Simple, you just need to find similar exercises that reduce stress to the knee. For instance, I can't run for more then 30mins so I used an eliptical since it greatly reduced joint stress and allows me to go twice as long.
Well that was about 7 years ago, but I don't recall having knee pain. The only time I noticed pain was returning to the gym after healing from a ACL, MCL, and Miniscus tear. What does your leg day look like?

I've only used knee bands a select number of times when doing extremely heavy squats, and they did help with stability. However, they will only mask what is causing your knee pain; could hereditary, Osteochondritis dissecans, Osgood-Schlatter Disease, Chondromalacia, and the list goes on... I have had plenty of joint pain throughout the years from lifting and have found 2 supplements to be of extreme help; Microlactin and Glucosamine. You can get them at just about every nutrition store. Below I have included a link to some really good knee bands, a lot of guys I know use them: http://www.prowriststraps.com/knee_wrap ... ht_lifting

I agree with adam... i do my share of heavy squats every other week and use knee wraps.. it's not that ur knees will get dependent on them it's more the fact that when u use them, the area around ur knee like ur joints and ligaments wont gain as much strength to match ur muscles which will cause them to eventually hurt as u go up in weight and at the same time ur slowely crushing ur joints with heavy weight... I like to us wraps only when i know im lifting serious weight and i do get pains from time to time, but u should also work on ur form... a smith machine is great for correcting form or putting less stress on the knee because u can lift ur feet forward a tad... aches usually start when ur bent too far over and ur knees; if u was to take a straight ruler from your knee to the floor your knee should line up with the tip of your toes...

basically focus on form work ur way up and use wraps when u need them, same with lifting belts

One reason that causes a lot of people to get joint pain and muscle pain is that they stress results too much. I know I've mentioned this before but I want to say it again, muscles grow fast, bones grow slow. In order to bulk up and to be able to lift heavier weights you simply have to prepare your body for it.
When I was younger, before I was a trainer I had a goal of benching 225lbs, I tried to pack on more weight to the bar every week, but the only thing that happened was that I got pain every where and eventually I started to lose muscle and I lifted less than before.
After this I stopped stressing results, when I grew older and smarter I stopped thinking about distant goals and concentrated on goals for the workout I was doing right now. I did mixed sets, weights between 135 and 185lbs, and one day I put on 225 again and I lifted it just as easy as 185. I had also bulked up with a lot of muscles.

What I want to say with this story is that you don't have to lift incredible weights to gain result. But you have to work yourself tired everytime you workout, you have to challenge yourself. When Arnold Schwarzenegger was making a comeback in the Terminator movie he worked out by doing 3-5 sets of 15 reps per exercise, with that many reps you won't lift very much, but you will really work yourself tired. This is an example of an endurance workout, to gain great results without hurting yourself you should mix, endurance, strength and cardio. Mixed training is not only safer and more efficient, it is also more fun.

Now about the knees, many people don't have the knees to do a squat when using additional weights. If your knees hurt, don't do it! I battled a knee injury a few years ago, it prevented me from squatting and lunging with weights for a year. Instead I ran, I ran flat, I ran in hills, I did jumps, all sorts of great workouts using only my bodyweight. My knees became much stronger than before my injury.
Another mistake that most people I see in gyms do is they squat deeper that 90degrees, you knees are not meant to carry weight in this position, you will sooner or later get an injury of some sort!
Think of it, there are no natural bodymovements that require you to carry weight with your knees in this position.
And also I recommend anyone with a hurting joint to use warming supports, you can buy them in most sports stores and they do wonders!

Please don't hesitate to ask me if you have any questions

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Slywalker

10 things I wish someone taught me about Pick Up 10-things-i-wish-someone-taught-me-vt53087.html

Slywalker, you really know your stuff, thank you so much, your posts are always a good read.

With the deep squats, howcome a lot of bodybuilders recommend going all the way down.

Sky,
What is your opinion on the weight per time theory?

I am talking about the effective weight you lifted in the time, so if it took you a min to do 5 reps of 130lbs it would be less benifitial than doing 10 reps of 100lbs because 5x130 in 1 min = 650lbs whereas 100x10 in 1 min is 1000lbs a min. Therefore you muscles have worked more in the same amount of time but it is less stressful on bones and joints?
Madals

A lot of bodybuilders also recommend steroids which makes you lose your hair and your nuts lol.
But seriously: This is kind of new research, a lot of personal trainers will also tell you to squat all the way down, but if you talk to any sportsphysician or physical therapist they can tell you the risks behind it.
As I've said before, I believe in variation, If your body is strong enough to handle the weight, a good heavy workout is great. But you need to mix it with with a more light weight endurance workout. This is usually how you improve your results best, Your muscles will enhance if you work out with heavy weights and give them a real beating, but your bones and joints will improve the most from an endurance workout, so try to find a good balance of mixing the two!

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Slywalker

10 things I wish someone taught me about Pick Up 10-things-i-wish-someone-taught-me-vt53087.html

This thread hasn't really seen action in the last while, but hopefully I can get a reply. I've got a cardio injury problem that's driving me crazy...

I've been doing a lot of running on the treadmill over the winter months as I've been trying to get ready for the upcoming soccer season. Overall, things have been good, and I've been doing 10km (6.25 miles) over 45 minutes 3-4 times a week. I've lost all of my Christmas weight, and I'm raring to get onto the pitch once the weather gets better...

