Any suggestions for modifying the following...

[alison13]

-power sissors

-plyo jacks

-plyo lunges

-jumps where both feet leave the ground and land at the same time

-180 degree squats (she calls them something else...it's where she does an uneven squat on the step, jumps, turns 180 degrees and lands in a squat again)

Also, does anyone notice whether tightening your stomach and upper body while jumping/landing helps lessen the impact on your knees when you land? Does that even make sense to anyone?


I want to feel the BURN, but my knee got all swollen and stiff for a week after I did plyo lunges. Of course, that was the same day I did leg extensions with the ankle weights and I felt pain during those but not the lunges...do ankle weights cause anyone else pain?

Any advice would be awesome!

Alison

 

[nkhansen1]

My suggestion would be to just make it simple and do plain squats or lunges or jacks to modify. On the 180s, do them on the step, but pulse fast for two counts and then go over the top of the step for the other leg, or just do fast pulses on the floor. If you go nice and deep in the moves you will feel a good burn without the impact. You might have to play around with it, but I would just take out the impact. Maybe try the impact moves every few reps to see how strong you're becoming and if your knees are up for it.

For lessening the strain on your knees during jumps, make sure you roll from toe to heel coming down. Pay close attention that you're not coming down flat footed or on the sides of your feet. In my opinion, always keeping your mind on the core and keeping it tight makes a huge difference in your performance of any exercise. It seems to heighten awareness for all your muscle groups (at least for me anyway). Hope this helps a little!

Natalie

 

[ejostling]

for the 180 turns, I will modify by just doing a squat with one foot on the step and one on the floor. You'll get the burn, but no impact. Natalie had some good suggestions, landing right can make a big difference. But, alas, sometimes it's just safer to have both feet on the floor!

Sally

 

[SRP]

-power sissors:
I don't know of a move that closely matches this one. Your best bet is to find a good high intensity move that you like and just do it for the count, making sure you do each side of the body. That's a fairly good rule to follow for any of the moves, if you can't find a substitution. Some of my workouts really don't look like what Cathe intended them to be!

-plyo jacks:
You can always try regular jumping jacks, if those work better for your knees.

-plyo lunges:
If I want to focus on just the legs, I stay with regular static lunges. But maybe a move from Low Max would work. It's in blast two, I think. Step onto the step and kick, then come down into a lunge position - your leg is still on the step, and the leg that kicked goes back into the lunge. You'll have to play around with the count/rhythm to see what works.

-jumps where both feet leave the ground and land at the same time:
go into a squat and touch your fingertips to the floor on either side of your legs. Then raise up as fast as you can, lifting your arms above your head. You can jump if you want to, or keep your toes on the floor. This can still be hard on the knees because of the deep squat, but it removes all impact if you don't jump.

-180 degree squats (she calls them something else...it's where she does an uneven squat on the step, jumps, turns 180 degrees and lands in a squat again):
Do you have Low Impact Circuit? I always do the kick/tap move from that workout. You step onto the step, kick with the other leg, then step down and reach back into a lunge while tapping the step with your hand. It's a very rapid move. Definitely not the same as the power squats, but it gets the heart rate up and fits the count pretty well.

 

[alison13]

Thanks everyone!

Those are great suggestions! I'll try them as soon as I can!

Alison

 

[LauraMax]

Oh I so hate those power scissors! I do a modified scissor move like the one in Power Max sec. 1 when I start to get worn out. I think it's also in part of Circuit Max. You can also do them for the plyo lunges.

For plyo jacks you could sub regular jacks.

For jumps when both feet leave the ground you could sub the "jump rope" from the KB workouts, both Cathe's & P90X's Kenpo X has that. Or you could just do a boxer's shuffle.

I think the 180 degree squats are like the uneven squats in MIC? You could sub with an over & over the board, with or without the turn. Still high impact but definitely lower & less difficult than the uneven squats.