How To Exercise With Bad Knees To Lose Weight 2024: 8 Workouts To Try

Lakshmi Vemuri

Updated on - Written by
Medically reviewed by Kimberly Langdon, MD

Exercise With Bad Knees To Lose Weight
Fat loss with a knee injury or knee osteoarthritis requires a lot of weight-loss efforts. Photo: Shutterstock & Team Design

How to exercise with bad knees to lose weight? If you have knee injuries or suffer from knee osteoarthritis, your doctor might ask you to lose excess weight. But with the persisting knee pain, you will have a tough time doing that. Moreover, excess body weight adds fuel to the fire. Extra weight can add pressure on joints causing stress and knee pain. According to the CDC,[1], 54 million people have arthritis in America. And 24 million adults reported limited activity due to arthritis. We know how grueling knee pain is. So, various forms of physical exercise are ideal for people with knee pain. 

If you hit the gym regularly and your exercises give you knee pain, you might have to try different workout methods. Remember, exercises should never hurt you or make your pain worse. If you are experiencing any form of pain in your joints or muscles, you should see a physical therapist. Read further to know about the best and worst exercises for knee injuries and knee pain along with some weight loss tips.

8 Exercises For Weight Loss That Won’t Impact The Knees

  1. Strength Training Exercises
  2. Water Aerobics
  3. Yoga
  4. Tai Chi
  5. Cycling
  6. Physical Therapy Exercises
  7. Elliptical Training
  8. Swimming

8 Fat Burning Exercises With Knee Injury For Overweight People

As per the guidelines,[2] by the U.S. Department of Health and human services, adults with chronic conditions such as osteoarthritis, who are able, must do at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week. Exercising brings a significant improvement in knee function, quality of life, and overall physical and mental health. A good amount of exercise can increase blood flow to cartilage and carry essential nutrients that can heal a knee injury. Physical therapy can also strengthen muscles and reduce wear and tear. Being overweight can put stress on your knees and cause joint pain which could otherwise be avoided with daily workouts and weight loss. The following exercises can help you achieve your fitness goals without any knee pain.

Strength training exercises

If you have bad knees, start with basic knee strengthening exercises such as ‘Straight leg raises’ that activate muscles like the quadriceps. Doing it 15 times and 3 reps works great for knee osteoarthritis. Studies show a decrease in muscle mass as you get old, as the muscles burn more calories than fat. Through strength training, you can burn more calories and lose excess fat. Moreover, developing muscles increases the ability of shock absorption to joints, which can benefit those with knee osteoarthritis. Best exercises like strength training which includes weights, resistance band exercises, and weight machines at the gym can help you in losing weight.

Water aerobics 

Fitness experts say water helps unload weight from your joints and allow you to move freely without having the stress of hard ground surfaces on the joints. Water has higher resistance than air. By this, it means walking in water requires more effort. Moreover, resistance to movements helps you strengthen muscles, improve the flexibility of joints,[4] and burn more calories. Thus, it helps in losing weight. Hydrotherapy is a form of physical therapy that is done in hot water under the supervision of a physical therapist. Moreover, hot water can be soothing for bad knees. Your physical therapist may advise you on exercises like water walking, side-stepping, forward lunges, hip kickers, and lap swimming after a proper assessment from a doctor.

Yoga 

This age-old exercise method has solutions for pretty much everybody’s fitness problems. Yoga isn’t just about stretching exercises. Yoga helps you lose weight, reduce stress hormone levels, and decrease inflammation in your knee joints. This study revealed,[5] that people who practiced yoga had lower levels of inflammatory markers such as Interleukin 6 in their blood. Interleukin 6 is a significant predictor of osteoarthritis. Inflammation plays a major role in worsening knee function and making it stiff and swollen. Yoga improves muscle strength, flexibility, stability, and activity of joints. Yoga asanas like the hero’s pose, mountain pose, and triangle pose can help people with knee pain.

Tai chi

Tai chi
Tai chi is gentle on the knees which makes it ideal for people with knee osteoarthritis. Photo: Shutterstock

This ancient Chinese form of exercise has incredible effects on improving the balance and flexibility of joints. Tai chi is a slow-paced, gentle, and non-competitive form of exercise,[6]. Tai chi is both a mind and body workout, as its effects on the body go beyond weight loss. It helps your bad knees by improving range of motion, flexibility, balance motions, strengthening, self-efficacy, and depression associated with knee injuries and knee osteoarthritis. Most importantly, it reduces chronic pain. Furthermore, you can achieve mental discipline through Tai Chi. It is one of the most effective forms of physical therapy, which provides the right form of low impact on bad knees. Tai chi is gentle on the knees which makes it ideal for people with knee osteoarthritis.

