Alternative Weight-Bearing Exercises for a Bad Knee

Although some people decide to wholly abandon their exercise program after a chronic injury such as constant knee pain, there are just as many dedicated trainees who focus on finding ways to keep their fitness levels high by working around the injury. A bad knee need not signal the demise of your fitness "career"--a bad knee only means that you should avoid certain exercises in favor of other, low-impact alternatives, to continue getting stronger in spite of this setback.

  1. Alternative Cardio Exercises

    • Perform low-impact cardiovascular exercises to compensate for a bad knee. Low-impact cardio exercises are any exercise in which the knee is not exposed to an intense level of stress (weight-bearing) with each footfall (as with running or sprinting). The most basic form of low-impact exercise for someone with a bad knee is basic brisk walking (outdoors, on a treadmill, or at a track). If you feel that walking is not challenging enough for your level of fitness, consider swimming, cycling, or using cardio machines such as an elliptical trainer or a StairMaster. These are all good types of exercise for someone with bad knees, according to information from NBC New York.

      No matter which exercise type you choose, remain aware of the condition of your knee at all times. Be willing to abandon the exercise if you begin to experience pain, regardless of how low-impact the actual exercise might be. Staying proactive and maintaining a willingness to compromise your exercise plan for the greater good is the key to ensuring that you will still be able to train 10 years down the line despite your bad knee.

    Alternative Strength Exercises

    • Perform isolation work for the lower body, such as the quad extension or the hamstring curl, by using machines. These exercises can target the muscles of the upper leg without placing undue stress on the knee itself. If you absolutely must engage in lower-body training with free weights despite your bad knee, consider performing a box squat or deadlifts to train around your condition.

      A box squat is nothing more than a regular squat (performed with either barbells or dumbbells) in which you sit back onto a box instead of sitting back in midair. This will allow you to sit back farther than you could without support, so you can fully keep your knees behind your toes, alleviating stress off the joint.

      A deadlift is nothing more than lifting a loaded barbell off the ground and standing with it. Simply place a loaded barbell on the ground with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart, bend over and grip the bar with your hands slightly outside of your legs, brace your abdominals and keep your head and chest held high. Stand up with the bar until your body is fully erect--your knees should remain behind your toes throughout. This is a challenging free-weight exercise that can easily be used to work around the problem of a bad knee.