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Category: Excercise

  • Exercises for a Torn Meniscus in the Knee

    Exercises for a Torn Meniscus in the Knee

    Besides undergoing surgery and utilizing knee rehabilitation equipment post-surgery, I have learned that I can also practice some basic stretching exercises regularly for a torn meniscus in the knee. Not only do I have a torn meniscus in my right knee, but I have one in my left knee as well.

    Recently, I was introduced to a special type of conditioning. It is used in preparation for practicing a specific form of martial arts training: Jiu-Jitsu. My friend who facilitates this training is a concrete contractor. Several years ago, he was having a terrible time with his knees and could barely get around, let alone do his job effectively.

    Around that time, a couple of guys he worked with noticed the pain he was experiencing as well as his mobility issues on the job site. They invited him to join their training classes to teach him the routine of exercises and stretching that goes along with the Jiu-Jitsu martial arts form. It worked so well that he now passes along and coaches this same routine to others for fun and for free.

    What a blessing his training has been in my life because even after only a few weeks of practicing this, I can feel the pain slightly subsiding and my mobility increasing. Put it this way, I can go up the stairs like normal again instead of clutching the railing and pulling myself up each stair one foot at a time. Shoot, sometimes it would hurt so bad I would literally crawl up the stairs!

    According to Healthline, “A meniscus tear is a common knee injury that often affects people who play contact sports. It can also be caused by wear and tear and doing everyday activities that put pressure on the knee joint, such as squatting to pick something up or getting in and out of a car.

    This injury occurs when a person tears the protective cartilage in the knee.

    Once you have your doctor’s approval to begin exercising, try some of these exercises to enhance your strength and stability following a meniscus tear.

    1. Quadriceps setting

    Quadriceps setting is an isometric exercise to strengthen the front thigh muscles.

    2. Mini-squats

    Mini-squats are another type of exercise that can strengthen the quadriceps.

    3. Straight leg raise

    This exercise both strengthens the quadriceps and stretches the hamstrings, or the muscles that run up the backs of your thighs.

    4. Hamstring heel digs

    This exercise works to strengthen the hamstrings and challenge the abdominal muscles.

    5. Leg extensions

    This exercise can be performed while seated, which means you can do it almost anywhere.

    6. Standing heel raises

    This exercise strengthens your gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, which together make up your calf muscles.

    7. Clams

    This exercise targets your hip abductors. It helps you strengthen your gluteus medius and gluteus minimus muscles.

    8. Hamstring curls

    This exercise strengthens the muscles on the backs of your thighs,”.

    (Photo Credit: Roll Bliss)

    What is Jiu-Jitsu mostly about?

    Each Saturday morning, from nine until eleven-ish, we start with a meditation period, then move on to stretching and exercises, ending with the last half hour mainly focused on breathing. Those who know me know that it must be working to get my butt out of bed early on a Saturday morning! The weekends are the days I usually get to sleep in.

    Starting at noon, they begin Jiu-Jitsu training and grappling. My friend/coach has offered to train me in that area, too. Although I have two years of Tae-Kwon-Do experience and have always been fascinated with martial arts, the wrestling-style ground fighting Jiu-Jitsu practices is not my favorite.

    The experts at Essential Jiu-Jitsu explain that, “The word ‘jiu jitsu’ derives from the Japanese ‘Jū’ meaning ‘gentle’ and ‘Jutsu’ meaning ‘art’; essentially, jiu jitsu is the ‘gentle art’.

    …the origins of jiu jitsu are believed to go back thousands of years. There are several theories concerning its very first beginnings, but many agree that it can at least be traced back 4,000 years ago, to Buddhist monks in India, who needed to protect themselves during their travels without inflicting harm on their attackers. It then spread to feudal Japan, where it developed into an effective hand-to-hand combat during war, before transitioning to become more of an art form and a competitive activity. Some even argue for much older origins than India, dating back to the earliest forms of ‘grappling’, which are immortalized on the walls of ancient Greek and Egyptian ruins,”.

    Most importantly, for my friend, it has made sense for his knee recovery process because, as mentioned by Essential Jiu-Jitsu, “Because jiu jitsu presents a combination of dynamic and explosive movements with pressure-based isometric pushing, pulling, and holding, it helps to develop increased strength and cardio, as well as promotes weight loss and improved muscle tone,”.

