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I hope I didn't come across as advocating ignoring legs altogether. I just think that weight loading an injured or debilitated joint can be very bad. Also, exercises that isolate the big thigh muscle groups (like quad extensions and hamstring curls) can be extremely hard on your knees. That's unnatural load distribution and it encourages unnatural wear patterns. I'll see if I can scan an image of my knee MRI and post it here to illustrate how bad that can be.
Cycling hard is a great lower body exercise that gets every muscle group and doesn't subject your knees to forces they are not designed to tolerate. If you look at seasoned spinners legs, they aren't exactly undeveloped.
Totally agree about water training.
I agree that loading an already injured joint is bad, but one of the best things to do for bad knees is to target the quadriceps but safely...
There are ways to strengthen the quads without using the knees, isometrics, particularly straight leg raises are excellent. Your quads are your shock absorbers for the knee, the stronger they are, the less forces your knees will see.
I would also disagree that the knee was not "designed" for running...that has been pretty well disproven with longitudinal studies showing NO increase in arthritic changes of the knees of long time distance runners compared to age matched controls....
In fact, most of the long distance runners had healthier knees than the controls
That being said, if the original poster is developing knee problems than an alternative to running may be best.
The way I have done this is probably a bit unorthodox, but something like this: <snip>
I'm doing that now but I don't rotate. My current plan is like this:
dumbell bench press, 10x65#
rest 30 seconds (i grab a sip of coffee then grab more weights)
dumbell bench press, ?x70# (usually 8, the last few are pure hell)
rest 30 seconds (sip coffee)
dumbell bench press, ?x75
rest then move in to reverse pull downs, then skull crushers then sitting shoulder press then bar curls.
After that I can barely move. Sometimes on the 3rd rep I'll go back down to my original weight (like 65#).
Body For Life uses the above one, I think Cross Fit does too along with a ton of others. I started the above after thanksgiving, in a month (except for a week) there is a visible difference in my arms. Coworkers have commented on them, even a couple of the gym folks.
On my off days I do cardio, walk briskly for 30 min either on the treadmill if it's too cold (sorry, but I'm not walking for 30 min when it's 8F out with 35mph winds). I did this last year and did a 20 min walk after my workout. Lost 20# in 2 months.
Strength train Many studies are out that show that high intensity strength training works best for weight loss and management and it speeds up your metabolism for up to 72 hours. You produce more cortisol doing cardio then you do strength training. Cortisol is a fat producing hormone.
As we age we do not release the Growth Hormones of our youth and strength training is the only exercise that will release the most growth hormones. Growth hormones are what keeps us young and helps in the building of muscle. High Intensity is the rep range of 6-8 or 8-10 depending on your fitness level and if you have been lifting weights for awhile. You can even use your own body weight if you are a beginner by doing pushups, step-ups, etc. Just make sure the rest period is short and you are putting a demand on your body. I have been fitness professional for over 15 years and for the past 10 years my clients of all ages do no more then a leisurely walk for 20-30 minutes/ 2-3 times a week if that. Most of the training time is strength training between 15-20 minutes. The results are amazing.
maryellenjordan@bepositivelyfit.com
There was a study a few years ago that found running burns calories only while running. However, resistance training (like weights) burns very little calories while doing the exercise BUT continues to burn calories long after the exercise is complete. The next part of the equation is the fact that the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn while doing your normal everyday routine. What some recommend is to begin a resistance training program to develop muscles. This can be calistenics like push-ups or weight training exercises. Doing this on a regular basis combined with light walking will get you off to a good start. The jury is still out on what is the best way to combine cardio and resistance training. Some will lift weights one day and do cardio the next while some will do cardio and weights on the same day.
Running at 5 MPH (1 mile every 12 mins) and swimming laps at a moderate rate, BOTH burn the same amount of calories.
Swimming involves the arms, shoulders and upper body more than running and it does NOT pound your knees.
There are other forms of aqua-cise that involve weights too.
In addition to swimming, do the weight lifting as well, they both offer different benefits, but in total should keep you in great shape.
