How to exercise with bad knees to lose weight?

It’s not easy to lose weight when you have bad knees. In this post, I show you how to get started with exercise when you have a bad knee. I discuss the best exercises for your specific needs and also how to set up a home workout space safely.

I know that exercising is hard for people who have chronic joint pain, but it can help alleviate some of these symptoms. For those of us who are just starting out on a fitness regimen after years without any form of physical activity, it can be frustrating at first because we don’t know what works the best for us – or what we should even try in order to stay safe while trying new things. I want to help you avoid injuries while exercising and working towards a healthier body.

This article is going to cover the basics of how to exercise safely and effectively, plus I will give you my best recommendations on the best exercises for your knees so that you can safely get started as soon as possible.

Why Exercise With Knees?

Why would anyone choose to exercise with their knees, especially when they know that regular exercise can be painful? The answer is simple; it actually helps. Not only does exercise with a bad knee increase your strength and mobility, it can also decrease the pain you experience.

Part of the reason why it helps is because exercise can improve your immune system as well as your circulatory system. The good news is that it also has a large impact on your metabolism, which means that even if you don’t lose weight, you are decreasing the amount of fat in your body and increasing the amount of muscle. Exercising also causes an increase in quality blood flow to the knees and decreases swelling during activity.

You also have a lot of other benefits from exercising with knees.

Increased libido

Better blood pressure control (if your blood pressure is high, exercise with knees can help lower it)

Improved joint health and reduction of swelling in the joints that causes pain.

How to Start Exercise With Knees

Make sure that you warm up your muscles first before starting any exercise routine. Doing so will prevent injuries and make you more comfortable during your workout. This also makes it a lot easier to get started because if you don’t feel ready, you are less likely to start out with exercises that are too challenging for first workouts.

Warm up your muscles by doing a short jog or easy exercises on the treadmill for five minutes to start with.

After your warm up, you can try out some of the exercises for beginners that I have included in this article. A good way to start is to pick out at least three separate exercises to try and do them three times a week. After you have gotten used to those, move on to even more challenging exercises if you wish – but always give your knees time to recover in between workouts so that they can heal.

The Best Exercises for Bad Knees

1) Standing Hip-Lifts

Stand with your knees and hips bent. Your feet should be flat on the floor. Keep your back straight and head up. From this position, pick up your knee to a 90-degree angle while keeping it behind you with your heel on the ground. Hold for a moment, then lower yourself down all the way as far as you can, keeping your abs tight and knees behind you as you do so. Repeat 10 times then switch legs and do 10 more lifts with the other leg.

2) Calf Raises

Stand with your feet flat on the floor and your knees and hips bent slightly. Keep your back straight and head up. From this position, straighten your legs as far as you can, pointing the toes out to make it easier if necessary. Hold for a few moments then lower yourself back down to complete one rep. Repeat 10 times then rest for a second before starting the next set of 10 lifts.

3) Step-Ups With A Chair Or Bench

Use a small bench or chair that is no higher than 12 inches off of the ground. Stand behind the chair or bench and place your feet on a box so that it raises the height of your knees to about 10 inches from the ground. Place your hands on the seat or sides of the chair, hands shoulder-width apart. In this position, push off with your feet and lift yourself up onto your toes until you are in a standing position without straining your knees. Return back down to starting position and repeat 10 times.

4) Step-Ups

Stand with your feet together, hip-width apart. Lift one foot off of the ground while keeping it straight and pointing forward. Push off of your heel so that you are pushed forward about 12 inches, then lower yourself down to the starting position and repeat 10 times. Switch legs and do 10 more reps with the other foot.

5) Single-Leg Seated Hip Leg Raise

Sit on a chair or bench, with your hips slightly bent and knees bent at a 90-degree angle. Keep your shoulders back and head up. From this seated position, lift your right leg up off of the ground so it is straight but not too close to 90 degrees. Keep your abs tight and back straight as you do this. Hold for a few moments then lower yourself back down to complete one rep. Repeat 10 times then switch legs and do 10 more lifts with the other leg.

6) Plank

Get on your hands and knees and place your elbows on the floor so that they are directly beneath your shoulders. Push up until only one elbow is supporting you on the ground while balancing on the tips of your toes. Keep the knee of your supporting arm at 90 degrees, with all of your weight in your fingers, toes and core muscles. Hold this position for a few moments until you feel stable, then lower yourself back down without dropping to all fours.

7) Modified Push-Ups

Get on your hands and knees and place your elbows on the floor so that they are directly beneath your shoulders. Push up until only one elbow is supporting you on the ground while balancing on the tips of your toes. Keep the knee of your supporting arm at 90 degrees, with all of your weight in your fingers, toes and core muscles. Hold this position for a few moments until you feel stable, then lower yourself back down to start and repeat 10 times.

8) Squats

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent. Keep your back straight and head up. Bend down from the hips so that your thighs are parallel to the ground, with your knees below your toes. Hold for a few moments then push yourself back up to complete one rep. Repeat 10 times then rest for a few seconds before starting the next set of 10 squats.

9) Step-Ups With A Box/Bench/Chair

Use a small bench or chair that is no higher than 12 inches off of the ground. Stand to one side of the chair and place your feet on a box so that it raises the height of your knees to about 10 inches from the ground. Place your hands on the seat or sides of the chair, hands shoulder-width apart. In this position, push off with your feet and lift yourself up onto your toes until you are in a standing position without straining your knees. Return back down to starting position and repeat 10 times.

10) Walking

Wear shoes that offer good support and protect you from injury. Start by walking at a moderate pace for 5 minutes, then increase gradually to 20 minutes if that doesn’t feel difficult for you.