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Aches and Pain

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drblythe
drblythe Posts: 163 Member
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They seem to come up quite a bit in Insanity discussions, but this is the first time I've really experienced it.

Pain in my right knee has been building up for a while, and I was torn between "toughening up and pushing through" and resting. today i've finally decided to rest as i seemed to loose a lot of form during my workout last night due to discomfort. and I would like to be at the top of my game for the fit test on Monday.


I'm in recovery week now (which seems like a funny time to hurt yourself) :) and the thing i find strange is that my knee only hurts when i straighten it, and when I jump, but not when I land. So i'm guessing its a tendon thing

The aim of this thread isn't to whinge about my saw knee, but more a place for people to share any tips for making it through such a high impact work out with out damaging anything long term.

any advice would be welcomed :)

Replies

  • MaManeenCal
    MaManeenCal Posts: 142 Member
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    Both of my knees have been hurting for about 2 weeks, I gave myself a week off from Insanity but it hasn't seemed to get any better so I've decided to just push through it. I figure my body just isn't used to this kind of impact- so eventually it will???
    It hurts when I'm standing up from a sitting position, doing squats, etc.... but not in general activity- walking, running...

    Also- my feet have been feeling a lot of strain, I'm thinking it's also from the impact of working out on a hard surface? So I might start working out on some mats or something to soften the blow? My shoes are Nike shocks- so they've got give, but maybe not enough? Idk.... All I can think of is it's weight problem and the thinner I get, the easier it will be on my body.
  • MaManeenCal
    MaManeenCal Posts: 142 Member
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    BTW, I would keep working through it, you do have this time off right now, so I'd take it, and if you start back and the pain isn't any eaiser when you start back... maybe consider switching to another program with less impact???
  • swnixon
    swnixon Posts: 14 Member
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    What surface are you doing your workouts on? I started doing the Insanity workouts on the concrete floor of my garage - not a good idea! Eventually I cut a piece of carpet padding and placed a throw carpet on top of that to do my workouts on - it made a huge, huge difference in the amount of pain I was experiencing in my feet, legs, and back!!!
  • drblythe
    drblythe Posts: 163 Member
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    I've been reading online and the knees seem to be a common area for pain during insanity.

    most places ave said to rest and then when you get back into it really watch your form. and to try to land on the balls of your feel for all jumping moves. And then using soft surfaces too.

    I have floor boards but i some times use my work out mat to jump on, but it can slip and sometime ends up more dangerous.

    I'm going to have today off, and then try the recovery work out again tomorrow and then probably just push through. But pay close attention to my body and if i need to have an extra rest day occasionally then so be it.

    When I did the 30 day shred my knees hurt for a while, so did my elbows and wrists (from all the planks) but I just kept going and eventually I got used to it and it stopped. which was my plan for this knee pain. But because i'm also running at the moment, and really enjoy it, I don't want to permanently damage anything that'll stop me running in the future. I'd rather stop Insanity and continue running.

    That being said with only 4 more weeks to go I really don't want to stop! It's a pretty dull pain and like your doesn't hurt during normal activity, or even in all of the workout. it mostly hurts if i stay still for too long, so when i wake up etc. So i think i'll just push through :)
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
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    I find that I have to do more Yoga and spend much more time on stretching at least an hour a day to avoid leg/knee or calf pain. I'm older and find that I really need to focus more on recovery - but in a bit different format than just recovery week. I end up adding YogaX from P90X back into Insanity and XStretch to assist with my Insanity workouts.
  • JamesBurkes
    JamesBurkes Posts: 382 Member
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    I have rather "tweaky" knees anyway - I've found I can only usually do a couple of high impact workouts a week without them getting painful (a 4 mile run and P90X Plyo seems to be the limit). However, after the first DVD (not the Fit Test) my knees were aching horribly for 2 or 3 days. I doubt very much that I'll do this programme as prescribed, but I liked it and found it tough so will probably just rotate one workout a week into my current schedule of weights, yoga and spinning. I'm still following the timetable (even if I am only doing one a week instead of five!) so my next one will be Power and Resistance tomorrow. Looks good from what I've seen of it.

    One other thing I discovered - too much carpet can be a bad thing. I started the workout on a thickish rug on top of my carpet - I figured I needed all the shock absorption I could get! However, the thick pile of the rug seemed to "catch" on my shoes and it also seemed to stop me too suddenly when doing certain moves. When I threw it to one side and just did the workout on normal carpet it was a lot easier on my knees. Just a tip!
  • iluminadaonix
    iluminadaonix Posts: 79 Member
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    After using proper form and really tight core and landing correctly I have no pain. I was with knee pain for a week. I took 4 days off and slowly the pain went away. Now I'm in round 2 and pain free
  • drblythe
    drblythe Posts: 163 Member
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    After using proper form and really tight core and landing correctly I have no pain. I was with knee pain for a week. I took 4 days off and slowly the pain went away. Now I'm in round 2 and pain free

    So there's hope for me yet! :)

    I'm going to try to really watch my form, and hopefully everything will sort its self out.

    Thanks for the tips everyone
  • iluminadaonix
    iluminadaonix Posts: 79 Member
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    Your welcome. :)
  • Alachofra15
    Alachofra15 Posts: 117 Member
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    After using proper form and really tight core and landing correctly I have no pain. I was with knee pain for a week. I took 4 days off and slowly the pain went away. Now I'm in round 2 and pain free

    Yeah I think this is key, as well as the correct shoes and compensating for whatever surface you're on.
    I do it on carpet, and have had to add a yoga mat because I got carpet burn on my elbows from doing the low plank obliques in the fit test, lol.
  • reepobob
    reepobob Posts: 1,172 Member
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    I have tweaked my back twice (one day rest kind of deal) primarily from landing a little funny on the tuck jumps. The only nagging injury I have seen doing Insanity was I really hurt my left hip flexor, I think from overdoing a power lunge move (I should have modified)...I do my final fit test tonight and I am ready for a little break from Insanity (plan on doing a Hybrid round of P90X/Insanity after Thanksgiving)...at this point, the hip flexor feels decent, but the days off after I complete will be most welcome!

    For the record, I use New Balance crosstrainers and typically workout on a thick Plyo mat either on laminate flooring (when home) or berber (sp?) type carpet when I am traveling in hotels.

    I think Insanity serves itself well in an "every other day" kind of workout, but it is really tough when you have to do such intense moves on a daily basis...brutal...
  • getyupcowgirl
    getyupcowgirl Posts: 70
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    Before I started the program, I went out and bought knee braces, just for added support. We also noticed that our feet were hurting us after working out, so I think you need supportive shoes as well. My daughter and I both finished a couple of weeks ago, injury free . . . I think you just have to listen to your body

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