Will treadmill workouts help?
 

Would treadmill workouts be better than riding a stationary bike? I'm concerned about my hips and knees. I believe arthritis is setting in, and I'm wondering if the treadmill will aggravate the situation. Your opinion?

I would think that this depends, to a large extent, on what is going on with your hips and knees. Generally, weight bearing activities such as walking or running are touted as being better for maintaining bone density. However, that same weight load can do some real damage to joints. If it were me I'd want to know more about what was going on with the hips and knees. In my own life I do winter training in my home gym which includes riding on the stationary trainer, walking (not running) on the treadmill, and resistance training. I have arthritis in both hips and am looking at hip replacements down the line. The cycling seems to bother the hips less than the walking. If you're getting hip pain while riding, I'd check seat height. A seat too high can cause reaching and rocking with can make the hips hurt big time.

I have a knee problem and when at the Gym I do a variety of cardio vascular workouts that include the treadmill. I cannot run -I mean cannot as that would put so much pressure on the knees- they would give out- even on a treadmill. SO--- What I do is walk- Walk fast working up to 6 mph and up hills- the steepest hill on the machine. This will work the knees and hips and the muscle that takes the pressure is the calves. They really go through it when walking that fast- so give it a try.

And I still feel the best exercise is cycling. Whether on a trainer or out in the wind and the rain and the cold and working up those hills. Only thing is that when at the gym- I will also do a few weights to keep mobility into the upper body and the back. Still feel the best bit of Gym work is the Mixed Sauna at the finish.

I've been going to the gym this winter when it's too wet to ride. I've been liking the elliptical trainer + weights.

I avoid the stationary bikes because I figure that's just re-using the same joints/muscles that my bike uses, and the elliptical trainer gives me a good workout yet seems smoother/easier on the joints than a treadmill. We also have a cheap elliptical trainer at home that does the same thing.

BTW, I am liking the weight lifting quite a bit. I was having some neck pain/shoulder pain last Fall when riding my bike and the weight lifting appears to have given me some extra strength and flexiblity around my neck/shoulders that has helped quite a bit. I now have some cheapie dumbbells at home and I try to do some light dumbell work on my shoulders/neck almost every night in front of the TV.

I have arthritis in both knees.
I train a lot on a hydraulic resistance trainer. Up to 50 miles/day and up to 100 miles/day road biking.
Upper body exercise is done with rubber bands every morning. About 15-30 minutes.
Treadmill is OK with a slow jog at 4 MPH and 6% incline.
Hiking at 4 MPH for up to 12 miles/day.
The above routines seem to work and my arthritis has not gone worse or better.

I do have to be careful. Stretching muscles or joints result in lasting pain. Biking in too big a gear will cause pain. Jogging on pavement will disable me for several days.

A treadmill is certainly a thousand times better surface than a cement or even asphalt trail or sidewalk. The treadmill has cushioing built in.

I guess you could try it and see what happens. If you do it for just a bit, you likely will not do any damage.

Try crosstraining...
it's a fancy word for doing different stuff. Monday I used my trainer, tues was the rower and wed was snow shovelling.

I suggest a routine of 2 or 3 days. Day one would be cycling of some sort, a stationary bike or trainer. Day two would be the treadmill. Day three might be swimming. Swimming is as easy on the hips as it gets. Day 4 is rest, and then back to day one again.

Don't worry, you can get past this. Just don't hurry it, it will take time.

+1 on the eliptic. My Y also has arc machines that give me a great work out, with no impact on my joints. Like both much better than spinning or treadmill.

Will- Sounds as though you have my body so when you have finished with it- Let me have it back

That Jogging is exactly the same as me- I never Jog or even break into a canter. Any sideways strain on the knee joint and it will be agony for several days after.

Will has proved it and I can confirm it. Even if you have a joint problem- You can exercise on a bike without any fear- but the other warning Will gives of too high a gear is also a factor.

My 2 cents: If your goal is to use the treamill to improve cycling then you need to put it in the steepest incline positon it has. Different muscle groups are used and running up hills is closer to cycling. I agree that cross training is the best way to overall fittness. If you go with the treadmill just keep tabs on how your knees are feeling. Pain is the bodys way of telling you enough is enough.

Amt
 

My gym has got in the new AMT machines made by Precor. http://www.precor.com/comm/en/amt/amt100i/ This machine is great for my cross training. Last year I strained my foot tendon in a spinning class and it lasted into my cycling season. Now i do an hour on the AMT. It is a much more dynamic workout than an elliptical trainer. It's like a combo stair master/elliptical trainer. The workout is very low impact for your knees but very challenging otherwise. I do 60 minutes. I usually burn 700 to 750 calories and it usually registers 5.5 miles in that time. The motion feels a little like standing up on a bike going up hill. You can set the resistance from 1 to 20. I try to keep the resistance between 12 and 14 and keep my heart rate average at about 157 bpm. I do push to 175 177 occasionally because that is where my heart rate registers when I am climbing the big hills here is the Hudson Valley. Check it out. My joke is AMT stands for Ass Modification Trainer.

