Cathe, a question about leg work...

W

wendyloo

Cathlete
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jun-11-01 AT 11:43PM (Est)[/font][p]Hi Cathe--hope all is well in your hectic life!
A question for you:

I am attempting to save my knees (won't bore you with the details ;-) ), so I have basically eliminated squats and lunges from my leg workouts. I have been doing the deadlifts, calf raises, floor work (inner/outer thighs and hamstring presses) from PS and LL, and some glute and quad work from a few other instructors. I have also stopped using the step during my cardio workouts--still do your step tapes, just do them on the floor (do you see any problem with this?).

I am not getting enough quadricep or glute work without squats and lunges and all their variations! Do you have any suggestions? I've been doing rear leg lift/raises for the glutes, with ankle weights, and for the quads: sitting on the floor, knees parallel and bent, raise the lower half of one leg so it is in line with the thigh (does that make sense?).

I feel discomfort/pain in my left knee, which is why I have stopped doing the aforementioned moves. Even a low impact repeater gives me a twinge! I will be seeing a doctor about this soon, but ...
Any suggested exercises would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for your time :)
Wendy
Edited 6/11/01:
Cathe,
I was able to do the static lunges, plie squats, and rear lunges from Leaner Legs this weekend with no pain (in my knee, that is!). I guess it is really just the squats that need to go.
However, I still can't target my quads very well...
Any suggestions???
Thanks!
Wendy
 
Hi Wendy!

Of course, I'm not Cathe, but just wanted to say I'm sorry to hear you are still having so much trouble with your knee!:-( You've been so patient trying to modify too. I hope Cathe or someone esle can jump in with more suggestions. Have you considered biking for the quads or do you have access to a stairstepper for the glutes? (Providing, of course, these don't hurt your knee) Good Luck at the Dr. and hopefully he can give you some exercises to help strengthen & build those areas while rehabing. Hang in there!

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH :)"If You Get The Chance To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!"
 
Debbie--

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jun-09-01 AT 01:30PM (Est)[/font][p]Thanks as usual for you helpful suggestions, but what I want to know is...
How is your daughter and the baby????!!!
Wendy
***Oopps--sorry, Deb, just noticed the post on Open Discussion Forum!
So, hope that didn't seem to blow off your helpful comments about my knee--I just wanted to know about the wee one :)
I don't have access to a stair climber, can't ride a bike to save my life, and tried out stationary bikes at a store and STILL felt it in my knee!!!! :-(
I'll survive! Thanks for beings such a sweet person :) That baby will be a lucky grandkid...
Wendy
 
How...

...sooo very nice of you! Thank you! I hope I can be a super granny! I just talked to Julie again (Whew, what a phone bill this month!!) and she seems to be doing just fine. She actually is quite relaxed about it all today. More then me! She had two really hard contractions during the night that woke her out of a dead sleep, but then they stopped again. Guess that lil' one's just not ready to make an appearance YET!

I thought of a lying down exercise that we do in class that really targets the rear and outer thigh. You lie on your side and bring your leg out to a 45* angle. Bend your leg so you foot and knee are line parallel with the floor. Slowly bring your knee down and softly tap it to the floor and then bring it back to starting position & then do the same thing with your toe. Does that make sense? So, it would be a 4-ct. move~knee down, back up, toe down & back up. I think you feel it more if you do it slowly. Also, it is one of those exercises you will feel the NEXT DAY! Again, good luck and thanks for asking about Julie. I'll keep you posted!

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH :)
"If You Get The Chance To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!"
 
Wendy,
I've been through physical therapy for knee pain, and got some good moves to do. Of course, you'll have to check with a doctor or PT to find out what exactly the problem is in your case, but here are some moves that might help. (If you can get a PT to show you knee taping, which is a technique that was developed by an Australian PT, and which works on knee pain --or "patellofemoral pain syndrom" the fancy term for "knee pain the cause of which we're not quite sure of--I find it especially helpful to do before exercising)
A ball/wall squat. Lean against a stability ball placed against the wall (I use a corner for more stability). You can do sqauts this way and put less strain on the knees by putting your feet forward enough so that your weight is more on your heels. You can either go down in two count, up in two counts, or go down two counts, hold for 5, up in two. Increase the hold as you get stronger.
What about ankle weights for standing hamstring curls? Another hamstring targeter is heel presses done while lying on your back, with heels on a stability ball or stool.
For quads, start with no weights, then progressively add ankle weights as you do straight leg raises while seated on the floor. Raise slowly, hold a second at the top. (When I did these as rehab exercises, the PTs emphasize muscle stamina, so you start with 3 sets of 10, then work your way up to 3 sets of 20, every day).
 
Thanks, Debbie and Kathryn!

Those all sound like good ones--I'm hoping that wall squat will get my quads going! Thanks alot for your suggestions :)
Wendyloohoo
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top