I have been trying to do cardio every day, sometimes missing one day a week, but my knees are really achy. I do 4 days of weight training, and 6-7 days of cardio, although two of them are generally light days. Today is Tuesday, I worked out pretty good on Sat, Sun, and Monday....but my knees just shouldn't feel like this!! I am so annoyed!! How many days of cardio should I do?

lovenlight,

linz

RBM-

I had this exact experience several months ago! I was doing cardio (involving leg work or some type) about 5 days a week, sometimes 6. No good! My knees felt awful all the time. Plus, I bike for transport so it really became a problem.

Now I probably do cardio like 4 times a week and I feel better. Try cutting a few days out and see what happens. And also, vary what the activity is (I also started doing a couple different cardio activities- dancing and elliptical trainer). I bet your knees will thank you!

RBM, I was doing cardio stuff 5 days a week, plus hiking one day a week (I guess that counts as cardio, but its fun. ) Now my knees are achy, stiff, and they feel like they are burning too. What I reccomend, is that you try some lower impact activities. And like austinswingrr said, cut out a couple of days.

If you have access to a pool, you might want to try substituting swimming on days when your knees hurt or on a day after you've really given yourself a hard workout. Swimming is low-impact, will work you out and will get that heart pumping! My boyfriend, who has arthritis (and consequent knee pain), has found this works for him -- and it works for me, too.

Indeed, swimming is a great no-impact workout. What kind of cardio are you doing now? If you take a few days off, does the pain recede? If not, I'd definitely say see a doctor.

5 to 7 days per week 45+ minutes cardio. resistance training depending on individual needs/wants. plus the little stuff...

take stairs instead of elevators,

park as far away as possible, esp if it's a dark parking lot after 9pm

walk to the store instead of drive

hmm... knee pain is not good. how long has it been going on?? i had that for a week or so really bad after my runs. i thought it was b/c i needed new shoes but it wasnt. maybe you just lightly twisted you ankle or something w/ out realizing it? maybe stick with some low impact cardio for a week or two then return to your normal routine if that's what you like.

What are you doing for cardio? I'd avoid anything high-impact. Stick with rowing, cycling, etc. No running or anything like that. And 4-5 days a week for 30 minutes or more is really fine for your health.

Ouchie.



Rest days are just as important as exercise days!



You need at least one day off completely--preferably two in order to let your muscles, ligaments & tendons repair themselves. If your knees are really hurting, get yourself to a doctor to make sure you haven't injured yourself (ITB injuries are really common). If you have injured yourself, you HAVE to stop and get some rest in!



Also, switch up your cardio so you aren't working the same muscle groups all the time, and don't do too many days in a row of cardio.



Swimming, running, cycling, skating, rowing, walking, running are all different cardio options. Try swimming and rowing for a bit. You also might want to break up your cardio into two sections during the day--do a bit in the morning, and a bit in the evening.



Here's my schedule, and this is for marathon training. The idea is to be *consistent*, yet not put yourself at risk for injury by working too hard.



Saturday: Long run.

Sunday: REST DAY

Monday: training run

Tuesday: strength training (weights)

Wednesday: Tempo run (for speed)

Thursday: Strength Training (weights)

Friday: REST DAY

I do cardio 3-4 during the week at the gym. On the weekends, I try do fun stuff that can also count as exercise such as shopping or hiking. When I was doing 6 days of cardio, I became very burnt out on the whole exercise thing so I cut back a bit. I also try to throw some yoga or stretching in the mix just for fun. I used to run, but I don't do that so much anymore because my knee was really bothering me.

My knees tend to act up continually, very little when I am running, sometimes on the eliptical, and almost always when I use the stairmaster. I think I am going to start taking on rest day a week. One concern for me is that I am trying to stay at a healthy weight or even lose, so I don't want to slack off on exercise. I think one rest day and a more careful cardio routine will help...you don't think I will gain weight taking one rest day, do you? *worries*

lovenlight,

linz

Nah, one rest day is definitley not going to hurt! In fact, it may help since your body will be able to function more *efficiently* when you DO go back to cardio.



A body that is rested & healed functions better than one that is tired and cranky.

I do three days of cardio (jogging) and other than that I only do yoga. After years of exercise addiction I have finally decided not to do anything excessively violent or painful to my body. (you know, like lots of crunches and pushups). I do some pretty challenging yoga postures...and I do jog which is hard on the knees, but I mostly just like the quiet time...so I enjoy doing that.



I think moderation is the key and if it's hurting, you aren't being moderate.



B

I think over-training can cause you body exhaustion and affect your metabolism; so, basically, you could be doing the opposite of what you want. I would love to run 7 days a week, but I don't because it's too much.



You could do every other day running. If you feel like you want to keep your metabolism running (by the way, after a run or good cardio, working at the fat-burning level, your body continues to burn fat for up to 12 hours after you stop), doing a lot of repetitions with light freeweights after your cardio or on the days off. You could also work out only 4 days a week, but work out twice a day, cutting it in half. So, if you usually run for 1 hour, or run 5 miles, run for 30 minutes, twice a day; or 2 1/2 miles twice a day, weights in between.

Another good fat burner is to wait only 30 second between sets of weights. It will buuuuuurn!

You will feel the fatigue, so concentrate. You don't want to over strain either! Start with 5 lb. weights, they'll work just as well.

