Most of my clients have two things in common.
1.) They are hitting their middle aged years and want to lose body fat.
2.) They have some sort of orthopedic issue such as knee pain.
As you can imagine, it can be a struggle to lose weight if you are having pain which prevents you from exercising.
But the truth is, you can still lose weight with bad knees – you just need to choose the right kind of exercises.
Weight Loss & Exercise
By definition in order to lose weight, you must be in an energy deficit.
This means burning more energy than you take in.
The best way to accomplish a net energy deficit is through both diet and exercise.
But if you have knee pain, you need to be cognizant of which exercises are right for you.
I highly recommend that you consult with a coach, before you embark on your journey so that you don’t injure yourself.
Aerobic Exercise
Also known as cardio.
It is one of the best ways to exercise for weight loss.
But traditional load-bearing cardio is not going to fare well if you have trouble with your knees.
You need a low impact form of cardio that allows you to stay in an aerobic state.
And that’s why I specifically prescribe cardio on the stationary exercise bike to all of my clients with bad knees.
The stationary bike will allow you to hit your target heart rate (more on that later) without stressing your knee joints.
Burning Fat as Fuel
As I mentioned, you need to be in a net energy deficit to lose body fat.
In order to burn fat as your fuel source, you need to be doing your cardio at a specific heart rate.
A little briefing on energy metabolism.
Your muscle fibers require ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) to contract.
ATP is made from your energy stores (derived from the food you consume).
As you can imagine, adipose tissue – aka fat – is one of your body’s largest stores of energy.
In order to tap into this huge energy bank, you need to tell your muscle fibers to use it for fuel.
Depending on the intensity of exercise that you perform, your body will select different fuel sources.
And if you want to burn fat as your primary fuel source, you need to be contracting your type 1 muscle fibers.
These muscle fibers are recruited during lower intensities and longer durations of cardiovascular activity.
Target Heart Rate
In order to burn fat and begin losing weight, you need to stay at a target heart rate of (180-your age).
This heart rate corresponds to recruiting mostly type 1 muscle fibers and therefore burning fat as your primary fuel source.
So if you are 50 for example, your target heart rate would be (180-50 = 150 beats per minute).
Once you know your target heart rate, you need a specific cardio prescription that is based on your specific needs which is why I recommend talking to a coach.
Feel free to email me at jakob@rozefit.com and I’ll be glad to point you in the right direction.
Strength Training with Bad Knees
Now the next strategy I implement with my clients that have bad knees is a strength training protocol.
But the stakes are higher when it comes to this one because of course the risk of injury is higher with load bearing activities.
That being said, in order to strengthen your knees – you actually need to load them.
But they need to be loaded with the correct duration and frequency.
To get started, never work into pain.
You might feel your knees when you are performing the exercises, but you never want to be in pain.
Isometric Wall Sit
Limit your depth to 45 degrees of knee flexion.
This will prevent the joint from experiencing too much force.
Your goal is to hold this position for as long as you can for each set.
This is entirely relative to your own fitness and strength level.
If you can only hold it for 15 seconds to start, that is perfectly fine.
Perform 3 sets and adjust your depth to make sure that your knees are not in pain.
Chair Squat
You also want to limit your depth to 45 degrees of knee flexion with this one.
That’s why I recommend putting some books on the chair to raise the height.
Perform 3 sets of 12 reps and make sure your knees are not in pain.
If you are feeling pain, raise the height of the chair so that you are not sitting as deep.
Over time, you can decrease the height of the chair and sit deeper as you get stronger.
Banded Hip Bridge
Your glutes are a major knee stabilizer and they need to be strong in order to protect your knees.
Place the band above your knees and lay flat on the floor, making sure your lower back is in contact with the ground.
Keep your stomach tight and bridge your hips into extension and contract your glutes at the top of the movement.
Repeat the motion for 3 sets of 12 reps.
Bottom Line
If you have bad knees and want to lose weight, you need to be performing cardiovascular activity and strength training.
I’ve written extensively about these topics and you can read more about them here.
I also provide coaching services if you are looking for someone to guide you step by step.
Good luck and I look forward to hearing from you!