Sometimes, certain exercises can make your joints hurt. We’ve got some joint-friendly exercise alternatives to help you workout pain-free.
The New Normal is here…mostly.
Sure, here in Massachusetts, the Governor lifted all restrictions and ended the mask mandate in time for the Memorial Day weekend…
But for many of us, it’s been more of a time of transition. Less like flipping a switch and more like using a dimmer switch to gradually increase the light in a room. Things are definitely looking brighter out there…
People are beginning to go back into the office, albeit with new and different ideas about how often and for how long. And there are almost certainly feelings that go along with that transition.
Fitness is back!
Whether you’re taking online fitness classes in your living room or you’ve taken the plunge and joined a gym, you’re back, baby!
Woohoo! It’s awesome!
…except that sometimes (often?), some of the exercises you do in class kind of hurt your joints. And not in a good way.
Joint-friendly Exercise Alternatives and Modifications
Your knees bark at you when you do squats. Or maybe your toes bother you during lunges and split squats? Perhaps your wrists don’t like push-ups?
Do you push through?
Or just sit those exercises out?
What to do?
Never fear! We’ve got some options and joint-friendly exercise alternatives for easy ways to keep your joints happy!
Squats hurt your knees?
If you’ve got a band, you can try squatting with a band, like this:
Or, try elevating your heels and adding a reach…and maybe a weight:
Or switch to step-ups:
Toes hurt during split squats?
Try elevating your rear foot like this:
Jumping Jacks (or any jumping) don’t work for you?
Try a Stepping Lateral Lunge instead:
Wrists hurt during exercises like planks and push-ups?
Try forearms or using a pair of dumbbells:
Or, for push-ups, try elevating your hands:
Here’s hoping one or some of these proves helpful and gives you some relief. There’s no need to power through the pain. It’s good when fitness is challenging. Not so good when it hurts.
PS, if you’re looking for a place to do your fitnessing where we cheer when you come through the door, meet you where you’re at and have lots of fun learning about good technique while getting stronger and stuff, check us out.