Upper body workout at home?

CityOnAHill
CityOnAHill Posts: 136 Member
edited October 4 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello! I have injuried myself doing the 30DS. I have not yet been to a doctor because I'm hoping my knee will heal on it's own (all I envision are dollar signs $$$). Even walking is kind of painful.

In the mean time, I would like to be doing ~something~ for exercise.

Suggestions for the (incredibly) unfit on home exercises I can do for upper body that will burn some calories?
I was working on push ups, but since I can't get on my knee right now...

Suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks ahead of time!

Replies

  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    Really, if your knee hurts that badly, and you wait to see a doctor, there is a good chance you will go from seeing $$$ to $$$$$$$$$.
  • cschu544
    cschu544 Posts: 320 Member
    Get a pair of light weights (like 5 or 8 pounds) and do some reps at home. Just Google different positions and arm work-outs, and you will be feeling it the day after!
  • ashleydeane
    ashleydeane Posts: 50 Member
    oh your knee too!! my friend and i both suffer with our knees from that dvd
  • dlyeates
    dlyeates Posts: 875 Member
    I pulled my shoulder muscle really bad at the end of 30 DS and had to take 2 weeks off. I also had my chiropractor work on it.

    If you injured yourself I strongly recommend going to a doctor. Better to spend a little money now to figure out what is really the problem then to let something go that will cause a lot of damage and cost more down the line.

    I'm interested in at home exercises too!!
  • Shawn_Marie
    Shawn_Marie Posts: 307 Member
    Shadow boxing can burn a good amount of calories . . .
  • Dayquasar
    Dayquasar Posts: 182 Member
    It killed my hamstrings lol
  • BeesKnees181
    BeesKnees181 Posts: 166 Member
    Save empty milk gallons, fill with water and use as weights. You can also use canned food items as weights. Windsor Pilates has some great suggestions for arm workouts.
  • CityOnAHill
    CityOnAHill Posts: 136 Member
    Really, if your knee hurts that badly, and you wait to see a doctor, there is a good chance you will go from seeing $$$ to $$$$$$$$$.

    I appreciate this. However, a doctor is likely to tell me to get an MRI which will likely reveal that nothing is seriously wrong and I'll end up with a cortisone shot (I'm basing this on absolutely nothing, of course!).
    I've had some bad experiences with doctors that were less than insightful and left me with no resolution to other on-going problems (with on-going bills for their uselessness).
    So while I understand that it may be something bigger, I'm not willing to beleive that until I give myself the chance to rest and see what comes of it.
    So thank you, but not yet! :)
  • SuperKatie
    SuperKatie Posts: 94 Member
    Planks.
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    Great job so far on your progress, and I am sorry to hear you hurt your knee. I did 30DS for a while, as did my sister, and she had back surgery over a year ago (she's fine now) and felt that some of the Level 2 workouts might hurt her back. I did Level 2 with her once and found that those exercises hurt MY back, and I've never had back problems... Point being, some of those exercises aren't necessarily good for your body, especially if you have pre-existing conditions. (I also remember that all those lunges hurt my knees, and I don't have major knee problems.)

    Let me just echo what others have said, that I really hope you do go see a doctor. The appointment shouldn't cost that much, and s/he can't force you into any treatment. At worst they'll tell you that you need some sort of treatment, and you can make an educated decision from there. At best they'll tell you to take it easy and take some OTC medicine. However, it's worth it to find out what's going on. It would be a shame for you to "walk it off," then re-injure it, and worse, because you thought all was well and started exercising again.

    I also recommend weights but have done some work with my stretchie band that is pretty good. I bought mine for a few bucks at Target a while back - it's basically a big rubber band-type thing with handles. You can sit or stand and, say, put it under your feet to do arm work (resistance as opposed to weights).

    Also, there was one exercise on 30DS that I thought was good, and JM even recommends it if you are injured: the punches. Even seated you can do those punches and get your heart going.

    Otherwise, are you ok sitting on an exercise ball and doing stuff? How about biking? It's hard to say if either of those would work based on how much your knee hurts and/or where it hurts.

    I hope you do go see a doctor and get good news, though, and I also hope you heal up nicely!
  • CityOnAHill
    CityOnAHill Posts: 136 Member
    Great job so far on your progress, and I am sorry to hear you hurt your knee. I did 30DS for a while, as did my sister, and she had back surgery over a year ago (she's fine now) and felt that some of the Level 2 workouts might hurt her back. I did Level 2 with her once and found that those exercises hurt MY back, and I've never had back problems... Point being, some of those exercises aren't necessarily good for your body, especially if you have pre-existing conditions. (I also remember that all those lunges hurt my knees, and I don't have major knee problems.)

    Let me just echo what others have said, that I really hope you do go see a doctor. The appointment shouldn't cost that much, and s/he can't force you into any treatment. At worst they'll tell you that you need some sort of treatment, and you can make an educated decision from there. At best they'll tell you to take it easy and take some OTC medicine. However, it's worth it to find out what's going on. It would be a shame for you to "walk it off," then re-injure it, and worse, because you thought all was well and started exercising again.

    I also recommend weights but have done some work with my stretchie band that is pretty good. I bought mine for a few bucks at Target a while back - it's basically a big rubber band-type thing with handles. You can sit or stand and, say, put it under your feet to do arm work (resistance as opposed to weights).

    Also, there was one exercise on 30DS that I thought was good, and JM even recommends it if you are injured: the punches. Even seated you can do those punches and get your heart going.

    Otherwise, are you ok sitting on an exercise ball and doing stuff? How about biking? It's hard to say if either of those would work based on how much your knee hurts and/or where it hurts.

    I hope you do go see a doctor and get good news, though, and I also hope you heal up nicely!

    Thank you. I keep hearing how Jillian injures people. Why is there such a huge following on her DVD is so many people get hurt? Silly me for not researching further.

    I will certainly go to the doctor if, in the next couple of days, the pain isn't much better. It's the stairs that really hurt (especially ~down~ stairs).

    Thank you all for your concern and for the suggestions. Much appreciated on both fronts!!
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    Really, if your knee hurts that badly, and you wait to see a doctor, there is a good chance you will go from seeing $$$ to $$$$$$$$$.

    I appreciate this. However, a doctor is likely to tell me to get an MRI which will likely reveal that nothing is seriously wrong and I'll end up with a cortisone shot (I'm basing this on absolutely nothing, of course!).
    I've had some bad experiences with doctors that were less than insightful and left me with no resolution to other on-going problems (with on-going bills for their uselessness).
    So while I understand that it may be something bigger, I'm not willing to beleive that until I give myself the chance to rest and see what comes of it.
    So thank you, but not yet! :)

    Sounds like you've had a lot of fun... Definitely ask around and do some internet research to try to find a doctor (presumably in your insurance network, if applicable) who won't give you the run-around. Explain up front that you're worried about your injury costing you a lot of money and so you want to do as much as you can to diagnose and treat before resorting to more expensive testing and treatments. Doctors are people, too, and though they may earn a lot, they probably understand the value of money and of working hard for it. You shouldn't be embarrassed to admit that you can't drop several grand on MRIs and surgeries - I don't know many people who can!
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