Cycling

Cycling is a low-impact workout and is great for people with bad knees. And Cycling limits the impact of stress on weight-bearing joints, like knees, hips, and feet. Physical therapists suggest cycling for 30 minutes 5 days a week. It also helps in improving the range of motion in the knees, ankles, and hips which are the most affected by arthritis.

Cycling movements lubricate the joints, which reduces the stiffness and pain in knee osteoarthritis. A Study shows,[7] that low-intensity cycling is equally effective as high-intensity cycling in improving knee function, gait, pain reduction, and increasing aerobic capacity. Lastly, aerobic exercises like cycling increase blood flow. Pedaling stimulates blood circulation to the legs and activates your muscles to burn fat and lose weight. Make sure to keep the resistance mild to moderate.

Physical therapy exercises

How to exercise with bad knees to lose weight at home? Nobody knows better than a physical therapist about the right exercises for your knee pain. Physical therapy,[8] is the first-line treatment recommended universally for knee osteoarthritis. Your physical therapist will curate some set of exercises that can be part of a home exercise program. These exercises are going to be your vital tool for treating knee pain. A physical therapist can assess your condition and know the limits of your knees. Plus, they will also have some tips about how to lose weight with knee pain. Here are some of the exercises which are part of knee pain physical therapy. Exercises like Quad sets and straight leg raises short arc quads, lower extremity stretches, balance exercises, and exercises to strengthen your hips.

Elliptical training

Workouts on the elliptical machine are sometimes disregarded. Elliptical training can have a low impact on your knees and shouldn’t cause any pain if done correctly. Elliptical machines are also equipped with movable handles for upper-body workouts. It works out the chest, arms, and shoulders. This training helps you lose weight in both arms and legs. You can get the best of both worlds. Moreover, you can also pedal in reverse with this machine which helps your calf and hamstring muscles tone up. It strengthens the lower muscles of your legs as well.

The zero-impact movement allows you to intensify your workout without putting pressure on your knees. It’s important to get a demo on how to use this machine from trainers. You can also avoid moving handles in the initial stages. Stationary handles are ideal for beginners. Some machines have wider foot platforms that let you adjust your stance which exerts less pressure and is better on your knees and joints. This is a great way to lose weight without experiencing knee pain when you have any knee issues. 

Swimming

Swimming
Swimming is a full-body workout and a full-body workout is essential to losing weight fast. Photo: Shutterstock

As mentioned earlier, water unholds the weight. Swimming strengthens leg muscles and addresses the range of motion of legs and arms uniformly. Warm water pools can soothe stiff joints. Swimming regularly can build muscles around the knee and help it heal from a knee injury. Furthermore, swimming may also relieve pain. Losing weight is among the top in the list of favors you can do to your body to get rid of bad knees. Swimming is a full-body workout and a full-body workout is essential to losing weight fast. 

As mentioned earlier, water unholds the weight. Swimming strengthens leg muscles and addresses the range of motion of legs and arms uniformly. Warm water pools can soothe stiff joints. Swimming regularly can build muscles around the knee and help it heal from a knee injury. Furthermore, swimming may also relieve pain. Losing weight is among the top on the list of favors you can do to your body to get rid of bad knees. Swimming is a full-body workout and a full-body workout is essential to losing weight fast. 

Worst Exercises to Avoid if You Have Knee Pain or Knee Osteoarthritis 

While it is essential to know the right type of exercise you should be doing to meet your fitness goals and not have any negative impact on your knees, it is also very important to know the kind of exercise you should be avoiding. If you don’t know what you are doing, you might hurt your knees which are probably in bad shape already. To help yourself, here are a few exercises that induce severe stress and strain on the knees. Make sure that you stay away from such exercises. Avoid running and high-intensity cardio. Exercises like full arc knee extensions, squatting, deep lunging, high-impact sports, plyometrics, and duck walks can take a toll on your bad knees. 

Final Words

Fat loss with a knee injury or knee osteoarthritis requires a lot of weight loss efforts. All of the above-mentioned exercise forms have been proven to help. Remember, you are aiming to recover and it needs professional help in deciding what is right for you. However, if you are overweight, there are many other ways to help you lose weight like healthy eating habits, a proper diet plan, and keeping a count on caloric intake. Adequate rest can prevent further weight gain and help you shed those extra pounds.


