the need to do squats....

[pood]

I know it's a really important, but last year, I went to a knee specialist (supposely one of hte best in seattle), and he said I shouldn't do squats, power cleans, or dead lifts!

actually anything that will stress my knees is bad, so that also includes lunges.

is it totally nesessary to do those excercises?

I'm each looking for a bigger upper body, not really worried about my lower body, actually want to make it smaller, espically my thighs and my ass.

he also said i shoudn't do leg extensions, but I can do them fine.

Same goes for power cleans, and deadlifts

when I use to do squats, after a couple workouts, my right knee hurts whenever I bend it past 90 degress. I've been doing straigh left raises the past month or so because thats what the speicalist told me to do, because my leg isn't completely straight, and when i do squats my knees crack, scares the crap out of me.


so what should i do? haven't lifted the last 2 month or so because of school and work, but this week is the last and I'm goign to cut my hours down soon also, so I'm ready to get back to the gym.

 

[gr81]

First of all ,you should go to a sports doctor, someone that has experience with athletes b/c frankly Drs for the most part, do not know shit about training or anything about bodybuilding for that matter. Many Drs don't even know the difference between Anabolic steriods and catabolic steroids. I can quote many drs as saying creatine is bad for you and to stay away from it, I have even heard the some badmouth protien!! I can tell you that this guy is full of shit and you should not listen to him. Squatting strengthens the tendons inthe knees of performed correctly. These are all great compound movements that I recommend all lifters, especially beginners should do. It is true that they can be dangerous IF performed incorrectly with too much weight, but if you get down the form of each exercise they will be great for you, barring any pre existing injuries you may have.

Hey Pood, where in Seattle are you?

 

[oaktownboy]

sorry dawg but ur doctor is full of shit Bodybuilding is about putting pressure on the joints. For example:squat, bench press, deadlift, bent over rows. Building muscle involves going heavy.Going heavy=big time pressure!~

 

[pood]

alright, ill take a note of that


he gave a name for it, osgood something, ive got it written down some where, the problem is, after doing a lot of squats, my knee starts to hurt, actually, i think i've already had knee problems, since i was a kid, hurts like hell for a long time, when i drink soda pop, and stand up for a long time (espcially while at work), so that was one of the reasons why i rarely drink pop, but if i stretch, i dun have the problem, i can make it better by running hot water over my knees or just keeping it real warm, its weird.

gr81:

i'm at shoreline err Lake Forest Park actually

i've always been working out at school (Shorecrest) or up at the WWU gym, but now I'm doing some of my courses at Shorelien Community College next year, I've got to get gym membership, 24 hours is freakign expensive, and theres really isnt a Golds gym close, pretty $$ too, and the gym at shoreline is pathetic.

i found one on Lake City, its $18/month, the gym from the outside looks pretty good, but I'll see next when i try them out, dun have the name of the gym on top of my head, it starts with N or M

where are u? UW? oo, that the other alternatives, i can workout at the UW...but thats like a 30 min drive

 

[gr81]

I am up in the lynnwood/mountlake terrace area. there is a Golds Gym semi close to you up on aurora/99 nect to Oaktree cinema, that is pretty close to shoreline. Un fortuately I train at 24 hr in lynnwood, I hate it thou. There aren't many gyms up here that impress me.

 

[pood]

yeah, i know, maybe ill try that


i know because there this chinese restaurant that ate at a couple of times thats right across street from golds gym

everytime i eat, i stare straight across at the joggers on the treadmills, heh

but hope i dun have to go there, if this $18/gym is good, its closer to me anyways

 

[infinity]

Osgood Shlatter? My brother has/had that. It's like front of knee, upper shin pain. It's what happens when you grow too fast.

 

[gr81]

I have a friend that had the same condition

 

[pood]

yeah, thats it

just some cartilage damage

 

[Freeman]

It is a growing pains condition basically. I had it when I was like 12-13. Not to worry, it goes away. If you have goals, you can achieve them safely. Sure, there are risks, but there are bigger risks just walking out the door of your house, ya know? And, what are your stats? Because you say you want a big upper body, but not so much with your lower body. If you get huge up top but have chicken legs, that will look really silly and lame.

 

[rburton]

See a sports medicine physician, as recommended by other posts. I've had similar problems, but it was from arthritis. Squats and deadlifts have actually been beneficial, even though my knees crack and pop when doing them.

