How to increase Cardio/Endurance on two bad knees...........

swimming was my first thought too.

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Perhaps a swimming and biking mix would get the endurance results you are after. Find a cycling and a swimming program you like. Besides outdoor group rides, there are some good spin bike classes around as well as bike trainer programs for home use if weather is an issue. A mix of cycling with a swim program at your local pool should give you a 5/6 day schedule that builds plenty of cardio endurance.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/zuvvi/media/bc_files/sportivetrainingplans/sofa_to_50km/8_WEEK_SOFA_TO_50KM_TRAINING_PLAN_OVERVIEW.pdf

I loved this cycling plan, it's called sofa to 50k.

I have arthritis (bone-on-bone) in both knees. Will need to have them both replaced soon. Rowing is my favorite for a good combination of cardio and strength training (full body, one set, 2500 reps ). I've worked my way up to 15,000 meters (about an hour and a half a day) without further damage to my knees. I also used the stationary bike when I first got back to the gym and working out. It was good, but didn't give me the full-body workout I wanted. Swimming would be another good option for low knee impact full-body work with cardio. I'd say give each of them a try and see which of them gets you best motivated to keep at it for the long haul. Could end up being a combination of two or all three of them.

I have knee issues as well, and am not a runner, but used to walk 5 miles daily, including up some major hills. Can't do that anymore on pavement, I feel too much pain about 10 minutes in, but I have found that hiking (on actual ground) doesn't cause the same problems for me. I feel "worked" in the knee joints but not to extreme.

My main exercises this summer have been alternating biking and swimming, and my knees haven't felt this good in years. Not perfect, mind you, but much better.

Best wishes to you.

Sorry to hear that your knees bother you I'm was going thru same thing but I'm thinking about swimming right now I lift alot weights which helps

You have done so well already! Keep on, keeping on!

I would recommend using a recumbent bike, rowing machine, and weights for upper body.
I have had knee issues since I had an accident in 1967.
Now I use a recumbent bike every time I go to the gym, which is usually 3 times a week.
I also use a rowing machine and use weights, mostly for upper body.
I also was lucky to get a free session with a trainer when I first joined. He showed me some exercises that helped my knee and that was when I was about 25 pounds heavier than now. I don't do them any more though because my knee is better.

I actually avoid lifting weights that puts extra weight on my knees though, because I feel tightness in my "bad" knee when I try to carry heavy things.

bikecheryl wrote: »

Thanks so much for the info!! I was considering rowing - its great to hear the positive responses on it... especially those with knee issues also.

It's worth a try, but whether it works will depend on very individual details of what's wrong with your knees. I've been a rower (water in summer, machine in winter) since my mid-40s (now 62). Rowing requires lots of leg power, but it's in a straight-line hinge motion (similar to cycling in that respect), with relatively little impact or twisting. Effectively, you're doing leg-press motions, high-rep moderate weight, 1000+ times an hour. Resistance increases via technique (not machine settings) as you get technically better and stronger at it.

I have some OA in both knees and a torn meniscus (not caused by rowing ) in one, and rowing is still manageable for me at decent intensity, if I intersperse rest days and ice after workouts (whether I feel like I need it at the time or not). But I have friends with other knee issues (patella arthritis for one, torn meniscus for another) who do have trouble with rowing, and the other woman with a torn meniscus ultimately gave it up.

For me, the knee stress from the motion is similar to cycling, but rowing has higher resistance than flat-road cycling (even with my hybrid bike). I don't know if you use clips to bike, but rowing is all push, no pull with the legs (even though your feet are tied down). It's all pull, no push with the upper body, so some alternate work to balance muscle development is a good plan for injury avoidance if you do a lot of rowing.

I'm mentioning this because for some reason people think of rowing as primarily upper body exercise, which it most definitely isn't, even though most have seen a rowing machine or rowing shell and should know that the legs are involved.

If you'd like to try it, instruction/coaching from a qualified person is the ideal way to start, with Concept 2 videos as a secondary option (ideally used in conjunction with a mirror and/or videos of yourself). The body mechanics are not 100% obvious, and even quite a few general gym trainers I've seen are doing/teaching it wrong.

If you can, try it out for some time on a decent, well-maintained machine (C2, Waterrower) at a gym or something, before making a major investment.

Don't get me wrong: I think it's great, and I think everyone should do it (as long as they don't crowd up my river ).

bikecheryl wrote: »

I'm looking for a program that will help me build my cardio & endurance despite two bad knees.
So walking and running are not an option.
.
Biking definitely is or perhaps something else ??
.
I'm looking for a defined, set program..... Tuesday do this.... Wednesday do that.
.
I used to run marathons so I understand the principal of building up, rest weeks, etc.
And I absolutely thrive on a schedule....
I just don't know how to do it other ways than running.
.
Note: When osteoarthritis in both knees stopped me from running I kind of lost myself for awhile.... gained alot of weight and am pretty much starting from scratch here.
I'm scheduled for a TKR next year and need to be ready for it.
.
I have lost 50 lbs from April and have another 75 or so to go.
.
Any and all help greatly appreciated.

I have a bad knee and hip (same leg) and I swim. I do my own thing but my pool offers Master Swim classes where you work with a personal trainer (swim coach) who devises a workout specific to your needs that includes sprints for cardio and/or working with equipment like a board, gloves, or a bean to increase both cardio and resistance.

Water jogging is surprisingly challenging. If you have access to a pool, get into it! Have you tried working with a personal trainer? If you do your research, you can find one that can work wonders for rebuilding the muscle structure around your knees. Yoga is also a great option.