Weight and Resistance Training Boost weight loss, and look great!

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Old 12-21-2005, 03:35 PM   #16  
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I really would suggest moving to free weights instead of the machines. The issue isn't which will make you stronger, but which will make you fitter. Machines are excellent for isolating one particular muscle or muscle group, but do nothing to improve your core strength, your balance, neuromuscular feedback, etc. The motions that you can do with machines are much more limited than free weights. Learn some of the big compound joint exercises like squats- you will develop far more strength and muscle that doing leg extensions. Machines were developed for bodybuilders to improve isolation and hypertrophy of individual muscles.

Please don't give up cardio entirely. Your heart is a muscle that needs exercise, as well as the rest of your vascular and respiratory systems. Pat mentioned 20 minutes 3 times a wook- I'd consider that minimal. Make sure you are working hard enough to make it count!

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Old 12-21-2005, 07:54 PM   #17  
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Robert--I had no idea there was such a thing as those magnetic plates you are talking about. For the most part, the jumps aren't too bad, but I'll look into it if the need arises.

Mel--I won't give up my cardio completely. After all, I kind of enjoy it I have a problem doing exercises like squats because of my knees, which is one reason I like the machines for leg exercises. I've been doing a lot of leg extensions to help my knees, as the "gym guy" recommended and they do seem to be getting a little stronger already, so I might be able to move on to squats pretty soon.
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Old 12-21-2005, 08:47 PM   #18  
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Jill, some folks actually recommend squats for knee problems, especially patellofemoral pain syndrome or PF (I don't know what your actual problem with your knees is) . Check out Krista's site, here,
http://www.stumptuous.com/weights_index_revision.html

Here's a portion of what she says:

Quote:
Despite all that stuff about squats supposedly being bad for your knees, full depth squats are actually great for knee rehab. They strengthen all the leg muscles with a compound, natural movement. If you can squat without pain, then by all means do so, even if you can't use any weight. If you can't squat the full range, squat in the range of motion that is pain-free for you, and gradually try to increase the range. Front squats are an ideal exercise, both because they put more emphasis on the quads, and because they seem to put pressure differently on the knee joint. When I was having real PF problems, I could do full depth front squats with no difficulty whatsoever.

Some folks recommend leg extensions, but I am very hesitant to recommend these. Putting frontal/lateral as opposed to downward force along the shin (tibia) can actually worsen knee problems with the shearing force that is created in the joint. If you choose to do leg extensions, do them with very light weight, and only the top 1/3 of the movement (like from nearly straight leg to straight leg) and don't lock your knee.
I have chondromalacia patella, which refers to a wearing of the cartilage under the kneecap, and while I have to be careful, I find that doing squats does actually help strengthen them. The key is maintaining good form. The worse things I found for my particular problem is any movement that requires twist the knees quickly, especially with weight such as many movements done in aerobics and step classes. Squats done slowly and correctly doesn't hurt them.

Good luck with your weight training!
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Old 12-21-2005, 08:48 PM   #19  
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Many trainers consider leg extensions to be about the worse thing you can do if you have bad knees. Why do you have problems doing squats? you can do body weight squats holding on to resistance tubing looped around a post of some sort if you can't use weight yet. Do you have actual knee problems or just lack of strength at this point?

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Old 12-21-2005, 08:49 PM   #20  
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Pat- we were posting at the same time. Great answer

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Old 12-22-2005, 01:41 AM   #21  
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I wish I could remember what my doctor called my knee problems. Basically, though, my kneecaps are more towards the outside than toward the middle, where they should be, if that makes sense. She said it would eventually get so bad that I would need surgery, if I didn't do anything about it. She suggested squeezing a ball between my knees and holding for 10 seconds (like Suzanne Somer's thigh master), and doing several reps of these. I do the same thing with one of the machines at the gym and am up to 40 pounds. Basically, it's to strengthen the inner thigh muscles (you can tell I don't know much about weight lifting--don't know the names of the muscles they work) to kind of pull the kneecaps back where they are supposed to be. Anyway, since my kneecaps are not in line where they should be, when I squat down (even without weight, just to get something off a low shelf or whatever) my knees pop and crack and cause me pain. Kind of a grinding feeling.