I often tend to get some tightness in my calves, but I can usually prevent anything bad by stretching and drinking lots of water. However, two weeks ago, after about 7km, my right calf just seized up all of a sudden and wouldn't let go. It's happened before, so I knew it was a muscle strain and that I needed to rest and stop running right there and then. After two weeks, the calf felt fine and I felt ready to go again. So last night, I get back on the treadmill, and things are beautiful. Then at the same damn point (7km) the same calf locks up. It feels like I'm going to have to stop running again, which would really suck, because soccer training is going to be starting in the next week or two, and I'm really getting shortchanged in terms of preparation.

So I'm sorry for the long post, but on to my questions. First, can you recommend something to get over this more quickly? I'd really hate if I have to just sit for another couple of weeks. Second, is there something I could do to prevent this from happening in the future? Should I be doing something different in my running style, or should I possibly be doing something to strengthen my calves?

It's kinda funny that you ask me about this problem now because the same thing happened to me last week.
The Best way to treat a muscle ache such as this one is with heat!
Cold should be applied to injuries but this should be considered more as an ache and should be treated by applying heat.
When you are not working out you should apply a warming ointment, massage in to the calf muscles, do this 3-4 times a day, or pick up a HB and have her do it lol
When you are working out you should wear a calf support, they are tight, provide support and they generate heat and should keep your calf from hurting while running.
One thing that could cause this is tension, do you stretch your calfs before and after your cardio workout? Try to relax as you are running to avoid unnecessary tension in your body.
Working out your calfs more using strength exercises and jump exercises is not a bad idea either.

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Slywalker

10 things I wish someone taught me about Pick Up 10-things-i-wish-someone-taught-me-vt53087.html

Haha, I was going to say it must be the cold weather, but then I saw you're in California!

Anyhow, the heat was a great call. After you mentioned that, I've been wrapping a hot towel around the calf in the morning and at night as well as rubbing in the A535, and it feels great. Also, while I do stretch before and after the workout, I think lately I might have been getting lazy and rushing through it without giving myself a full & proper stretch. So on top of paying full attention to stretching, I'm also going to see if it helps to warm up the muscles a bit by going up & down some stairs first; I think I'm setting myself up for pain by coming in from the cold and going straight to the treadmill...

Thanks again for the great advice!

rigoberto, I'm also a personal trainer but originally a pretty hardcore runner. Skywalker's advice is very sound. About the heat SPAM I'd like to add one little caveat. Don't make the mistake of applying heat right after you come back from a workout, especially after a long run. After workouts is the time to ice your muscles because of the inflammation. If you need clarification when to ice and when to heat just ask. Also, in my experience a lot of running related injuries come from improper shoes. Make sure you're using running shoes and if you have a local specialty running store, get there advice on which shoe to get based on your time of stride (over/normal/under pronation)

hope this helps!

oh and skywalker, i like this thread you got going, I'll try to keep up and help out.

Right on Flashpoint, way to put your first post at the right place!

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Slywalker

10 things I wish someone taught me about Pick Up 10-things-i-wish-someone-taught-me-vt53087.html

Nice, thanks Flashpoint and Sly. I just bought a new pair of running shoes after Christmas, and I did notice a BIG improvement, but since I seem to be aging in dog years, I think pain is going to be inevitable and I'm going to have to do what I can to minimize and prevent. Since I started playing soccer last week, I seem to be having similar issues with my hamstrings as well now (my body's falling apart!), so I think I'm definitely going to hit you up for some more detailed advice on the whole ice/heat thing. If you don't mind, I'll probably fire you two a PM in the next few days to get the details down.

Cheers!

I just want to suggest something to all my fellow PUA friends, next time you are takin a girl out on a date, or just meeting causally, workout together!

The gym is a great place to go together, you can help her workout, use a lot of kino, gym is fun and creates fun scenarios.
Afterwards you can share a protein shake together and discuss workout methods.

Just goin out joggin together is also fun.

Doing something like this together with the girl is in my experience going to create a stronger connection than a normal date.
And doing something like this will also keep the conversation up because you will always have something to talk about.

Just try it, it works great!

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Slywalker

10 things I wish someone taught me about Pick Up 10-things-i-wish-someone-taught-me-vt53087.html

slywalker,
I want to up my core strength a lot (specifically lower back, 6 packs doing great). Could you give me some advice on exercises to do that will help with the strength there (looking for balance).
The only thing to keep in mind which is causing me problems is that i have a spinal fusion on the vertebra t4 to L4 (mid shoulder blade to mid lumber).

Madals

My personal favorite exercise for lower back are dead lifts, I don't think this would be a good exercise for you cosidering your fused vertebras, but if you can do it, it is very efficient.

Hyperextensions and side bends are also great, I think you should be able to do those without any problems, a found a video on youtube explaining hyperextensions. The guy talking sounds a bit retarded but you can watch it with the sound off
A side bend is a hyperextension, only you are on your side on the bench, bending from left to right and vice versa.
Here is the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLYwZLWF ... re=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLYwZLWF ... re=related
You don't need a specially made bench for hyperextensions, you can just use a flat bench or a pilates ball, just lock your feet in something or have someone hold them.

Another great exercise is "the plank" a yoga exercise where you are on the floor, only touching the ground with your toes and your underarms (elbow and down) stand in this positions straight as you can (straight as a plank duh) and just hold it for as long as you can.
Time yourself so you can monitor improvements!

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Slywalker

10 things I wish someone taught me about Pick Up 10-things-i-wish-someone-taught-me-vt53087.html