knee strengthening and cardio advice

[sherry7899]

Thank you so much! I saved all the you tube links and the dvd title.

Can tight hips cause knee pain?

Tangerine, I am sorry you have gone through this also. I was so happy to finally have enough endurance to do long dance cardio.It took me so long to build up to it. Sigh...

[bzar]

Originally Posted by Tugger31

When I was doing the floor work alone I saw some improvements but much more dramatic improvements with the walking, hip stretches and glute bridges.

^1

Originally Posted by red1013

Gaiam has a Strong Knees with Chantal Donnelly DVD that has helped me.

^1

for me, knee health has more to do with form. make sure your knee is pointing in the direction of the toe next to your big toe for each leg. when squatting, center your weight toward your butt, not your knees.

Chantal's workout is magical - i know you said you didn't want to buy anything new, but she has several freebies (they aren't long) on youtube and talks about form. if you use the search terms "Strong knees chantal Donnelly" her videos will show up and several others, including Tracey Mallett. i was really lucky in finding Chantal's DVD in a thrift store - i highly recommend it if you can get it in a trade.

[tangerine]

Originally Posted by sherry7899

Thank you so much! I saved all the you tube links and the dvd title.

Can tight hips cause knee pain?

Tangerine, I am sorry you have gone through this also. I was so happy to finally have enough endurance to do long dance cardio.It took me so long to build up to it. Sigh...

I know just how you feel, I was up to an hour of heart-pumping cardio everyday and I was loving it and then my knees just seemed to give out. It was very frustrating and I'm sure it is for you too.

I don't know if tight hips cause it but it makes sense that our hip muscles are so important to proper knee function. I never thought that much about it before, my body just worked...

Speaking of hips I forgot to mention, I do a standing IT band strech after every workout:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLkVMpkrRp0 - I use a chair or counter to support the standing leg

[tangerine]

Originally Posted by bzar

^1

^1

for me, knee health has more to do with form. make sure your knee is pointing in the direction of the toe next to your big toe for each leg. when squatting, center your weight toward your butt, not your knees.

Chantal's workout is magical - i know you said you didn't want to buy anything new, but she has several freebies (they aren't long) on youtube and talks about form. if you use the search terms "Strong knees chantal Donnelly" her videos will show up and several others, including Tracey Mallett. i was really lucky in finding Chantal's DVD in a thrift store - i highly recommend it if you can get it in a trade.

I'll have to keep an eye out for this one and look for the clips on YT, sounds very promising.

[Scorpio6]

bumping

[bzar]

Originally Posted by tangerine

I don't know if tight hips cause it but it makes sense that our hip muscles are so important to proper knee function. I never thought that much about it before, my body just worked...

some physical therapists have also discussed foot posture too and how it affects everything going up your body.

another talked about book on VF is the one by Jennifer Rhodes:
https://www.amazon.com/Peak-Performa.../dp/089793296X

i found it in the library and tried the moves she described in her book. the reviews on amazon are encouraging too. her clients have had knee and hip problems.

quoting Jane P from this VF thread:

Originally Posted by Jane P.

Yes, I think you can. Floorwork is isolation work and might help certain muscles develop a little more, but it won't be visible unless your body fat is very low. You get a much better bang for your buck with standing work.

That said, I do work the outer thigh, because in the book Peak Performance Fitness, physical therapist Jennifer Rhodes says that if the quadricep gets too much stronger than the abductor, that the kneecap will stop tracking properly.

Also floorwork takes twice as long because you have to work one leg at a time.

[tiffanywu]

The Jennifer Rhodes book is a classic -- I still have it for reference. I also must highly recommend Denise Beatty's Fitness Fix series on DVD (I use the Intermediate one the most... try to do it once per week and it's really helped after I went through knee-related PT 18 months ago). I like the Intermediate one so much that I have a backup copy and I plan to record the audio since I know the moves by heart and just need the cueing and encouragement!

[sherry7899]

Originally Posted by tiffanywu

The Jennifer Rhodes book is a classic -- I still have it for reference. I also must highly recommend Denise Beatty's Fitness Fix series on DVD (I use the Intermediate one the most... try to do it once per week and it's really helped after I went through knee-related PT 18 months ago). I like the Intermediate one so much that I have a backup copy and I plan to record the audio since I know the moves by heart and just need the cueing and encouragement!

Thank you!

I ordered "Strong Knees" from Amazon. Apparently I've ordered it before (!) but it must have been a gift for someone here since I don't own it

It's just rotten timing to cut back on cardio because I have my physical in mid-October. Doing consistent cardio really helps my bloodwork numbers. Hopefully watching my diet and doing other exercise will help.

[Vintage VFer]

I Love Bob & Brad "The 2 Most Famous Physical Therapists on the Internet!" Here are some of their knee videos:

https://www.youtube.com/user/physica...ch?query=knees

They have helped me with several issues. (And, they are funny guys!)