Returning to Glitter…Already!

It has only been one month since I stopped going to the gym, but I signed back up today. In the post Stepping Away From the Glitter…Again! I ranted about how hot my glitter gym was and how I couldn’t take it anymore. I would go outside and do Hillfit instead. That was the plan and it would have worked except for one thing.

My knee isn’t getting better. Since spring it has been bumming me out. Rest isn’t working. It isn’t even that bad. I can walk for 7 miles with no pain, but driving an hour or more with my stick shift car causes minor soreness. I have stability issues trying to do a wall sit or bodyweight squat in the bent position, so I avoid those movements.

I’ve done foam rolling, braces, topical magnesium, rest, ice, heat, and had taken copious amounts of MSM, gelatin, and Zyflamend. It hasn’t gotten much better. A few days ago I was reading a post on the Congruent Exercise Facebook page about the leg extension exercise when I asked Bill about what he’d do for my type of knee pain.

Here was his response.

Later in the thread, the Framework for the Knee book was recommended, so I picked up a copy. I went through it quickly and realized that sitting on my ass waiting for my knee to heal wasn’t going to work. Like Bill suggested, the book was clear that I needed access to a stationary bike. Dr. DiNubile writes about cycling:

It is the cornerstone of knee rehabilitation because, from an exercise specificity standpoint, it targets the ever important quadriceps muscle better than any other aerobic-type exercise, building both strength and endurance.

After reading this, I closed the book and returned to my old gym. With hat in hand, I resigned up. The gym is still too hot, but the focus now is on knee rehab. My gym is only $16.43 a month, so it is a small investment to see if stationary cycling does the trick.

 

FrameWork for the Knee: A 6-Step Plan for Preventing Injury and Ending Pain (FrameWork Active for Life) by Nicholas A. DiNubile