The leg extensions are seeming to help so far. I do them very slowly and with very light weight. I wouldn't be opposed to doing squats, I just don't want to hurt myself. I'm so new to this I just want to kinda ease into it.

BTW, I noticed today that my legs are really getting firmer to the touch (underneath my flab, that is). It's so exciting!
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Old 12-22-2005, 10:28 AM   #22  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hellcatjill
I wish I could remember what my doctor called my knee problems. Basically, though, my kneecaps are more towards the outside than toward the middle, where they should be, if that makes sense. She said it would eventually get so bad that I would need surgery, if I didn't do anything about it. She suggested squeezing a ball between my knees and holding for 10 seconds (like Suzanne Somer's thigh master), and doing several reps of these. I do the same thing with one of the machines at the gym and am up to 40 pounds. Basically, it's to strengthen the inner thigh muscles (you can tell I don't know much about weight lifting--don't know the names of the muscles they work) to kind of pull the kneecaps back where they are supposed to be. Anyway, since my kneecaps are not in line where they should be, when I squat down (even without weight, just to get something off a low shelf or whatever) my knees pop and crack and cause me pain. Kind of a grinding feeling.

The leg extensions are seeming to help so far. I do them very slowly and with very light weight. I wouldn't be opposed to doing squats, I just don't want to hurt myself. I'm so new to this I just want to kinda ease into it.

BTW, I noticed today that my legs are really getting firmer to the touch (underneath my flab, that is). It's so exciting!
Mel and Pat are right about the squats being really good for your knees if done with good form. Unfortunately squats are one of the more difficult exercises to get right, especially for tall people like yourself.

I wonder if you might benefit from doing full squats (all the way down) with dumbells? I would imagine that it would be easier to do these with good form without much coaching. Overhead squats and front squats would also be good, especially if you don't find using dumbells challenging enough.

Box squats really helped my squatting form, although lately I have been doing full squats on a plate loaded machine (Preco "Super Squat").

Tall people are generally good deadlifters and lousy bench pressers and squaters, so you might give deads a try as well.
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Old 12-22-2005, 11:22 AM   #23  
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Usually that condition is caused by having underdeveloped hamstring muscles in relation to the strength of your quadriceps. Doing leg extensions will make it worse. You need to do some exercises to strengthen your hamstrings as well. Deadlifts, lying or standing hamstring curls, very deep squats (not good for a beginner), 45 degree angle leg press with your feet high and wide on the platform, deep hack squats. And more deadlifts

If you can swing it, I'd suggest a few sessions with an experienced trainer.

This is a really common problem among distance runners.

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Old 12-22-2005, 11:42 AM   #24  
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Quote:
Unfortunately squats are one of the more difficult exercises to get right
Why so? They've always seemed pretty intuitive to me, but now I wonder if I've been doing 'em wrong.
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Old 12-22-2005, 01:05 PM   #25  
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Okay, I've done some digging on the internet. They say squats and leg presses are good exercises for strengthening quads, which is necessary for keeping my "unstable kneecap" in place. I have been doing the leg presses (the kind where you lay almost on your back and press up) and I can definitely tell my legs are getting stronger.

I've been trying to find little diagrams online for doing deadlifts, since I'd never even heard of them. Do you keep your legs straight when doing them or bend them? Or should I do both, since the stiff-legged ones are supposed to be good for my butt?
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Old 12-22-2005, 01:30 PM   #26  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ShannonM
Why so? They've always seemed pretty intuitive to me, but now I wonder if I've been doing 'em wrong.
For some people it comes natural. Somebody like Fred Hatfield or Paul Anderson are just built for sqautting. Most tall people are built more for deads.

I have an exceptionally long torso, even for somebody 6'4" which really screws me up if i lean to far forward. That combined with weak quads gives me alot of problems when i squat. I have heard other tall people also say they do better with front squats because it helps keep them upright.
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