+ 8 sources

Health Canal avoids using tertiary references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and rely on peer-reviewed studies, academic researches from medical associations and institutions. To ensure the accuracy of articles in Health Canal, you can read more about the editorial process here

  1. Anon, (2021). Arthritis. [online] Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/factsheets/arthritis.htm
  2. ‌Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Summary. (n.d.). [online] . Available at: https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-10/PAG_ExecutiveSummary.pdf.
  3. ‌Volpi, E., Nazemi, R. and Fujita, S. (2004). Muscle tissue changes with aging. Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care, [online] 7(4), pp.405–10. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2804956/
  4. ‌Wang, T.-J., Belza, B., Elaine Thompson, F., Whitney, J.D. and Bennett, K. (2007). Effects of aquatic exercise on flexibility, strength and aerobic fitness in adults with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee. Journal of Advanced Nursing, [online] 57(2), pp.141–152. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17214750/
  5. ‌Vijayaraghava, A. (2015). Effect of Yoga Practice on Levels of Inflammatory Markers After Moderate and Strenuous Exercise. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH. [online] Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4525504/
  6. ‌Wang, C., Schmid, C.H., Hibberd, P.L., Kalish, R., Roubenoff, R., Rones, R. and McAlindon, T. (2009). Tai Chi is effective in treating knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial. Arthritis & Rheumatism, [online] 61(11), pp.1545–1553. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19877092/#:~:text=Conclusion%3A%20Tai%20Chi%20reduces%20pain,of%20life%20for%20knee%20OA.
  7. ‌Mangione, K.K., McCully, K., Gloviak, A., Lefebvre, I., Hofmann, M. and Craik, R. (1999). The Effects of High-Intensity and Low-Intensity Cycle Ergometry in Older Adults With Knee Osteoarthritis. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, [online] 54(4), pp.M184–M190. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10219009/
  8. ‌PAGE, C.J., HINMAN, R.S. and BENNELL, K.L. (2011). Physiotherapy management of knee osteoarthritis. International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases, [online] 14(2), pp.145–151. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21518313/
Lakshmi Vemuri

Medically reviewed by:

Kimberly Langdon

Lakshmi Vemuri holds a bachelor’s degree in Dentistry. She is also a published author of several Food and Wellness books. Lakshmi has a profound interest in alternative medicines, various forms of physical exercise, mental health, diets, and new inventions in medical sciences. Besides being a dentist, Lakshmi is passionate about gardening and is an environmental enthusiast

Medically reviewed by:

Kimberly Langdon

Journal of Physical Education and Sport

Trusted Source

Go to source

SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

Trusted Source

Go to source

African Journals Online

Non-profit Platform for African Journals

Trusted Source
Go to source

Journal of The American Board of Family Medicine

American Board of Family Medicine

Trusted Source
Go to source

Informit

RMIT University Library

Trusted Source
Go to source

European Food Safety Authority

Science, Safe food, Sustainability

Trusted Source
Go to source

OrthoInfo

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Trusted Source
Go to source

American Academy of Family Physicians

Strengthen family physicians and the communities they care for

Trusted Source
Go to source

Agricultural Research Service

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Trusted Source
Go to source

The American Journal of Medicine

Official Journal of The Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

Database From National Institute Of Health

Trusted Source
Go to source

Lippincott Journals

Subsidiaries of Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Institute on Aging

Database From National Institute Of Health

Trusted Source
Go to source

Translational Research

The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine

Trusted Source
Go to source

Cell

An All-science Publisher

Trusted Source
Go to source

Journal of Translational Medicine

BioMed Central

Part of Springer Nature
Go to source

Federal Trade Commission

Protecting America's Consumers

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Human Genome Research Institute

