Bad Knees? Here’s How to Get Fit at Home

When planning your at-home workouts, remember to keep one thing in mind—Instead of worrying about what you can't do, focus on what you can do. This is the key to your success. If you have bad knees, you will want to focus on low-impact exercises that don't put too much strain or pressure on your knee joints. While this may rule out traditional exercises like running and jumping jacks, you can still get a good workout with other effective exercises. Implementing good technique and form, you will see the fitness results that you want to accomplish—even with bad knees.

The good news about exercise is that you can completely customize your workout routines to achieve your goals, while also acknowledging your limitations. Having bad knees should not stop you from getting fit. When exercising, safety is the most important rule, and there are plenty of low-impact exercises, such as Pilates, yoga, and water aerobics, that will avoid hurting your knees, as well as other body parts. Notably, you can do all of these exercises at home.

Working Out at Home: What Should I know?

Getting fit at home allows you to exercise in the comfort of your own space, at your own time. Whether you have a dedicated home gym, or plan to exercise in your backyard, there are various ways that you can get fit at home and still protect your knees. More importantly, you don't need too much equipment at home to get fit. In this article, you will learn about various tips and techniques that you can follow to help get you started with your at-home workouts.

Keep these three factors in mind.

Equipment

In order for a home workout to be effective, you don't need all of the equipment that gyms provide. The equipment that you need will depend on the types of exercises that you want to do. And, many at-home workouts don't require any equipment at all—just your body weight. In general, it's good to have a couple of key pieces of equipment that can you can use for any workout. These items include an exercise mat that will support you when you're on the floor, a couple sets of dumbbells for strength exercises, and an exercise ball for abdominal work. As your home workouts grow, expand your gym equipment as needed.

Space

Even if you don't have a home gym, you can still make the most out of the space in your house. When choosing your workout space, make sure that you have enough freedom to move around. Be aware of your surroundings, and make sure that you are on even ground that will support your movements, especially if you will be jumping. Uneven floors can increase your risk of injury and cause damage to your knees and other joints. Additionally, make sure that you have proper ventilation so that you receive enough cool air.

Plan

There are many different options to choose from when creating an at-home workout. Your plan should help you achieve your goal, whether it be weight loss, muscle gain, or endurance. To avoid knee pain, make sure that you are choosing workouts that will not put too much pressure on the knee. If you feel confident to create your own home workout, then you can get started with your own plan. If you need more help, you can use free YouTube videos that come with full workouts made for at-home viewers. If you're willing to spend money, you also have the option to purchase an at-home workout program from companies like BeachBody and Les Mills.

5 Home Exercises That Protect Bad Knees

When getting fit, it's important to do both cardiovascular and strengthening exercises. Implementing a combination of both will not only give you more well-rounded workout, but it will also give you more health benefits, such as stronger muscles and lower blood pressure. When you have bad knees, you want to do low-impact exercises that keep pressure away from your knees. It's also important to keep in mind that when exercise is fun, you are more likely to stick to the routine. You should pick exercises that you will truly enjoy doing. The following exercise suggestions can help you do both cardio and strength without damaging your knees.

Yoga

Yoga is a total-body strengthening exercise that increases flexibility, balance, and stamina. A common misconception about yoga is that you need to be flexible. However, yoga is a practice that takes time to master. While some of the more advanced poses require flexibility, you can use blocks and straps to help you get into poses as you continue to develop your skills. In addition to the physical health benefits of yoga, there are also mental benefits, including relaxation, stress management, and energy. When aiming to get fit, these benefits are just as important.

One of the greatest benefits of yoga is that it is low impact, meaning it will be easy on all of your joints, including your knees. Because of its light impact, yoga is also a great way to restore your body after a tough workout. On rest days, consider doing light yoga to relax your joints and stretch any sore muscles. Not only can you protect your knees, but you can also strengthen them. Yin yoga, a type of yoga that focuses on holding poses for at least five minutes, will help increase your balance and strengthen your knees, hips, shoulders, and more.

Tips:

• To practice yoga at home, you will need a yoga mat. If you need extra support for your knees, get a mat with extra cushion.
• If you're a beginner, consider buying straps and blocks to help you increase your flexibility.
• You can also rely on YouTube videos to get full workouts, learn new poses, and improve your craft.

Pilates

Pilates is very similar to yoga in the sense that both practices aim to strengthen the muscles and improve flexibility and alignment. While yoga focuses more on the flow and transition of each pose, Pilates focuses more on using the core muscles to control movements and achieve muscle fatigue. Pilates is also low impact, which makes it a great exercise for those who suffer from bad knees. The simplicity of Pilates makes it easy for people of all fitness levels to enjoy, and all of the moves can be modified to accommodate injuries and soreness.

When doing Pilates at home, all you need is a mat that has enough cushion to support your body. You can easily find full pilates workouts online that are tailored to people who are training at home. Accessing these videos is a great way to keep learning new exercises and avoiding getting bored of the same routines. If you want to take your Pilates to a higher level, you can also find common Pilates equipment for affordable prices, such as the Pilates ball and ring. These are great additions to your at-home gym, as you can also use them for other exercises.

Tips:

• Pilates focuses on using the abdominal muscles and breathing to control the body's movement. When practicing Pilates, engage your core muscles to get the full benefits of the workout.
• Additionally, make sure that your Pilates mat has enough cushion to support you during moves that require you to get on your knees.

