Concerned about Lunges and Squats...

K

kali1

Cathlete
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Oct-05-02 AT 02:22PM (Est)[/font][p]Hi Everyone!

I have a lot of weight to lose. I'm starting to feel stronger and I've lost about 3 pounds in the few weeks I've been using weights. I'm using Power hour + and S&H. Both on DVD.

I've been concentrating mostly on Chest, Arms and some back excercises. I've tried the legs section on S&H/MIS but my knees felt kinda funny afterwards. I decided to avoid lunges and squats. I'm really concerned about doing these kind of excercises because I don't want to develop knee problems.

Any suggestions???

I forgot to add......since I've been avoiding the legs section on these DVD's could I end up overtraining by focusing on chest, arms and back?

kali
 
The healthiest "avoidance" is to do all the lower body exercises that you can, with no weight at all. IMO, you need the midsection strength that you can only get by working the whole body. Otherwise you just hold yourself back in other areas.

For example, you need the ability to stabilize yourself with your lower body, in order to progress to higher weights for shoulders.
 
Another thought: if your knees bother you, it is not from increasing strength. It may be from uneven tracking of the knee joint during the movement. During lunges, try to separate the legs a little so that one foot is not directly in front of the other.

Also, make sure that your feet are straight up and down, not arched in or out (like they could get in ice skating). If you have unusual pronation or high arches you might feel much better with orthotic inserts in your shoes (I have flat feet and I use "Superfeet" inserts and they really take the strain off.)

Also make sure you are really following the form pointers. Keep trying and don't give up, but keep stopping early when your knees give you any hint of pain. You will probably figure out why they bother you and get through it. Knees are a common "stick point" or obstacle to fitness so I hope you figure out how to safely conquer yours.

-Connie
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Oct-06-02 AT 00:34AM (Est)[/font][p]Hi Connie -

Thanks so much for the responses. I tried what you suggested and I was able to do a few more lunges than I ever have in the past. I can really feel it in my lower back too.

Where do you get "superfeet" at BTW?

Thanks again!
 
Connie - I also have flat feet and am wondering where to get those superfeet inserts and how much they usually cost? Thanks!!
 
OOOOOOHHHHH MY GOD! My lower back is sore today!! Does that mean I hit all the right muscles??

Thanks!!
 
Um- I would expect your quads and hamstrings to be more sore. But maybe your core strength got challenged?

I got my inserts at Fleet Feet too. They were about 30 bucks.
-Connie
 
I'm wondering if I didn't pull a muscle in my back. It's only sore at night and when I first wake up in the morning. Do you think I should avoid suqats and lunges until I get stronger? Are there alternatives for legs such as floor excercises that I could do instead?

Thanks!

Kali
 
There sure are alternatives including floor work- but don't do anything until your back feels better. Maybe you should tell us what exercises or what videos you have been doing and for how long, before the last 3 weeks.

When your back feels better there are exercises you can do to get stronger- how about squats but just four of them? Or lunges but just 8 of them, with no weight? Have you ever heard of "The Firm" videos? They have all these moves but in shorter sets. These are what I used to work up to Cathe. They have floor work too. (Volumes 1, 2, and 3 but mostly 1 and 3 are what I used)

I'm sure others will have good suggestions too.
 
Hi Kali,

My back gets sore after leg work if I am not stretched out enough. Tight hamstrings (back of legs) can lead to lower back pain, and tight quads (front of leg) gives me knee pain. I would try to get warmed up either with 5-10 minutes of light cardio or a good 20 minute soak in a hot bath, and very gently but thoroughly stretch out the backs and fronts of your legs. I always have to do extra stretching to avoid back pain, I find the stretching at the end of the workouts isn't really enough if I have really challenged my legs.

HTH!!

Christine
 
Thanks for the suggestions! I did some cardio before the weight workout that day but maybe I still didn't stretch out enough. I'll try that tonight. For Cardio - I've been doing a Kathy Smith and Susan Powter. I've been wanting to try the Firm and have looked into it but couldn't find Volumes 1,2,3. Have they changed the titles by chance? I found Firm Lower Body Split. I was thinking that might be good. What do you think of that video?

I'll also try going slower on the squats and see what happens.

Thanks!!
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Oct-11-02 AT 10:37PM (Est)[/font][p]Yes they have- Volume 1 is now called Body Sculpting Basics (right?) And I don't know what the other 2 are called now.

Susan Harris (1), Janet Jones-Gretzky (2), and Sandahl Bergman (3) are the instructors of each tape.
 
Hi kali,

Volume 2 is available new right now at www.cksales.com. Alternately, you can usually pick up firm tapes in trades on VF forum or the firm ya ya's forum (sorry-I don't know the links!). These tapes have great floorwork, as mentioned, or you can try lower body sculpting, this is about 20 minutes of florrowkr compiled from vol 1, 2, and 3..and I think it's also available at cksales right now, in the clearance section, in cdn dollars, so it's cheap!!

