 there was some more jumping jacks and butt kicks. Level 3 has the most jumping around with squat jumps, rock star jumps, etc. You can easily modify the workout to what your knees can handle. If you struggle with the lunges or the jumping exercises then just figure out something to do in place of those moves for the 30-60 seconds that the video has you doing them.