Exercise Bike

Biking is one of the most effective low-impact cardio exercises for people with bad knees. While running is a great way to get your heart rate up, it can cause damage to your knees over a long period of time. Biking, on the other hand, is a great way to get your blood pumping without high impact on your knees, ankles, and feet. The great thing bout biking is that you can choose your intensity level. Getting fit is not always about pushing yourself to the max. It's also about staying active. Whether you want to keep a steady pace or bike as fast as you can, exercise bikes will give you a total-body workout that will leave you feeling satisfied and accomplished.

Although you'll need to purchase an exercise bike to have one at home, the health benefits that they offer make them worth considering. With exercise bikes, you can adjust the resistance knob to make it a strength workout, as well as a cardio workout. The extra resistance builds lower body strength, which can also strengthen the knees. To focus more on cardio, you can lower the resistance and bike at a faster pace. There are also many at-home programs that you can consider purchasing along with your exercise bike, including Peloton and NordicTrack.

Tips:

• To reduce strain on your knees, avoid biking heavily on incline. The incline will add extra pressure to your knees. If possible, it's best to stay on flat ground.
• For more muscle gains, turn up the resistance on the bike to create a bigger challenge for your leg muscles.
• Consider purchasing an at-home stationary bike program, like Peloton, to stay on track to reach your fitness goals.

Weight Training

Weight training is the best way to build lean muscle at home. Though you will have to invest in good weights, they are versatile pieces of equipment that you can use for many different exercises. And, if you invest wisely, they will last a long time. When weight training you can create your own regimen based on the fitness goals that you have. If you are looking to increase your upper body muscles, you can include more moves that work the shoulders, biceps, chest, and more. If you want to increase your lower body strength, focus on the quads, hamstrings, and inner thighs.

Most importantly, weight training is low impact. You can choose which moves are the most effective and feel the most comfortable for your knees. It's also important to note that you can get a good strength workout without the use of weights. Although weight add the extra resistance required to make bigger muscles gains, you can also use your body weight to add resistance. Exercises such as planks, sit-ups, and wall-sits don't require equipment, but they still work major muscles groups and protect your knees from too much pressure.

Tips:

• If you have bad knees, use lighter weights when doing moves that put strain on the knee, such as squats and lunges. You can also avoid the moves all together.
• Get a wide range of weight sizes, so that you're able to use different weights depending on the exercise.

Water Aerobics

Water aerobics has long been a popular and effective way to exercise for those who have joint issues, such as knee problems. If you have a pool at home, this is one of the best workouts you can do that combines both strength and cardio. When in a pool, the water resistance is what makes the aerobics easy on the joints. Doing water aerobics, you have the ability to jump and move freely in the water. When on land, these moves might otherwise be too painful for the knees. In addition, the water resistance also creates an added challenge for your muscles, causing you to increase your heart rate and improve your strength.

If you love to be in the pool, water aerobics can be one of the most fun ways to get in shape. There are many different ways you can do water aerobics, including swimming laps, lifting weights, and dancing. You don't need to big movements to feel the workout because the water creates the challenges for you. Simple movements like kicking your feet and doing breast strokes will make a big difference in your fitness regimen without forcing harsh impact on your joints. Water aerobics is easy for all ages and fitness levels because you can determine your own goals. If you're looking for a way to get your entire family active, water aerobics is a good option that everybody can enjoy.

Tips:

• To add an extra challenge, buy weights that are specifically meant for water aerobics. This way, you can combine weight training and water aerobics for the ultimate workout.
• To avoid scratching your feet on the pool's floor, use water shoes. Not only will these water shoes protect your feet, but they will also give your knees extra support.

How Can I Lose Weight With Bad Knees?

Losing weight can be a challenge for anybody, and if you have bad knees, you may feel like you can't do the exercises that lead to weight loss. However, there are plenty of weight-loss exercises that don't require high impact on the knees. The exercises mentioned in this article—yoga, Pilates, exercise biking, weight training, and water aerobics—are all great ways to lose weight. Walking is another alternative to running that many people forget to consider. Walking is easy on the joints and is a great source of cardio exercise. A weight loss plan should include exercises that burn fat and gain muscle. A combination of cardio and strength exercises, along with a healthy diet, will help you lose weight.

Basic Care Routines for Bad Knees

Here are some low impact workouts that you can do in your living room to keep yourself active without hurting your knees. It's important to take care of your knees, which you can do by stretching properly—as demonstrated in the first video—as well as icing them when necessary. One of the best remedies for ailing joints and muscles is proper rest. In your home workout plan, be sure to include an appropriate amount of rest days so that your knees can recover from any strain.

1. These warm-up exercises are easy to follow and will relieve knee pain. 

2. Yoga is an easy way to lose weight, and its steady positions enable flexibility and body alignment. 

3. Wall exercises such as wall sits, wall planks, and wall push-ups are low-impact exercises that help you lose weight. Try to do three to five sets when you start.

Final Thoughts

Having bad knees may limit what exercises you can do, but it doesn't have to stop you from achieving your fitness goals. With the right exercises and plan, you can avoid knee pain and still get the results that you want to see. Ultimately, you want to find low-impact exercises that avoid putting pressure on the knee joints. These exercises include yoga, Pilates, exercise bikes, weight training, and water aerobics. All of these exercises have the capacity to strengthen you body and improve your cardiovascular health—two important ingredients for getting fit.

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