+1 on the elliptical trainer and some weight resistance training. Also, when I started having some knee aches, I started taking glocosamine/chondroitin/MSM & it did seem to help. Also I found that a change in work shoes (I'm on my feet for 12+ hours) to Asic 1070s helped too. I run, but if you are having issues probably you should avoid it.

I wish to share some good news.
I have trained for two months at a rate of 70 to 100 miles per day at 17 MPH in Florida on a trail.
Next I went up North and could only do trainer biking. Again 17 MPH but only 30 to 50 miles per day.
BTW, that produced a HR of 125 to 135.
As of today, I am back in FL doing trail biking.
I am so happy to report that the same HR 125 to 135 produces now a average speed of above 18 MPH.
I did not expect it but love it.

Everything you mention is good stuff. But bear in mind that for cyclists, some weight bearing exercise--walking and/or running along with at least some weight lifting is important in keeping osteoporosis at bay (both for men and women). Here's one of many articles on the subject. Scroll down for tips to increase bone density:

http://www.beezodogsplace.com/Pages/...s-Cycling.html

A treadmill requires you to place your full weight on your legs & hips. A stationary bike requires you to sit while you move the muscles in your legs for a cardio workout. Choose the bike to ease your arthritis pain.

Cheers to a sleeping thread!

The Rip Van Winkle effect!!

At our ages, especially us elders, we have been beat up so much over the years that I believe there is no one correct answer that fits all. Other than to pay attention to the kind of pain, euphoria, discomfort, etc and let that be the guide. By doing that a person will be able to select by trial and error just what exercises work and which do not. Just keep on keeping on with as balanced a program as you can.

I use a mix of bike riding, free weights, machines, swimming and just lying back and resting. My body tells me when I'm out of balance. True misery happens when I don't listen and it has to speak louder.

I picked up an Emotion Roller from Insideride out of Oregon last January. During the winter and spring I walked three miles a day and rode the roller for 1 hour a day at about 22-23mph. The walking gives the impact weight resistance I need and the roller gives me the aerobic and cardio workout I need. First outside ride of the season I did 40 miles in two hours on the trail of the Coeur d' Alenes and the next outside ride was up the Mt. Saint Helens Hiway about 50 miles of which half was up hill. In otherwords the routine put me in good riding condition for the season and is low impact which is good for the joints. The roller is just like riding your bike outside and you you can't coast or at least not for very long or you fall over! Much more fun than a trainer or stationary bike and will put you in good riding shape for the outside season and improves your riding form. I live in North Idaho and because of snow and ice riding outside in the winter is rarely advisable.

When I dislocated my L knee (hyperextension, tore ACL/PCL/LCL) playing soccer the orthopedist did his best to repair/reconstruct it but he said it would be due for total knee replacement within 10 years from abnormal wear/tear. He medically retired me from most sports that required weight-bearing. No walking for exercise; but cycling and particularly swimming were fine. That was 20 years ago. The L knee still has limited flexion and unstable side-to-side motion and is full of bone spurs, tib/fib fused together, etc; but I did very well on bone density scan and can bike without pain. It does need a long warmup at ride start to get enough flexion to pedal. I should be able to get along at least another decade before looking at joint replacement surgery.

Swimming helps a lot with overall flexibility, upper body strength, and general cardio fitness. There is a lot to be said for having an indoor sport when outdoor cycling won't be fun. Swimming with a coached masters group doing interval training is much more fun than trying to swim a mile during public lap swim and gives you social cameraderie that zoning out on a treadmill or stationary bike won't. My current strategy is to ride the bike if weather favors it, try to swim a few times a week; and if I can't get out on the bike at all, at least go to a spin class once a week.

I would give the treadmill a try. You can lesson the impact and dial up the intensity by increasing the incline. However, if you aggravate your hip and knee pain, I would back off or try something else.

About 9 months ago, I got an awful attack/pain in my left knee. I was sure it came from the years of running and the doc had told me some 20 odd years ago the cartlidge in my knee was GONE.. Surgery was suggested. I declined and stopped running long distances. Back to the awful pain about 9 months ago..I iced it, layed off leg workouts in the gym for a couple weeks, to no avail. Finally I went to the doctor, knowing all the time, he is going to tell me it was the bone rubbing up against bone, and surgery will be need.

Low and behold, that was not the problem. The doctor told me that the problem in my knee was Arthiritis!!! Not only that, he advise me to go back to my leg workouts at the gym, but not as heavy. Well 9months later, I am doing full leg workouts, squats, lunges the whole nine yards and NO PAIN. I said all that to say, the doctor ADVISE EXERCISE to combat the Arthiritis..

With that said, I would not only do the treadmill which is cardio, I would move to full leg workouts, lunges, leg extensions, squats, ets. Start light, and ease up..

I know it works for me, and I got arthiritis all over my body, but I workout 6 days a week at the gym. So, I keep it at bay...

Luck to you,