Exercise for people with painful knees

Bad knees occur due to various causes like overworking them through life of active exercise, knees being over encumbered because of extra body weight or knees being injured in one way or the other. Either way, the wish for working out persists and the knee pain does not allow most of the exercises used before. In that case it is time to turn to the exercises that cause less stress to the knees.In most cases of bad knees, it is wiser to turn to upper body exercises. There are several abdominal exercises that help weight loss as well. If the need for the whole workout persists, it is recommended to keep the leg workout time and intensity at the minimum. Exercises that cause excessive tension and stress on knees like deep squats or lunges need to be completely avoided. Keeping to these exercises will only increase the chance of further injury and are very contra productive.

Exercises for Bad Knees

Exercises that are recommended for bad knees are partial squats and Leg Lifts.Partial squats are performed standing with straight back and with feet being in hip width pointing forward. The movement looks like trying to sit in a chair while keeping stomach and back straight. The body should be lowered only halfway, to avoid too much stress on the knees.Leg lifts are done from lay down position. One arm is stretched above-head and the other should be on the side. The legs and feet are straight, one on top of the other. The movement includes trying to lift the upper leg to reach 30 or 45 degree angle. The leg should be held in that position for few seconds and then slowly lowered to the starting position.

Bad knee cardio workout

Cardio workout as the name indicates is great for cardiovascular system, breathing and increasing body oxygen intake, losing weight and staying fit. Many of the cardio exercises like jogging, running, basketball, tennis are not too friendly to the knees. But there are plenty of cardio substitutes like swimming, walking, recumbent bicycle, calf rises, step ups and so on.Swimming is the perfect cardio workout. It is friendly to all ages, and the body encumberment is minimal. Swimming is perfect for bad knees and is efficient in weight loss. The butterfly strokes are recommended for bad knees.Recumbent Bicycle is a great substitute for running or bicycling. The rider is in laid back sitting position so the weight is divided to back, hips and legs. The pressure relief on the knees is considerable and makes the ride enjoyable and pain free.It is important to remember that in case of bad knees, the workout focus should be on the upper body. It is recommended to seek advice of professional trainer, physical therapist or a doctor before starting any workout program that might be hazardous for the knees.