For fun I thought I would comment. Duncan, yes be careful of your knees...a great exercise is to sit in an imaginary chair with your back to a wall, and hold that till the next poster revitalizes this thread. By that time, you will have glutes, thighs, and calves of steel, and knees happily intact.

www.michaelnewberry.com

Edit:I'm sorry about waking up a really old thread; I didn't see the timestamp until afterwards.

First of all, I have to second what Wes Frost wrote: connective tissue does take a lot longer to recover than does muscle. I'll go beyond that and point out that sometimes, in the case of injury, such tissue never does fully recover. So it's worth being careful.

That having been said, though, let me ask: Duncan, are your knees actually bothering you now? I'm reading you as having bashed 'em around a bit when you were younger. Are you concerned about exacerbating what could possibly be a problem, or do you have knee problems at present?

Okay, I thought you were still doing something where you were still physically bashing your knees.

I can’t think of a squatting motion that will be easier on your knees if both sumo and regular squats are hurting them. Using a leg press might help because you can place your feet in different positions that might redirect some of the stress. It sounds like you’re working outside of a gym so this probably isn’t an option though.

I’d follow Martin’s advice and just back off a little until your knees feel stronger. Joints/tendons take longer to develop than muscles. And try to work some leg extensions and curls in. Once again, hard to do outside of a gym; you’ll have to mickey mouse something together to provide resistance.

I saw the technique in the aforementioned magazine, & tried it out - then stuck with it because it feels a lot easier on the knees than conventional squats.

There is a remakably annoying video demonstration of the technique here.

Thanks, I'll check out that link (I edited it, as it was so long it was blowing out the page width). That technique certainly sounds promising - as I'm going to be going on the track soon (first a few trackdays, then if that's good, racing) I want to build quite a bit of strength.

If you have access to a gym try doing leg extensions. Also you may want to try doing them the "power of 10" way. 10 seconds up and 10 seconds down. You'll only be able to do about 5-8 reps using heavier weight, but you'll fatigue the muscles better and get stronger faster. Many of my older (55-65) friends and friends with joint problems use this method with no stress to their joints. I have used the method and it works surprisingly well, although I had to stop because I built up too much. I didn't want to look like a man. Here is a link that will give you a better idea of it.

Power of 10: The Once-A-Week Slow Motion Fitness Revolution

Good luck! -Jennifer

I have found that if I use lighter weights and work on form, the weaker areas will catch up. 2 months ago I would have been afraid to try heavy squats because I wouldn't think my knees could take it. On Saturday I set a personal record for squats.

Maybe you could try a weight that feels comfortable for your knees, and not worry about needing to blast your quads until knee strength catches up? Unless you already have physical damage to the knee joints, in that case be careful with them.

I know of an exercise called a "sumo deadlift" but I have never heard of a "sumo squat."

Duncan, first of all let me congratulate you for doing any sort of squat movement at all. I think they deserve their reputation as one of the most productive exercises of all.

I, too, would want to know more about what you mean precisely by "sumo squat." I assum you mean a wide-stance squat, as powerlifters employ. But if you're just getting back into things and feeling weak (which is normal), I'd recommend doing a few sets of regular squats and build your strength and flexibility back up.

When you say "sumo squat" are you referring to being in a lunging position with one leg in front of the body and one behind and then lowering until touching the ground with your rear leg knee?

Why are you bashing your knee? Going too fast or weight too heavy?

Are you using dumbbells or a weight bar?