Magic bullet gone!

[DazzlinJack]

We all know cardio is the magic bullet against weight loss, no doubt. But i'm in a pickle. I was doing some bike work for a few hours a day until my left knee gets this crazy ass sharp pain for no reason. It acts up when I get on the stair master, the elliptical, upright and seated bikes, and treadmill. I rested it for a week and it came back after a light jog and that was with 10 minute stretching. Hurts a ton, but regular short walks is fine until I get 15 minutes into it.

So what else can I do, exercise wise, to lose weight? I know diet is the second half of the story but i'm taking in 2kcal at 5' 6" 168lbs and lifting regularly. I got no fat except around my damn belly =(

[prld2gr8ns]

Try the boat row machines or swimming if your gym has a pool. Had a friend that suffered from tendonitis in the foot, and kept the workouts going by using row machines and swimming.

[mpkonig]

man that is crappy...first...id say go see a doctor and maybe he can get ya a cortozone shot or something.

as for the workouts, its hard to recommend something that doesnt use your legs for cardio....they have the UBE (hand bike) that you can use...i can never really work up a sweat on those things...but its worth a try and you can also try yoga or palates. ive heard alot of people break sweats doing that stuff. other than that, i would say go to a boxing gym and beat a heavy bag around and speed bag. Heavy bags are good because you can use upper and lower body for them. punch and throw in some knees in there work you legs and some abs and hip flexors..

[DazzlinJack]

yeeuh i can't swim! but one day if i'm near a pool i'll pick it up. i got a speedo after all. don't ask why i bought one when i don't know how to swim tho. the boat row machine sounds feabisble. don't got one at my small gym but i got a seated row machine, gonna give it a few tweaks.

[panic66]

If you really cant find another form of cardio i would just suggest to make sure your diet is on point, and train hard. Maybe you could take three 15 minute walks a day???

[iwinulose2981]

We all know cardio is the magic bullet against weight loss, no doubt. But i'm in a pickle. I was doing some bike work for a few hours a day until my left knee gets this crazy ass sharp pain for no reason. It acts up when I get on the stair master, the elliptical, upright and seated bikes, and treadmill. I rested it for a week and it came back after a light jog and that was with 10 minute stretching. Hurts a ton, but regular short walks is fine until I get 15 minutes into it.

So what else can I do, exercise wise, to lose weight? I know diet is the second half of the story but i'm taking in 2kcal at 5' 6" 168lbs and lifting regularly. I got no fat except around my damn belly =(

i had the same problem 2 years ago. i had a sharp pain in my knee when doing cardio and it was sore as hell the next morning. went to the orthopedic 2 find out i had a tiny thread of scar tissue that was rubbing against my knee when i ran... the more i ran the more it aggravated it. doc said my only 2 options were to deal with it and let the scar tissue stretch out naturally or get it cut. i decided to deal with it and after a little while the pain was gone.

i dont suggest you sit and wait to see if it goes away if its giving you that much trouble...go to the doc and get a mri to see what the problem is.....if its the same as mine you should be back to doing normal cardio soon.

diet is great but without cardio or high intensity training its hard to get the results you want.

[Ol'Dirty]

5 -5 minute rounds on a heavybag works well , easier on the knees.

[SwordBurn]

Swimming is a great cardio alternative.

- Its your upper body that is primarily responsible for your propulsion through the water.

- There are flotation devices available that are designed to keep your legs on the surface without kicking while you practice your arm strokes.

- The breast stroke and back stroke should allow you to get a cardiovascular workout using your arms instead of your legs.

[motiv8er]

5 -5 minute rounds on a heavybag works well , easier on the knees.

Ol dirty, for having been here for two years, that was a nice first post.

[WannaBeHulk]

make reisistance training your cardio workouts as well. perform a circuit and keep rests minimal. ive done this before to switch things up and if you just keep moving from exercise to exercise, it definitely gets the heart rate up and gets exhausting.

[mpkonig]

make reisistance training your cardio workouts as well. perform a circuit and keep rests minimal. ive done this before to switch things up and if you just keep moving from exercise to exercise, it definitely gets the heart rate up and gets exhausting.

agreed

[thesinner]

Jumping Jacks and skipping rope are by far the most underrated forms of cardio out there. I don't know how bad your knee is, but I've done them with leg injuries in the past w/o any problems.

make reisistance training your cardio workouts as well. perform a circuit and keep rests minimal. ive done this before to switch things up and if you just keep moving from exercise to exercise, it definitely gets the heart rate up and gets exhausting

Another Idea, to bridge off of that is to do circuits of calisthenics. An example of such a circuit would be, doing the following:

50 pushups
15 Pullups
30 situps
25 jumping Jacks
*repeat

Exercises where your center of gravity (your belly button) moves are the best kinds of exercises to do when burning calories is your main objective.

[HDeuce7]

If the pain in your knee is on the outside you probably have aggravated your IT Band. I have had the same problem and it bothered me anytime I would do cardio on any type of machine. If you stretch your hamstrings it will help but not enough. If the pain is on the outside of your knee, try this stretch, it worked wonders for me. First grab a hold of something that is steady. Next, place the foot of the sore knee across the top of your opposite knee. Like you would do if you were sitting in a chair and wanted to cross your legs. While holding onto something begin to squat as if you were trying to sit in a chair with your foot propped up on the top of your knee. Your knee will begin to push your foot forward. When you squat you will feel stretching on the outside of your knee. Hold it for 15 seconds, then relax and repeat one or two more times. Then try running, but make sure you do a warm up jog before you start all out. Your knee might start to ache a little while doing cardio but it should subside. You will want to do the stretch throughout the day to help loosen up the IT band. I hope this helps.

[Ol'Dirty]

Ol dirty, for having been here for two years, that was a nice first post.

Been away for awhile...sorry,

[jminis]

First see a Doc, second in the meantime just walk for 15-20min after weights you'll continue to drop fat.