Those of you who have done 30DS - knee question

I would not say I have knee problems BUT my knees get sore very easily if I do a lot of lunging and squats etc so I am very careful what I do. I found the Slim in 6 had too many lunges etc. I'm now trying the 30DS and so far so good BUT I do the modify version of most every exercise. Good luck!

I found it very hard on my knees the first time i tried back in Oct 2011. By Day 6 I could not climb the stairs, bend and was in pain. I gave up but restarted on Nov 30th. I just decided not to do the jump moves and just kept moving through those by marching in place. During the level 1 and level 2 I could not do the jumping jacks or the jump ropes completely. I still attempted them for as long as I could and started either marching or jogging till the next step to keep my heart rate going. Suffice it to say by the end of the program I was able to do them all. I continue to do the jump moves in my Zumba class and Ripped in 30 that I am currently doing. Just pace yourself. If you feel it is going to hurt stop jumping but keep moving. Also I always took Advils for muscle aches and pains due to exercise. I have been working out consistently since Nov 30th. I do JM's tape in the morning , 2 Zumba classes per week, 3 50 mts elliptical sessions per house plus one or two 50 mts treadmill at home. I drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Helps tremendously with sore muscles. Also take breaks in between. But get back on track in a day or two. Good Luck.

The first few times I tried 30DS, it killed my knees. But after I moved near trails and was walking for an hour a day and tried again, my knees are fine. Perhaps working on the stabilization muscles will help (yoga, pilates) and walking on uneven surfaces.

I have a bad knee and found 30DS to be awful for it. However, I tried wrapping my knee in an ace bandage before I worked out and that seemed to help a lot with the pain.

I have bursitis in my left knee (same thing as you) that became inflamed a few years ago when I tried doing C25K. I've always struggled with knees since being a high school volleyball player, but really what hurts them is having weak muscles to keep the knees in place. In other words, I need to exercise. Finding the right exercise to build strength while not irritating the knee is the key.

I built up to the 30 Day Shred Challenge by doing Tabata once a week at the gym during January as well as Zumba, but I do mostly low impact if it is hurting my knees at all. Last week I bought the 30DS and did a few days of Level 1 but because I had been doing Tabata I was ready to move to Level 2. After 2 day of Level 2 (the beginning of this week) I decided to go for the 30 Day Challenge. The lunges hurt a little bit, but I just do the modifications and don't go as low. For the oblique twists I do a little less jumping but keep twist, and do get the heart rate up I double time on the skaters. Knees are a little sore, but mostly feeling like they are getting stronger.

I do agree with the comment that going into the jumping jacks cold is rough. And while Jillian doesn't recommend modifications on the jumping jacks, I think moving is more important than injuring yourself and ending up on the sidelines (or in pt for 6 weeks like I did after attempting to become a runner.)