    Jiu Jitsu workout at home

    A few weeks ago, we did not have our Saturday morning training. Since we use a mixed martial arts studio, they occasionally have “belt testing,” and we cannot practice at our usual time. My friend sent a group text suggesting we practice at home until the following week, but I am new and do not know exactly what to practice yet.

    Let’s see what the folks at Kingz suggest for practicing the technical stand-up drill at home, “Standing up from the ground isn’t about panic; it’s tactical. It’s a skill. The technical stand-up helps you disengage; it’s your exit strategy, keeping you balanced and protected.

    What it is

    BJJ technical stand-up drills show up after guard breaks, failed sweeps, or moments when distance is the smarter choice than forcing an exchange.

    How to train it at home

    Sit down. One hand posts behind you like a kickstand, the opposite foot flat and loaded. Keep the other leg light and ready. Lift your hips, slide that free leg back under you. Push through your hips, pull the leg through, and stand up. Reset and switch sides.

    Speed doesn’t matter when practicing this BJJ solo drill; precision does.

    Key focus

    Keep your lead hand up with an open palm to protect your head. This habit helps in transitions and when creating space.

    Common mistakes to avoid

    Crossing your feet during the transition. Or, staring at the ground. Why? Because both mistakes wreck your balance. Eyes forward. Pretend your training partner’s still hunting, because in live rounds, they are!

    A clean technical stand-up works as a reset that puts you back in control. You don’t just escape; you’re choosing when and how to re-engage,”.

    Still waiting on my coach to send me a list of his special drills to work on at home!

    Exercises for a torn meniscus in the knee

    In conclusion, consistent, doctor-approved exercise and patient practice can strengthen the knees, improve mobility, and make everyday movement feel safer, easier, and more manageable again.

  • Knee Pain Exercises to Avoid

    Knee Pain Exercises to Avoid

    From painful experience, I have found that these activities and exercises must be avoided with my knee pain:

    • Stair climbing
    • Squats
    • Jumping
    • Running
    • Lunges

    For those of us who played sports in excess and even played through the pain, later in life, we must face the reality of the responsibility of attending to overworked injuries. For example, I played many sports and in trying to look tough, I made any injury that occurred worse. Unfortunately, as I have heard, you cannot save your face and your butt at the same time! I certainly wish my twenty-something old self had heeded that warning.

    As a result, now in my early fifties, I am nursing the following injuries:

    • Torn meniscus in right knee
    • Torn meniscus in left knee
    • Baker’s cyst in left knee
    • Baker’s cyst in right knee
    • Impingement in left shoulder
    • Scar tissue buildup and limited range of motion in my right shoulder
    • Pelvic floor muscle loss and nerve pain
    • Sciatica on the lower left side of my back
    • Limited range of motion in neck
    • Bunyon on right foot
    • Tendonitis in left hip

    Recently, I have undergone physical therapy for my knees. The physical therapist said that the torn meniscuses couldn’t be repaired but that the goal was to build the muscles around the meniscus tears to take the brunt of the work off of those trouble spots.

    The therapists had me start with riding the stationary bike for eight minutes and then utilizing a knee exercise machine that delivers perfect, smart range of motion to solve straightening and bending of the knee. From there, I would do a series of knee and hip stretches inside the exercise cage to support balance and reduce falls.

    *Note: All content within this article is meant for informational purposes only and is in no way a replacement for professional medical or psychological advice or support. Seek immediate and appropriate care from a healthcare professional should you or a trusted loved one deem it necessary.

    Low impact workouts for bad knees

    Since completing my recent physical therapy round, I have now moved on to doing independent exercises at the gym with a low-impact workout because of my bad knees. Additionally, I limit my gym time to three days a week instead of overdoing it like I would have done in my younger years. I spent a few years not being able to do activities that I enjoy – I do not want to be benched again!

    Always talk with your doctor, orthopedic doctor, physical therapist, chiropractor, etc., before implementing any new workouts. These are the exercises that are good for me based on my healthcare team’s suggestions:

    • Stationary bike, ten minutes to warm up
    • Machine chest press (three sets, ten reps, fifteen pounds)
    • Machine row (three sets, ten reps, thirty pounds)
    • Machine shoulder press (three sets, ten reps, ten pounds)
    • Machine abdominal crunch (three sets, twenty reps, thirty pounds)
    • Low row (three sets, ten reps, thirty-five pounds)
    • Cable rope tricep pushdown (three sets, ten reps, twenty pounds)
    • Cable crossover (three sets, ten reps, twenty pounds)
    • Machine pec fly (three sets, ten reps, twenty-five pounds)
    • Machine tricep extension (three sets, ten reps, twenty-five pounds)
    • Machine bicep curl (three sets, ten reps, twenty-five pounds)
    • Machine seated leg curl (three sets, ten reps, thirty pounds)
    • Machine seated leg extension (three sets, ten reps, thirty pounds)
    • Machine hip abduction (three sets, ten reps, thirty pounds)
    • Machine lateral raise (three sets, ten reps, fifteen pounds)
    • Stationary bike, ten minutes to cool down
    • *Hydro massage for ten to twenty minutes as needed

    Once the weather breaks here in Southeast Michigan, I will add swimming in my lake to this exercise routine, as water workouts have very low impact and are successful.

    Upon returning home from the gym, I make a tall mug of caffeine-free green tea, soak in the bath with the jets on for fifteen minutes, pray and meditate, turn the jets off, add Epsom salt, and soak for another twenty minutes while listening to spiritual, self-improvement speakers.

    So far, this method of working out has been effective for me, and I have yet to injure myself as I am focusing on taking it easy, going with light weights, and making sure to immediately take care of my muscles with massage and bath soaks.

    However, the inflammation in my knees and shoulders isn’t just because of old injuries; I am also menopausal. So what’s a girl to do? Let’s see what the experts have to say.

    Does low estrogen cause joint pain in women?

    The role of estrogen is to protect joints and reduce inflammation. However, if estrogen levels drop to lower levels, inflammation might increase. Additionally, the risk of osteoporosis and osteoarthritis could also go up, and painful joints will be the result. And for someone like myself in menopause, my estrogen levels are dropping by the minute, it seems like!

    According to the National Library of Medicine, “Osteoarthritis (OA) affects all articular tissues and finally leads to joint failure. Although articular tissues have long been considered unresponsive to estrogens or their deficiency, there is now increasing evidence that estrogens influence the activity of joint tissues through complex molecular pathways that act at multiple levels. Indeed, we are only just beginning to understand the effects of estrogen deficiency on articular tissues during OA development and progression, as well as on the association between OA and osteoporosis. Estrogen replacement therapy and current selective estrogen receptor modulators have mixed effectiveness in preserving and/or restoring joint tissue in OA. Thus, a better understanding of how estrogen acts on joints and other tissues in OA will aid the development of specific and safe estrogen ligands as novel therapeutic agents targeting the OA joint as a whole organ,”.

    In the meantime, there are lifestyle adjustments and treatments that can alleviate some of the pain and inflammation I am experiencing. For starters, anti-inflammatory diets rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish such as salmon, and supplements can make a big difference. Additionally, specific vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin D and Calcium are crucial for bone health and can help counter some of the effects of estrogen deficiency.

    Exercise, although it may seem counterintuitive when in pain, has been highly beneficial. Low-impact activities like swimming or, for me, short walks and stretching keep my joints flexible and reduce stiffness without subjecting them to unnecessary stress. Strengthening the muscles around my joints also provides better support, minimizes pain, and prevents further damage.

    Knee pain exercises to avoid

    In conclusion, staying active with knee pain requires intention and care—avoid high-impact moves, stick with low-impact routines, and always listen to your body and your doctor.

  • CrossFit Exercise List

    CrossFit Exercise List

    As a child, I played many sports that I not only loved but was gratefully gifted with. When I was a little girl, there were not many hockey teams for girls, and my mom was not a fan, so I did not get to play hockey like my boy cousin did. Although, that same cousin taught me how to play hockey, and we played a lot of pond hockey against the other kids in the neighborhood. And we won a lot!

    The main sports that I played through middle school were:

    • Softball (shortstop and third base)
    • Track (I competed in the 100- and 50-yard hurdles as well as the two-mile relay as the anchor)
    • Volleyball (voted most aggressive!)
    • Swimming (freestyle)
    • Basketball (defense)

    Once I got to high school, I made the varsity team for our highly accredited softball team. I would have loved to continue running track, but the seasons were at the same time.

    However, it was okay because I loved softball so much that I trained all year long until the season began with conditioning in mid-February and then continued weight training throughout the season in an effort to be a better offensive as well as defensive player.

    Since those days, many new exercise routines and training techniques have been developed for which I am not educated. Let’s see what the experts have to say about what exercises are included in a CrossFit gym routine.

