Knee pain in Legs and Glutes

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wutherhi

Cathlete
I love, love, love L&G! It's my favorite leg workout ever! But I've been skipping the plyos in the lunge section. When I jump up, after doing those forward and backward lunges, I get a VERY sharp pain in one of my knees. It doesn't last long, but I'm afraid of damaging it. I have the typical forty-year-old "gravelly" knees (in fact all my joints are gravelly :) ), but they don't hurt when I do lunges unless I do those explosive moves. Am I just being a big baby? Should I push through this, or should I continue to baby that knee and skip the plyo moves?

Shari
 
Hi Shari! Any sharp pain isn't good; you'll have to lay low for a while on those lunges or can you do static lunges instead? If you can't do the static lunges, there's enough work w/all the other muscles your legs will be thoroughly worked anyway. I've been experiencing something similar but I have to buy new sneakers; I have no shock absorbency anymore. Maybe this could be your problem too? HTH, Kathy
 
You are NOT being a big baby, you're just looking out for yourself, and listening to your body, which is in fact a very adult thing to do! I personally dispise and avoid like the plague the plyo scissors that Cathe does in several workouts (these lunges sound similar). I find it difficult to keep good (safe) knee alignment without putting to much stress forward (rather than down)into the knee joint when doing these moves, so I find substitutes.

Not having seen the workout yet (I'm waiting for DVD's), I suggest you substitute other exercises that have a similar positive effect without the negative effect (pain!). WOuld plyo squats work for you? That would take care of the plyo element of the move. If you can do it without discomfort, you could try plyo squats with a heel touch at the top (just to add some intensity, so you won't feel like you're wimping out;-) )

When I sub for plyo scissors, I often do a plyo heel-dig (which I think is also a fun move). I leap as high as I can, then dig down with the forward heel. I use these moves on the rebounder (mini-trampoline) as well, focusing on range of motion both up and down.

Take care of those 40-year-young (this is from a 46-year-old) knees, and they'll work for you for a long time. Ignore their signals, and they'll give out on you before their time.
 
Kathryn--I'm so happy to read your substitute suggestions! I, too, really hate those plyo scissors. There's just no way I can do them with proper form without killing my knees, so I usually just modify, but I never feel like my modifications are working as hard as the plyo scissors. I think the plyo heel digs is a great idea! I never thought of it! I always try to imitate the scissors without going down as far, but they just don't feel that effective. I know when I do heel digs in other workouts, I really feel it! Great idea!:)

Now I'm motivated to do IMax 1 again; I'm always reaching for #2 because I know those plyo scissors are in #1, and I hate them!:p

-Marie
 
Shari:

I just want to write quickly to empower you to make up your own mind when confronted with certain exercises always. Kathryn is right. There is no reason at all why you should feel you have to do a certain move just because it's part of the routine Cathe made up. It works for her, maybe it doesn't for you. That doesn't make you less of a woman for ommitting it, rather it makes you more of one! It doesn't matter whether it is a move that actually causes pain or discomfort --please, never persist in trying these-- or whether, like Kathryn, it is a move you just plain do not like and are not prepared to even go there. For me this is the pikes on the ball in PUB. No way I'm even trying them. I will fall on my face and smash my glasses, and conquering that move figures nowhere in my personal list of goals and accomplishments, which are overloaded with trying to finish my Ph D anyway! So, workout what matters to you, where your comfort zone is at, and forget the rest with narry a look back!

It is your body, your wokout, you do exactly what you want. Many times Cathe goes all gung-ho on me and starts doing press ups after particularly challenging chest sessions, and tricep push ups at the end of CTX when I'm beat: I let her run and do her own thing and just let her down gently, "no way I'm doing those right now lady, you go on ahead and I'll be here waiting for ya when you're ready to cool down...." Cathe wouldn't mind a bit: she would applaud us both for recognizing when we have done enough and when it would be counter-productive for us to persevere in spite of our body's complaints.

Shari: consider yourself now empowered!

Clare
 
Thanks, all, for some great advice! I knew I could count on you! I'm not having any pain at all with the lunges, just with the plyo portion, which are much like the power scissors in IMAX. I can do plyo squats without a twinge, so that sounds like a great substitute.

Thanks again,
Shari
 
Hello, Miss Shari!

I have forty year old knees also and I have abused them a great deal so they creak and complain alot. I never do power scissors anymore. I hate them! I used to try but I have never mastered them and I felt off balance and my knees hate them too. In fact, I modify alot of the air up there stuff, particularly anything that requires split legs. My workouts are still great. I would have called you a liar if you told me I'd be looking for a gentler workout a few years ago. Ok, I would never call you a liar but I would have said, no way, not this intensity junkie. And that would have made me a liar! LOL! I blame my dad! I inherited his biomechanically unsound, ridiculuosly high arched feet. Unfortunately, my brain loves the intensity. That's why if Cathe puts out a new series next year, I am going to cmapaign hard for a killer low impact, high intensity workout for those of us going into our forties and finding we just can't do all we used to! She would make an awesome lo-hi workout, I know! I'll cry if I have to:). Shutting up now!
http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/nosmile/peacesign.gif Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/nosmile/peacesign.gif
 
Ohmigosh, the high arches have something to do with this? I can fit a tennis ball under my arches when I'm standing flat-footed! Well, maybe not a tennis ball, at least not without touching my foot, but close!

When I was really heavy, I could barely walk, and my feet went from a size 9 1/2 - 10 to an 11 - 12. I wore Birkenstock sandals winter and summer for four years. Now that I've lost a lot of weight, I can wear shoes again! Yippee! I sure didn't know it affected other things besides just my feet, though!

I never have managed to get my balance with lunges or, as you said, anything with split legs. I got to where I could keep my balance for a short time with weights, but then I realized I wasn't going very far down into the lunge, so I dropped the weight and lowered my lunges, which seems more effective. Even after all these years, I'm still using a chair or a balance pole for lunges, but I always feel I'm "cheating." I'm trying to be easier on myself, though. I'm 42, I've been waaaaay out of shape for 10 years, and I just have to convince myself that what I'm doing is a 300% improvement over what I was doing before. It's hard, though. I'm an achiever. I want to do it ALL!!!!

Thanks so much for the encouragement. I really do feel better about making these modifications now.

Shari
 
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