Best Low Impact Cardio Exercises to Try for Knee Pain
Whether you're dealing with chronic knee pain, bad knees from getting older, or perhaps a knee injury, you have a real challenge to find cardio exercises that are effective to get your heart rate going without leaving you in more pain than you were before, or even worse, a new injury. First of all, I'd like to give you a high-five just for searching for a form of exercise that's effective for you, instead of pushing through the joint pain, or just giving up on aerobic exercise altogether! I'm happy to share with you today some tips to keep in mind for exercising with knee problems, and some of the specialized exercises I've developed for people just like you, that you can do right here on my Cocolime Fitness site.
I'm guessing by now you've done some research into low-impact exercises like the elliptical machine, elliptical trainer, stationary bike, and the rowing machine. You can definitely get some good cardiovascular exercise with those machines but perhaps you only have access to them at the gym, which can be expensive and not very convenient to go to, and to purchase a machine for yourself is a big investment. Or, perhaps you've tried those things and they feel a little too one-dimensional for you. You're looking for something that's more fun and non-repetitive, something that works major muscle groups - all of them - to help reach your fitness goals, and at the same time follows a proper form so your sore knees don't get worse. It's not easy to find this, I know, so let me share with you some tips to help you in your search:
Exercises to Avoid with Bad Knees
Jogging - Even though it seems like a lighter exercise, have you ever seen a slow motion video of someone's knees as they run? The entire weight of your body is slamming down through the knee joint with each step and it will leave you feeling sore for days afterwards and could even make your existing condition worse.
HIIT - Yes it's popular these days, but most High Intensity Interval Training routines can be harmful if you have knee arthritis, knee injuries, etc. This type of exercise can stretch your knees through a range of motion that's way too high for your condition and leave you at risk of injury. When your knees can't handle the movement, the other muscles try to help out to bear the loads, and you won't be feeling the burn, you'll be feeling something much worse.
Forward Lunges - It's very difficult to keep lunges under control, especially after several reps, so your range may become too much, allowing the knee to go passed the toes, causing the knee to be over-extended.
Deep Squats - You may have proudly shared videos of the perfect squat on instagram in the past, but now that you have painful knees, similar to the forward lunges, it's very difficult to keep the squats within a safe range.
Jumping Rope - Similar to running every time you land from a jump, the impact on your knees is tremendous and is not recommended.
Cardio Exercises Safe for Knee Pain
Low impact routines will put much less stress on your knees during the workout.
Routines that keep you standing the entire time are much better than having to get up and down off the floor multiple times.
Limit the range of motion from side to side and up and down. If you're following an instructor, remember you don't have to go as far as they do.
Don't forget the arms! Aerobic activity can and should include the movement of the arms, so find workouts that take advantage of this so your legs are not doing all the work. Compound movements that include both the lower and upper body get your heart rate up quickly and are very effective at burning calories.
On my workout channel, Cocolime Fitness TV, you'll have access to several workouts that incorporate these kinds of methods. Let me share with you a few of the moves from my 5 Min. Calorie Burning Workout that can give you some ideas of things to look out for:
1. Limit the side to side movements so your knees don't go passed your feet. If you're following along with a workout video you may have to go a bit slower than the instructor so you can control this better. You'll do a few less reps, but keeping good form gets you better results anyway!
2. Depending on your overall level of knee function without pain, you may be able to still do a workout routine with squats. You'll just need to control the bottom height so it's not too low. A simple rule is to go down only enough so your knees don’t go passed your toes. Using weights may be too much strain, so go for the more reps over extra weight.
3. Leg lifts are a great way to work your legs and they are almost no impact on your knees if you come down easy each time. Right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot... it's like a stair climber without a machine. These are a good physical activity that will get your heart rate up to burn calories.
4. A cardio routine that utilizes your upper body is one of the best ways to get an effective low-impact workout that is knee friendly. Plus it will give your lower body a little chance to rest and recover during the workout!
Think Like a Personal Trainer
A physical therapist will combine what they know about your personal limitations with your personal goals to create customized routines of stretching, strength training and cardio so you can improve your quality of life and look the way you want. If you have to make the decisions yourself, keep the above tips in mind when you search for the right exercises for you. To help you find what you're looking for I have organized my library of over 150 workouts into easy to search through playlists. Each workout has a short description that will help you find ones that are knee friendly enough for your condition. Here are a few of the routines:
On a side note, you may be wondering if Cocolime Fitness is really for you if you don't have a chronic condition like fibromyalgia or fatigue. I'm happy to say I created these workouts for EVERYONE! As I researched and developed these workouts, first to help my condition, I wanted to make workouts that were fun, energetic and effective for all people, regardless of their circumstances. You'll be pleasantly surprised how you can lose weight and get in shape without having to push your body beyond its limits. Cocolime Fitness includes cardio and dance routines, weight training, stretching, whole body toning, isolated workouts for arms, legs, abs, etc. and entire body workouts when you want to do a little bit of everything.
I wish you the best in your journey to find the best cardio workouts when you're dealing with knee pain. Be open to different types of exercise that you may have skipped over before. Finding something that works and sticking with it will be one of the best decisions you've ever made. Your body will be thanking you for years to come.