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Edited on Fri Dec-01-06 10:26 PM by Lost-in-FL
I blewed up my knew during a 50 mile bike ride in Germany 7 years ago. It was a very heavy cheapo bike (a rental) and not fitted for me. Lots of hills and the bike was not the best for that type of activity (Mountain bike instead of road bike). I used to run a lot then and had to quit after that injury reason I am now somehow overweight. I first fell in love with the elliptical machine after noticing that my LT knee was pain free after 20 minutes using it!!! :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: I would only last 10 minutes in the treadmill and a little over 15 minutes in the bike before a sharp pain the in side of my knee set in. I can use the elliptical for ever and not feel a thing.
I cannot use the gym cycling equipment (can't do spinning classes, etc.) cause I pay dearly with knee pain for days. If I use the bike at the gym its a "recumbent" bike with ZERO RESISTANCE and a target RPM of 80 (Settings recommended to people with knee problems). Since I use the elliptical so much, the recumbent bike setting doesn't raise my heart rate much (and I can't increase the resistance) so I don't bother to use it but as a warm up. If you have knee problems, get a personal training session and ask the trainer about the proper exercises to straighten the legs taking in consideration your knee problem. There's a lot of exercises you can do to straighten the legs muscles without having to do squats (which are knee killers). I was not able to do squats (not even without dumbbells!!!)until I did that and I am now slowly beginning to incorporate leg machines into my workout even with very heavy sets. The key to be able to have healthy knees is reinforcing the muscles around the knees.
If you are thinking about getting a stationary bike, I would get a real road bike instead and go bikeriding outdoors. It is much more satisfying. I do have a custom fit road bike (SPECIALIZED bike) which I LOVE but I MUST use stiff cycling shoes with cleats and Speedplay pedals which are "free float" and are better for bad knees. I have to follow a 80 RPM Cadence (too low or too high cadence can hurt my knee). If I try using my bike with regular pedals I start feeling a "discomfort" after 25 minutes. I have to stop so I don't aggravate the problem. I can ride 30 miles in my custom fit road bike during the weekends with no problems but a sore "butt". I am finally able to ride faster with my bike since I have been doing weights to straighten my legs. Knees don't get any better with time reason I would prefer the elliptical. My real goal is to RUN AGAIN since I LOVE running!! I wish so badly to run again. I hope the training sessions can help my knee get better. :cry:
Anyways... I'll get the elliptical if I was you. And to complete the package, an MP3 player. I personally hate the idea of an stationary bike and they make more noise than elliptical machines. Elliptical machines seem bulkier but I HATE STATIONARY BIKES!!! Hope this helps and sorry if I insulted your intelligence by posting something that might be "common sense" to you. :blush:
LAST THING: DO NOT get the stationary bike in a Department Store, GO TO A BIKE SHOP!! Believe it or not, it is the best place for that since they can tell you which one is the best for you. Bikes, even stationary bikes are like bathing suits. They don't fit well on everyone equally.
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