I do lots of lifting....4 days a week, rotating upper and lower body exercises. I want to be in super cardiovascular shape, but I woke up this morning with some mega sore knees. Might be the weather, come to think of it, that sometimes makes the situation worse. I'm just really hoping that the pain will chill out and I can keep working out; I'm thinking I'll take every Wednesday as a rest day during the summer. I refuse to take any more than one rest day! I think I better go see the doctor and get an x ray of my knees; this is hugely discouraging to me. Its like a slap in the face: you try to train, eat right, and get in good shape, and you body rebels against you! I'm only 17, I shouldn't have problems with my knees. I am SOOOOO steaming mad at my body!! I dunno what I will do, but I'm not taking another rest day. Better bust out the advil....

lovenlight,

linz

RBM-

Go to the doctor to check things out for sure...but I would bet 10:1 that in an otherwise healthy 17-year-old it is overtraining. I have been there, done that.

P.S. Taking one or two days off for rest will not make you gain weight....you will end up being less hungry anyway. It all balances out if you just let it.

Yea, austinswingrr, I'll agree and reiterate: I believe you're over training, rainbowmoon. Believe me, I know exactly how you feel. It took me years of working out the wrong way to get things right. When I first learned that overtraining works against you, I didn't want to believe it. I over trained for a long time and wondered why the heck I could work out so much and not be cut like others. I chalked it up to genes, but that is only true to an extent. Most people can improve.

You're already feeling the effects of over training in your knees. You do not want to f-up your knees so young! You're going to be ruined before you hit 21!



When you work a muscle, that is only half the workout. It needs to repair the tissue you just ripped in order to tighten and build which is what burns the fat off and gives you cuts. If you don't let it recover, you are constantly ripping it, see? Therefore, little or no results.

You are also working an exhausted muscle. It will turn on you! It will shut down. This is when you are vulnerable to injury. Love your body and it will reward you. Let it rest.



I do understand how you feel though, and it just may be something you'll have to realize on your own.

As well as what everyone else mentioned you might also want to check out the shoes you wear when exercising. If you mostly run/walk outdoors or on a treadmill you'll definitely want a good pair of running shoes. If you use various gym-style cardio machines get a good pair of cross trainers. Also, chuck your shoes out once a year even if they "look" OK. They just simply wear out and need to be replaced with relative frequency. You'd be surprised how much difference a good pair of shoes makes, especially in regard to curbing shin splints and knee/joint pain. New Balance makes a wide variety of vegan athletic shoes and they were very prompt and helpful to me when I e-mailed them asking for a list of acceptable (veg friendly) shoes.

I'm doing The FIRM workouts, and find them enjoyable. I do take 2 days a week completely off, though...usually the weekend (I'm lazy on Saturday and Sunday).



I like combining weights with cardio. Makes the time go faster.

Listen to your body, it's trying to tell you something. You're body is not your enemy, it is the physical manifestation of every thought and feeling you have ever had. Listen to how hard you are being on yourself, it almost sounds like self hate. It's no wonder why you're feeling pain.

You are not going to get fat by treating your body with the love, respect, and giving it the occasional rest it deserves. The stress you're experiencing from your rigid exercise program, and poor body image, will slow down your metabolism, encouraging weight gain faster than taking a couple of days off a week. When you love your body, it loves you back. If you keep plowing thru your pain you're really going to injure yourself to the point of not being able to exercise for months. Then you're really going to panic.

I'm telling you this because I've been there. I've been a long distance runner for the last fifteen years. I've had many injuries over the years. At one point in my life, I hurt myself so badly by running thru the pain, I couldn't even walk for months. It was a lower back injury that made it impossible to even sit up for the first month. It well over a year before I could run a mile again. I learned the hard way.

There is a message in every ache and pain we feel. We have to have the good sense to learn to listen.

If you decided to take a week off to really give it a good rest. You'll only come back a stronger runner.

Now, I never run more than five or six miles, five times a week. I'm a much stronger runner than when I felt I had to be out there everyday. It's a much more enjoyable experience.

I also do yoga five days a week, and work with light weights a few days. In my best running only shape I weighed 128 pounds. Doing the weights and yoga I'm now 112, without any effort.

Let your mantra be "I love myself, and respect and honor my body. It holds a deeper wisdom than my ego".

BTW, how much sugar do you eat? It can really intensify pain and stiffness.

Do you mean refined sugar, or all sugars, including fruit? I eat a good deal of fruit in the course of a day, but almost no refined sugar, save for a little in my cereal.

I know you are right, Baby, and I appreciate your thoughtful reply. I am going to take a few days off serious exercise and do some low impact things. Its hard for me because I know I am overweight and I desperatley want to change that, I'm working 100% as hard as I can to be healthy. Obviously, the fact that my knee hurts like heck is an indication that something is wrong. I intend to take a break from really strenuous exercise and hope that I don't gain any weight. I'm pretty terrified that I will. I have a big old appetite! If I am over training, I will chill out a little. But you guys, PROMISE me I won't gain any weight!!

Thanks sooo much for all of your replies. They are sincerely appreciated!!

lovenlight,

linz

I am no expert, but if your knee is well again and stopped hurting, maybe you could try and look up some knee strengthening exercises to make your knees stronger and more resistant to injury. I read that runners and dancers have pretty weak knees and are prone to knee injuries and pain.