Glad to see this back up and going as I have a question for everyone.
Drama Queen mentioned monitoring knees, and I too have bad knees. I've been doing more lifting and find that my leg workouts are always hampered because of my knees.
That said, does anyone know of any ways to work out knees or strengthen them or do something so that they are no longer an issue, or at least, less of an issue?
Right now all I know is 'reactive' stuff like icing after a workout, but I would love to be 'proactive' and find a way to just make them less of an issue.
I find the more I build my legs, the more cushion I give them. The p90x leg & back routine works good for me (though I'm sore for a day or two after, but the good kind of soreness in the muscles, not in the bones).
The stronger my legs are, the better I can go, but I still have to be sensible. I have to build a tolerence before jumping into long distances. I still aim to do a marathon at some point in my life, but as I am debating whether or not to jump back up to 10k at the moment, that is obviously going to be a long slow build-up.
Threadmills worked good for me for awhile (I just haven't been going to the gym since I got p90x) becuase it is softer than pavement and I could go an hour without feeling pain afterwards. I have heard other people complain about threadmills causing/worsening knee problems though, so who knows, I can only speak for myself.
Always try to be consious of your center of balance,catch yourself if you are leaning to the left or right (I don't mean politically :-p ). If by any chance you have a Wii balance board, plug it in every now and then to check yourself. Never have your knees sticking out in squat routines and never stay in crouched positions that require you to break that rule for too long.
Sounds like simple stuff I know, but I am getting to the age where I have to start taking care of my bodyparts (well actually past that age, but hopefully better late than never).
And when your knees ask for a rest, listen to them, regardless of what good work-out intentions you may have had that day! You'll know the difference between muscular soreness and actual pain in the bones.
