Guest guest Posted January 20, 2003 Report Share Posted January 20, 2003 Hi everyone, My ideal weight is between 190 - 200 pounds. I have a hard time doing physical exercise because I have a bad back & bad knees. What exercises could I do that won't hurt my back or knees. I would appreciate all suggestions from everyone. You have all made me feel so welcome here & I thank everyone here for being supportive. I am proud to be a member of this great group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2003 Report Share Posted January 20, 2003 Hi . OK, bad back and bad knees and only 40 pounds to lose... The easy answer is hte eating change... that can be done regardless of other things, right? So on to the exercise: If you can join a gym, a trainer should be able to set you on a safe program for your situation. If not... My dad has bad knees and back and works out three days a week at 78 years old. He uses mostly machines and does high reps (12-15 reps) with lighter weight. Strict form is important to you to protect your back. Leg press can be done slowly (and safely for the knees) just by altering how far down you bring your knees towards your chest. If you do leg extensions... a very light weight and lots of reps will help to gradually build up the supporting muscles around the knee... I'd try some easy body weight type squats, too, just to parallel, to start working the quads... or maybe some body weight lunges. No pressure on back and good for quads and glutes. Really important to do hamstring work... leg curls of some kind or stiff legged dead lifts (with proper training, first). My back has never been great, but doing the SLDL's has helped to strengthen it a lot. Building the hamstring will help to balance the quads. You'll also want ab work to help support the back muscles and light lower back work to support the abs. Upper body is pretty open it seems... bench press, pec flyes, shoulder press... the basic compound muscle movements. Just make sure to keep your form strict and don't cheat... help to protect your back. If you're at a gym, low rows, where you lean forward all the way then lean back and pull in, will help upper back and lower back. The yoga and aquarobics are good ways to go, too. But I really like starting with lighter weights and building up the weak areas... Let me know how much your knees and back can take (can you do a bodyweight squat safely? Can you bend at the waist and bring your upper body back up? Can you do a few crunches without hurting your back?) Are you working out at home or a gym? There are a variety of safe and helpful routines that can be put together depending on your answers... we can come up with something! , I really appreciate your effort here and how much you are trying to find the right thing to do. It will pay off. Good Luck. > Hi everyone, My ideal weight is between 190 - 200 pounds. I have a > hard time doing physical exercise because I have a bad back & bad > knees. What exercises could I do that won't hurt my back or knees. I > would appreciate all suggestions from everyone. You have all made me > feel so welcome here & I thank everyone here for being supportive. I > am proud to be a member of this great group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2003 Report Share Posted January 21, 2003 , It is hard when you have physical limitations I know. I have a bad back and knees too as well as arthritis, asthma, heel spurs, falling arches. Start slow, get good shoes and do what you can. Be sure to stretch and do warm up, whatever you do. Swimming or yoga, pilates, maybe? Or stationary bike? There are lots of options, just keep an open mind, start out slow and build up gradually. I do the treadmill and light weights. Gena On Monday, January 20, 2003, at 08:24 AM, wrote: > Hi everyone, My ideal weight is between 190 - 200 pounds. I have a > hard time doing physical exercise because I have a bad back & bad > knees. What exercises could I do that won't hurt my back or knees. I > would appreciate all suggestions from everyone. You have all made me > feel so welcome here & I thank everyone here for being supportive. I > am proud to be a member of this great group. > > > <image.tiff> > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.