    According to CrossFit, “At the top are CrossFit’s nine foundational movements. These will help you develop the skills you need to tackle the long list of functional movements listed alphabetically below.

    A rotation of constantly varied functional movements in our workouts is an essential part of CrossFit. The more movements you adopt from the list, the greater the level of fitness you will ultimately forge. This should be looked at as a life-long pursuit and well worth the effort. Enjoy!

    • The Squats
    • The Air Squat
    • The Front Squat
    • The Overhead Squat
    • The Presses
    • The Shoulder Press
    • The Push Press
    • The Push Jerk
    • The Deadlifts
    • The Deadlift
    • The Sumo Deadlift High Pull
    • The Medicine-Ball Clean,”.

    Furthermore, after high school, I went on to play in pick-up leagues into my late forties and kept up with the stretching and conditioning. Unfortunately, in my forties, I started to incur many injuries, which then took me out of the game altogether.

    Since then, I have had many rounds of physical therapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture sessions, and even dry needling to address those injuries. Recently, as I entered my fifties, becoming stiffer and less mobile, I found how true Isaac Newton’s first law of motion, also known as the law of inertia, is! This theory states that an object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion. How true and apropos this is for an old, broken-down athlete such as myself!

    Since my body must stay in motion, or I will freeze up, I have taken the lead of my sixteen-year-old son and have begun weight training again, looking to explore the CrossFit method.

    What are the 10 things of CrossFit?

    CrossFit recognizes the following ten areas in fitness:

    • Agility
    • Accuracy
    • Balance
    • Coordination
    • Endurance
    • Flexibility
    • Power
    • Speed
    • Strength
    • Stamina

    Needless to say, I have had a lot of experience in exercise training, weight training, and conditioning as a result of playing many sports, but I have yet to attempt the CrossFit routine. A well-designed program will help an athlete such as myself develop capacity across all the above domains, as long as I keep my “body in motion,” as Newton would say.

    Wikipedia notes this about what to expect in CrossFit gym classes, “CrossFit gyms use equipment from multiple disciplines, including barbells, dumbbells, gymnastics rings, rope climbs, pull-up bars, jump ropes, kettlebells, medicine balls, plyo boxes, resistance bands, rowing machines, exercise bikes, SkiErg, and various mats. CrossFit is focused on “constantly varied high-intensity functional movement”, drawing on categories and exercises such as calisthenics, Olympic-style weightlifting, powerlifting, strongman-type events, plyometrics, bodyweight exercises, indoor rowing, aerobic exercise, running, and swimming,”.

    What is the 80/20 rule in CrossFit?

    As I do not know much about this type of training yet, I will defer to the experts. Again, from the official CrossFit website, they stated that, “The Pareto principle, commonly called the “80/20 rule,” suggests that 80% of outcomes result from 20% of inputs. By prioritizing our efforts on the 20% — the most impactful, critical factors for success in our chosen endeavor— we can achieve most of our desired results rather than getting bogged down in details that detract from the end goal.

    In short, Pareto’s principle offers a method for working smarter, not harder, providing an efficient path to the most significant results. CrossFit is Pareto’s principle in action. In the words of Bruce Lee, we’ve “hacked away the unessential” to create a tremendously effective and efficient methodology for developing elite levels of fitness and health. We use intensity, functional movements, variance, mixed-modality workouts, and nutrition to reap maximum benefit in minimum time,”.

    In addition to all the physical aspects, what draws many people to CrossFit is the strong sense of community and accountability it fosters. Unlike traditional gyms, where you might work out alone, CrossFit boxes (as the gyms are called) often operate with group classes that build camaraderie and motivation.

    Coaches are usually very hands-on, helping participants scale workouts to fit their current fitness level while still encouraging progress. There’s also a culture of celebrating personal victories—whether it’s mastering a new movement, hitting a personal record, or simply showing up consistently. This atmosphere can be especially encouraging for someone like myself who is returning to fitness after injuries or long breaks.

    Although, I should probably consult my healthcare professionals first before trying something new!

    *Note: All content within this article is meant for informational purposes only and is in no way a replacement for professional medical or psychological advice or support. Seek immediate and appropriate care from a healthcare professional should you or a trusted loved one deem it necessary.

    CrossFit exercise list

    In conclusion, embracing CrossFit at this stage in life feels both challenging and invigorating. With its supportive community, scalable workouts, and emphasis on lifelong health, I’m excited to see how far this journey can take me—one rep, one day at a time.