I’ve had knee problems for a good while now (probably bursitis), exacerbated, in part, because I’m a stubborn jackass who tries to do all he can to stay in shape without necessarily waiting until his knees have recovered. My knees have improved as a result of various efforts, but I’m still having a difficult time reaching full recovery. I don’t run now, but I have been doing the bike machine and elliptical trainer. I do these excercises at levels below what I’m capable of to avoid further damaging my knees, but I’m thinking that I should lay off anything that puts any strain on them at all for the next few weeks or months. With that, I’m trying to think of exercises I can do to keep my weight where it is currently. I have gained about 10 pounds, and would like to avoid gaining any more (I have made adjustments to my diet as well). My goal is to keep my weight where it is for a while although losing some of the weight I’ve put on would be nice. Besides my knees, I’m in very good physical condition. Any suggestions for exercises? I do belong to a gym so most equiment is convenient to me. Some of my thoughts (additional ideas and responses to the ones I’ve listed are greatly appreciated):
Swimming: An excellent way to stay in shape, but based on my research, you’re not typically going to lose any weight (please let me know if my research has led me astray). How about maintaining, though?
Punching bag: They have these at the gym. Some potential knee strain involved if you lunge into the punch, but I’m just exercising, not trying to flatten an adversary. I really don’t need to do any lunging, I don’t think.
Rowing machine: Again, potential knee strain if I follow the full range of motion, but what if I just keep my legs straight and row with the upper body?
The problem with trying to find a kneeless aerobic exercise is that aerobic exercises tend to require continuous use of the large muscles of the lower body, which are attached to the knees…
Swimming probably won’t cause you to lose weight and might even cause you to gain weight, as your body will find it easier to swim long distances with a slight layer of fat added (fat floats, muscle doesn’t). However, if it doesn’t hurt your knee, it’s good exercise.
Boxing et al.–if you can keep up a good pace for a couple minutes, rest for a minute, then go again, etc., you won’t get an aerobic workout, but you will definitely get some kind of workout.
Rowing machine–used this way could hurt your back. You would be better off getting on one of the weight machines that work the same area, where you rest your chest a pad and pull with your back muscles.
Physical therapists know tons of ways you can exercise safely in that exact situation. I was in PT for months after an auto accident in which my knee was mushed up, and benefitted greatly from the advice. Obviously, IANAPT, but during that time they did have me do exercise bike sessions, but I was strongly advised NOT to do any high impact stuff like treadmills. I have since then worked up some endurance on the elliptical trainer, but very gradually.
They also had a machine that was like sitting on a chair with normally bent knees and then straightening the leg against resistance. The idea was to strenthen the muscles that support the knee. They had various other exercises, too.
Any chance you can get the advice of someone like that who really knows what he’s talking about?
Have you ever tried boxing? At the height of my fitness, six rounds was all I could go before falling over (that’s 2:30’ round, :30" rest, etc.). Try holding a pair of 16 oz. gloves for that amount of time while moving them and let me know if it’s aerobic or not.
Strainger: The heavy bags will stress your joints, including your knees. If you don’t have proper training or equipment, you’re likely to break your hands/sprain your wrists. Boxing is an excellent way to get in/stay in shape, but it’s not for people who are just starting out. Working the double end bags and the speed bag would work, but not be terribly effective for your purposes.
There is nothing at all wrong with swimming for fitness and for losing fat. I lost around 40 pounds of fat over the last couple of years. The reason so mant doctors say you don’t lose weight swimming is because most people who swim don’t do a whole lot. However, anyone who actually goes and does a lot of laps and does them properly you will get results.
The best thing to do would be to look up a US Masters swimming club if you’re in the US. They will help you with your strokes and to get a good workout in. You do not need to be a good swimmer at all, at least at any of the teams I’ve been to, as they are there to help you. If you do happen to find that one odd team then try and find another one.
You might not notice results right away, when I first started swimming I was around 215-220. I swam for a bit and it came down to around 205, then stayed there for a long time, over a year, then dropped down to where I am now, around 180-185. You do have to work at it though as just getting in and doing 15 laps isn’t going to do squat.
