Weight Loss Exercise for Bad Knees

Losing weight can be extremely difficult. The most healthy and effective method is through a fat burning, metabolism increasing exercise program. Because running is a fundamental aspect of many weight loss workouts, knee problems can hinder a person's ability to lose weight through exercising. Nevertheless, there are fat burning exercises that don't put pressure on your knees and are the answer to losing weight with bad knees.

Cardiovascular Training

• Cardiovascular training is the staple of any weight loss program. Performing cardio exercises will help burn fat, burn calories and increase your metabolism. A faster metabolism can help break down the food you consume, rather than storing the extra calories as fat. Aerobic training consists of exercising at a fixed pace to increase your heart rate and keep it elevated for the duration of your workout. Although running is the most frequently used method to perform aerobic training, other exercises do not put as much pressure on your knees. The best cardiovascular exercise that does not put pressure on your knees is swimming. Swimming can improve your overall fitness level and burn more calories in the same time period than jogging. Using the elliptical machine is another way to do cardiovascular training without adding stress to your knees. The elliptical stimulates a running motion, but utilizes gliding ramps for knee relief.

  In order to do aerobic training, start out with a five minute or dynamic stretching session and warm up. This will help reduce the risk of injury. Then pick a pace that is difficult, yet possible to sustain for the entirety of the workout. Aim to exercise for 20 to 45 minutes. Finally, end with a five minute cool down phase that is similar to your warm up. For best results, you should do some sort of cardiovascular exercise three to four times a week.

Resistance Training

• Although cardiovascular training is the key to a weight loss program, it is important to supplement it with light resistance training. Resistance training is a great method to build lean muscles. Even though they are not considered fat burners, resistance exercises will convert fat into lean muscles and significantly increase your metabolism. There are a variety of exercises that will build muscles without having any negative effects on your knees. It is important to focus on all the major muscle groups in your body, including your chest, back, abdominals, and legs. Leg exercises are the only ones that can put pressure or further damage a pair of bad knees. However, legs are too important to ignore and should be trained regularly. Leg lifts, hamstring curls, and partial squats are all exercises that, if done properly, will only work to strengthen the muscles around your knees and improve your mobility. Do each exercise with little to no weight in order to correctly nail the proper motion and make sure you stop at the point when you first feel knee pain. For best weight loss results, you should do light resistance training two to four times a week.