iPHYSIO

5 Exercise for People with Bad Knees

People with bad knees might be from surgery, getting old, injury or other, will know how easy it is to feel flair up with extreme cardio. Running, especially, can be very tough on the knees. So what kind of exercises can you do to avoid hurting your knees but still get the heart rate up? To answer this question we have prepared a few exercises for you who have bad knees problem.

Swimming

If you are looking for cardio exercise for bad knees, then swimming is probably the choice for you. Swimming provides a great workout that is low impact, versatile, and burn calories fast. Whether you’re doing the backstroke or butterfly style you definitely will be using all major muscles groups in your body including your glutes, abdominals and chest muscles. Freestyle is the fastest stroke and it can burn 100 calories every 10 minutes which a lot better than jogging.

Elliptical

For people who don’t know, An elliptical is a machine similar to jogging but will a bit more support. For people who love jogging, we suggest you opt for the elliptical machine over a treadmill for minimal risk of knee injury. Your feet will never leave the pedals, which means less chance to injure your knees, back, neck, or hips. You will also get your heart rate up, which helps to burn more calories and build cardio fitness.

Rowing

Rowing is a great exercise to burn off calories without placing too much stress on your knee joints. Not only it is great for a full body workout, but you’ll also maximize your core strength with every pull. As for the movement is very simple, it is a combination exercise of working muscular and cardiovascular endurance. To row, you need to use your upper and lower body almost simultaneously.

Cycling

Whether you prefer exercising with a stationary bike indoors or riding your bicycle outside, cycling will give you a fantastic fat-burning workout that will slowly improve your knee flexibility and strength. To make sure you don’t put too much stress on your bad knees, avoid hills and stick to flat terrain. Raise your seat level slightly higher to decrease any pressure on your kneecap.

Step-ups

This is a fairly easy and low-impact exercise for people who have bad knees. Here’s how you do with the correct way. First, find a step, chair or aerobic step bench. Step up onto the step with your right foot. Tap your left foot on the top of the step and then lower. As you step up, your knee should be directly over your ankle to ensure you’re protecting your knees. Do 10 reps for 1 set and 3 set in total for a great calorie burn.