Where have you guys heard that swimming doesn’t lead to weight loss?
And the whole “swimming will cause you to gain weight because your body somehow “knows” you’re swimming and retains fat to help you float” things sounds pretty far fetched. At least I’d like to see a cite before I believed that.
I have seen some women who swim a LOT (like swim team type workouts of 6-10,000 yards 5 times per week) build up really large shoulders, but I think swimming is as effective at weight loss as any aerobic exercise. (No East German swim team jokes please.)
The only real problem with swimming to lose weight is that many people who haven’t swum a lot before get worn out strength-wise way before they get much aerobic exercise in. In other words, if you can’t swim for 30 minutes at a stretch or more, it won’t help all that much.
Still, I’d give swimming a try. Try to swim for 20-30 minutes straight and check your pulse a few times to see if you’re in the cardio zone. Perhaps best of all, swimming has the added bonus of stretching and flexing the leg muscles without putting any real strain. IANAPT, but I’d wager that will help your knee to help faster.
If you can find an upper-body exercise bike, (an “arm bike”) then that should work well for cardio. I can’t use my legs, but I still manage to get a good workout by using an arm bike regularly. I’ve seen people using them after having knee surgery as well, so hopefully you can find one at a gym or rehab hospital.
I’ve always been a runner, but I just haven’t been able to sustain it after my ACL replacement.
I think biking is fine. It doesn’t IMPACT your knees. I think this is key. It’s probably your best bet. I’ve been biking, and it works the big muscles (quads) and the joint is just rotating. After knee surgery, the stationary bike was the FIRST thing the PT put me on.
boxing I’d stay away from. I box some. First of all, to do it correctly and aerobically, you should be bouncing to some extent, so there’s some impact on the knee. Also, to throw a hook correctly, you’re pivoting on a planted foot. If you have knee problems, this can be very risky. Also. . .you do need to know what you’re doing. . .like Chairman Pow said, it is very easy to break hand bones, wrist bones, and get sprains if you don’t use proper technique and know how to wrap your hands.
that said, it is great exercise. I love hitting the heavy bag (I just need to be careful on my hooks). It’s great for arms/shoulders/back and very aerobic. It’s whole body, and its mental and physical. But if you want to do it, really find someone that knows what they’re doing to show you some technique.
Thanks for your feedback everyone. I’m thinking that I should seek out an arm bike and/or use a regular exercise bike with the intensity set well below what I think I can handle. I think part of the problem is that I’ve been setting the intensity right at the threshold of hurting my knees, which is going to cause problems after enough cycles.
Thanks for the link, ultrafilter! That’s the sort of whacky suggestion I was hoping for. Regardless of the knee situation, that’s also an excellent idea for exercising when I travel (as long as I can find a place to use it; I imagine I’ll be getting some strange looks from hotel guests in the hallway).
If you’re doing the rowing swing correctly (swinging from your hips, keeping your back straight), you shouldn’t hurt your back. You’d primarily be using your glutes and hamstrings plus the lats when you pull the handle into your chest.
The biggest problem with rowing arms and back is you just plain old won’t get much of a workout. It’d be hard with the arm bike too. Like Ethilrist says, you need to involve the large lower body muscles to really get your heart pumping.
When your knees do get better, rowing is an excellent low impact way to stay in shape.
I’m surprised with the dirty minds on this board that no one has suggested sex. It does burn calories, though probably not as much as swimming or biking, but it’s a lot more fun. (You can tell that I’ve been reading magazines like Self and Shape too often, can’t you?)
Barring lots of sexual activity, I’d second or third swimming, perhaps combined with weight lifting. Although a lot of people equate weight lifting with bulking up, it can actually help you slim down by increasing your muscle mass and therefore the amount of calories your body burns. Also, I lost almost 20 pounds from swimming in high school, so I would disagree that it actually makes you heavier. But, whatever works best for you. Whatever you choose to do, keep it safe, and if your knee starts hurting, for God’s sake, let it rest and ice it.