Christine
 
Another pointer for the squats is make sure when you squat your knees do NOT go over your toes!!!that puts alot of extra pressure on the knees and can lead to injury.When you squat you need to think you are sitting down in a chair ...that might help you.
 
HI KALI,

I AM A NEW CATHE FAN AND ALSO A FIRM FAN. YOU CAN GET FIRM VIDEOS FROM AMAZON.COM,THESE ARE GOOD, TO WORK UP TO USING CATHE, AS HER WORKOUTS ARE TOUGH.
AMAZON SELLS THE OLD FIRM VOLUME 1 AND ALSO SOME OF THE LATER FIRM VOLUMES. THOUGH I PERSONALLY ENJOY VOLUME 1, THE MOVES ON IT ARE A BIT OUTDATED SUCH AS JOGGING WITH WEIGHTS, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU GET SOME LATER FIRMS SUCH AS, MAXIMUM BODY SHAPING,CROSS TRAINER FIRM CARDIO,AND CROSS TRAINER FIRM STRENGTH,TO START OFF WITH, BUT MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A STEP OR STOOL TO DO TALL BOX CLIMBS ON,THESE HAVE NEVER STRESSED MY KNEES,EVEN THOUGH I HAVE WEAK KNEES,IF SQUATS AND LUNGES ARE A PROBLEM FOR YOU,WORKOUT USING KNEE SUPPORTS, ONLY DO HALF SQUATS,WATCH YOUR FORM,KEEP EXERCISE AS LOW IMPACT AS POSSIBLE,AND LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, IF IT HURTS DONT DO STRENUOUS EXERCISE. I AM NOT AN EXPERT BUT THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING
AND IT MINIMISES STRESS ON MY BODY.
 
Wow Everyone! Thanks for the great suggestions! I'll look into those Firm Vid's. How about Firm Upper Body and Lower Body Split?

THANKS!!
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Oct-13-02 AT 05:58AM (Est)[/font][p]Hi Kali,

if you go to www.collage-video.com and type in the firm, you will see a list of all the firm videos that they have, you can actually play a clip of (upper and lower body split)and decide if you want copies for yourself,as well as being able to see clips of many other exercise videos,If you click on instructor profiles on the top of the page.

bye for now.

Firmgirl

p.s are there any other cathe fans from England on this bulletin board?
 
If you are concerned about your knees the best defense is a good offense- strengthen the muscles that support them!!! If you have access to a gym, a great machine is the leg extension using fairly light weights. Have someone show you how to modify the angle so you don't extend(straighten) beyond your range of motion if there is an existing problem. You can also do this at home sitting in a chair and using bands or ankle weights if you don't belong to a gym.

I don't think you mentioned what type of equipment you have at home, but if you have access to a resist-a-ball they are a wonderful tool to use to perfect your form for squats and lunges (form is the most important factor in getting results and avoiding injury). Place the ball between your body and a wall, right in the curve in the lower back/top of the glutes. Slowly bend your knees maintaining enough pressure on the ball so it doesn't slip. It should gradually roll up your back as you lower. You can hold onto a chair or something for extra support and balance if you need to. The rules about knees not going over the toes and not going below parallel with your thighs still apply- try to find a spot where you can use a mirror to be sure.

You can do lunges one leg at a time using this same method, start in the squat position and then bring one leg back so the foot of the rear leg touches the wall. Once you are ready to progress without the ball, a lunge tip I learned from an instructor is to get on one knee (as if proposing) look in the mirror and make sure each leg makes a 90 degree angle at the knee. Lift the foot of the floor leg so that your toes are in the start position and then lift up. This should give you a good approximation (+/- an inch or two) of correct placement for the length of your individual stride. It should feel pretty comfortable. Do all your reps on one side and then switch until you work up the stamina to alternate legs, no weight at first and support yourself for balance as necessary.

Once you work your way up to alternating legs and work without the ball, I have found that reverse lunges (stepping to the back) are easier on my knees than front lunges(stepping to the front) and are also easier to balance, and they give you virtually the same workout.

Hope you can find something useful in my novel!
Good Luck.
FitnessRN
 
BTW-
I should have started by saying that I believe if you are having PAIN anywhere as opposed to soreness, your form is probably the culprit. Also, I would not expect you to be feeling soreness from lunges/squats in your back, again, check your form. A mirror is your best friend here if you can not afford a trainer for a few sessions.

The resist-a-ball is also good because it helps support your back through these exercises. They are about $25 and available at WalMart, etc...

Rest until you are pain free, drop back to basics, and work up gradually.

FitnessRN
 
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