Database From National Institute Of Health

Trusted Source
Go to source

Food Production, Processing and Nutrition

BioMed Central

Part of Springer Nature
Go to source

BMC Gastroenterology

BioMed Central

Part of Springer Nature
Go to source

ACS Publications

A Division of The American Chemical Society

Trusted Source
Go to source

Annual Reviews

Independent, Non-profit Academic Publishing Company

Trusted Source
Go to source

PubChem

National Center for Biotechnology Information

National Library of Medicine
Go to source

PLOS Journals

Nonprofit Publisher of Open-access Journals

Trusted Source
Go to source

Thieme E-books & E-Journals

Peer-reviewed & Open Access Journal

Trusted Source
Go to source

European Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences

Peer-reviewed International Journal Publishes

Trusted Source
Go to source

Royal Society of Chemistry Publishing Home

Chemical Science Journals, Books and Database

Trusted Source
Go to source

Frontiers

Publisher of Peer-reviewed Articles in Open Acess Journals

Trusted Source
Go to source

De Gruyter

German Scholarly Publishing House

Trusted Source
Go to source

Hindawi

Open Access Research Journals & Papers

Trusted Source
Go to source

Oilseeds and Fats, Crops and Lipids

EDP Sciences

Trusted Source
Go to source

Cambridge Core

Cambridge University Press

Trusted Source
Go to source

FoodData Central

U.S. Department Of Agriculture

Trusted Source
Go to source

Journal of the American Heart Association

Peer-reviewed Open Access Scientific Journal

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

The Americans with Disabilities Act

U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division

Trusted Source
Go to source

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Organization of Food and Nutrition Professionals

tr
Go to source

Sage Journals

Database From Sage Publications

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Institute of Drug Abuse

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

The ClinMed International Library

A Repository and an Open Access Publisher for Medical Research

Trusted Source
Go to source

The Royal Society Publishing

United Kingdom's National Academy of Sciences

Trusted Source
Go to source

APA PsycNet

Database From American Psychological Association

Trusted Source
Go to source

The Pharma Innovation Journal

Peer-reviewed And Refereed Journal

Trusted Source
Go to source

Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and Development

Peer-reviewed Bimonthly Journal

Trusted Source
Go to source

British Pharmacological Society

Journals - Wiley Online Library

Trusted Source
Go to source

American Psychological Association

Scientific and Professional Organization of Psychologists

Trusted Source
Go to source

AAP Publications

Database From American Academy of Pediatrics

Trusted Source
Go to source

Karger Publishers

Academic Publisher of Scientific and Medical Journals and Books

Trusted Source
Go to source

Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Database From Cambridge University

Trusted Source
Go to source

National Institute of Mental Health

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

MDPI

Publisher of Open Access Journals

Trusted Source
Go to source

Bulletin of the National Research Centre

Part of Springer Nature

Trusted Source
Go to source

The New England Journal of Medicine

Massachusetts Medical Society

Trusted Source
Go to source

Economic Research Service

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Trusted Source
Go to source

MedlinePlus

Database From National Library of Medicine

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

National Institute of Health

An agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Trusted Source
Go to source

Trusted Source

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

The BMJ

Weekly Peer-reviewed Medical Trade Journal

The British Medical Association
Go to source

The British Psychological Society

The British Psychological Society is a charity registered in England

Database From Wiley Online Library
Go to source

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

PubMed

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S National Library of Medicine
Go to source

DailyMed

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S National Library of Medicine
Go to source

Google Scholar

Go to source

Science.gov: USA.gov for Science

Government Science Portal

Go to source

ResearchGate

Social Network Service For Scientists

Find and share research
Go to source

American Heart Association

To be a rentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives

Go to source

BioMed Central

Research in progress

Go to source

JAMA Network

Home of JAMA and the Specialty Journals of the American Medical Association

Go to source

Springer Link

Database From Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Springer - International Publisher Science, Technology, Medicine
Go to source

ODS

Database from Office of Dietary Supplements

National Institutes of Health
Go to source

Federal Trade Commission

Bureaus of Consumer Protection, Competition and Economics
Go to source

Trusted Source

Database From U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Governmental Authority
Go to source

Oxford Academic Journals

Oxford University Press

Trusted Source
Go to source

Taylor & Francis Online

Peer-reviewed Journals

Academic Publishing Division of Informa PLC
Go to source

WHO

Database from World Health Organization

Go to source

Journal of Neurology

Peer-reviewed Medical Journal

American Academy of Neurology Journal
Go to source

ScienceDirect

Bibliographic Database of Scientific and Medical Publications

Dutch publisher Elsevier
Go to source

Wiley Online Library

American Multinational Publishing Company

Trusted Source
Go to source

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

U.S. National Public Health Agency

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

Trusted Source

Database from U.S. National Library of Medicine

U.S. Federal Government
Go to source

U.S. Food & Drug Administration

Federal Agency

U.S Department of Health and Human Services
Go to source

PubMed Central

Database From National Institute Of Health

U.S National Library of Medicine
Go to source
Feedback

Help us rate this article

Thank you for your feedback

Keep in touch to see our improvement