 

[ponyboy]

Osgood Schlatter's disease is common in young people who lift and/or run or use their legs a lot (soccer players, etc.).

However, it is a legitimate problem because basically it is affecting your knee capsule. For some info link here:

http://www.athleticadvisor.com/Injuries/LE/Knee/osgood-schlatters.htm

You're fine to keep working your legs, especially with squats, but you have to make sure your form is correct and avoid explosive movement so that the area doesn't get any worse. I'd lay off of heavy squats for a little while. Any explosive movement involving the lower body should also be avoided.

 

[pood]

i had the pains 2 years ago, thats when i stopped doing squats, it was all bulging, but now i don't have it anymore

but my knee cap cracks everytime, im just afraid that it'll come back if i do squats again, i've just been doing straight leg raises to rehab it

 

[Freeman]

it won't come back if it's been gone for two years..you've grown out of it..cracking knees is no big deal, as long as it's not a painful cracking.

 

[OceanDude]

I'll second the idea to get with a good sports doctor. You just don't want to take chances on the knees or your quality of life is going to suck and it will make you very bitter as you age when you can't do things because you took some amateur???s advice and got into some kind of arthritic condition or worse as a result of inflaming the joint. It would not surprise me if the specialist advises you to do some resistance training to help the condition ??? but you need to know specifically what range of motion and in what planes to apply the forces. Only a qualified specialist can tell you this.

 

[rburton]

Originally posted by OceanDude
I'll second the idea to get with a good sports doctor. You just don't want to take chances on the knees or your quality of life is going to suck and it will make you very bitter as you age when you can't do things because you took some amateur???s advice and got into some kind of arthritic condition or worse as a result of inflaming the joint. It would not surprise me if the specialist advises you to do some resistance training to help the condition ??? but you need to know specifically what range of motion and in what planes to apply the forces. Only a qualified specialist can tell you this.

Well put. Arthritis can be irritating, but strength training does help to manage it.

 

[pood]

but last year, i did do leg presses, and didn't have the paid like 2 years ago, i was looking at arnold's book, and i think i might try machine presses when i get back to gym next month.


it seems that my legs crack only when the bar is not completely parallel with my feet


well, my weight training teacher back in high school told me to do half squats, haven't tried that either


i dunno how my parents are gonna take it, might have to do this on my own since i just costed them 300 bucks to correct my neck at the chiropractor while sparring in brazilian juijitsu (which they told me not to do)

 

[OceanDude]

well pood, you need to learn parent physchology 101 and turn it around on them. Explain to them how much it will cost them later if you don't get it all right now. Also, explain that the sooner you can be more active the sooner you can make more additional income to help pay for things. Then start talking about how you might want to be a star college power lifter or athlete and want to get a scholarship and someday go pro and send money home to mom and dad. Be fore long you will have them paying you to work out if you know how to play your hand right

 

[pood]

hi, hear this

my parents think WHEY PROTEIN is bad for hte body

and weight lifting is bad for me lol

more great thinkings from communist china (where they're from)

im originally from there, but i came when i was 7

 

[Freeman]

is it that they're commies, or that they're chinese?

I like Marx, call me a pinko!

 

[OceanDude]

ho ho - this is interesting.

OK - it's still all a matter of "selling your ideas". What your parents want is to be proud of their son - this is like honoring them. So you must respect their cultural beliefs - after all there is something to that yin and yang stuff that Western doctors just don't get yet. So try to understand their perspectives and also realize that China has a very rich cultural history that is based on philosophies about health and well being that are a just a little different in perspective but based on thousands of years of insight. Strength and physical size were not considered important in ancient China (perhaps bacause it it focused on the "individual" rather than "society" and becuase it requires disproportionate amounts of food and considered greedy).

Remind them of the famous Chinese basketball player Yao Mingand how tall and strong he is and how China is coming of age. Take it from there...

 

[Mudge]

Originally posted by pood
more great thinkings from communist china (where they're from)

They were using steroids on the female swim team were they not? How is protein going to be bad for you? Alot of asians are used to consuming tons of rice, not much protein, so I can see this maybe.

Old fashioned people though are going to frown upon anything new that they dont understand probably, even younger people will likewise pass judgement on things they often know little to nothing about.