There is some evidence that weight training, especially in older people, helps some sort of mitochondria stuff to keep re-generating and works to keep a body younger and healthier. I read numerous papers each day, can't recall where I read this, but it was within past two days.
thanks for the replies! I think eliptical could be a good comprimise for me...
I second the cycling suggestion. You can cover more area and see mroe things all while getting a great cardio workout.
As for your knees, I wouldn't give up on them. There are injection treatments that are helping so many poeple who never thought they would run again. It's a very simple outpatient procedure...assuming this is the solution for you.
The treatment is a substance that comes from a rooster, however you won't be waking up at 5 am cockadootledooing and sitting on fence posts.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bluedevilz
I agree that loading an already injured joint is bad, but one of the best things to do for bad knees is to target the quadriceps but safely...
There are ways to strengthen the quads without using the knees, isometrics, particularly straight leg raises are excellent. Your quads are your shock absorbers for the knee, the stronger they are, the less forces your knees will see.
I would also disagree that the knee was not "designed" for running...that has been pretty well disproven with longitudinal studies showing NO increase in arthritic changes of the knees of long time distance runners compared to age matched controls....
In fact, most of the long distance runners had healthier knees than the controls
That being said, if the original poster is developing knee problems than an alternative to running may be best.
I certainly hope I didn't imply that the human knees were not designed for running. From an biological / evolutionary perspective, that's definitely a losing argument.
I was hoping to contrast hard cycling and body-weight exercises against things like quad extensions. It would be difficult to convince me that straightening the leg from a seated position against a heavy opposing force applied to the lower shin is something my knees are designed to tolerate (and is probably why my articular cartiledge looks like swiss cheese).
That's an interesting tidbit about distance runners and their knees. I never had knee problems until I was out of football and started to relax my running regimine.
running for 30 minutes (9-10 minute miles)
or
weight lifting for 30 minutes (high rep-low weight)
I am usually a runner, but my knees are giving out...thinking of going to weightlifting to save my knees.
I used to be a long-distance runner, but I developed knee problems. So now I use the elliptical and love it. But I also lift weights and would recommend you add that to your routine.
As for your original question, running tends to burn more calories, but weight-lifting has a nice little side-effect that running doesn't. It keeps your metabolism elevated well after your exercise session is done whereas running tends to only burn calories DURING exercise. The exception is High Intensity Interval Training which gives the same afterburn effect that weight lifting does. I think exercise plan should include both cardio and weight training.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mejordan
You produce more cortisol doing cardio then you do strength training. Cortisol is a fat producing hormone.
As we age we do not release the Growth Hormones of our youth and strength training is the only exercise that will release the most growth hormones.
It would be more accurate to say cortisol is a fat-storing hormone since it tells your body to store fat, not burn it. But the idea that cardio can make you fat is ludicrous. I do weight training and interval training and saw moderate results, but it wasn't until I added steady-state cardio first thing in the morning that I really saw my body fat levels drop. That's not to say you can't lose fat without doing it. But what you said about cortisol makes it sound like doing steady-state cardio increases your chances of gaining fat. People shouldn't be afraid of cardio. It doesn't make you fat and despite what bodybuilders tell you, it doesn't make you lose muscle provided you're taking in enough calories.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sailordave
What some recommend is to begin a resistance training program to develop muscles.
I think it makes more sense to focus on fat loss first before trying to gain muscle. While it's true that the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, it's also true that to gain muscle, you have to eat more than you burn and to lose fat, you have to eat less than you burn. The risk when you're trying to gain muscle is that you gain fat with it. So if you're trying to add muscle to burn the fat you have, why risk adding more fat? Better to burn off the unwanted fat and then switch to muscle building. But weight lifting should be part of a fat loss plan, if for no other reason than to protect against muscle loss while on a restricted calorie diet.
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what burns more calories
Many studies are out that show that high intensity strength training works best for weight loss and management and it speeds up your metabolism for up to 72 hours. You produce more cortisol doing cardio then you do strength training. Cortisol is a fat producing hormone. 
