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Due to a change of workplace, and a tight work routine, I don't have time to go the gym when I'm out of work anymore.

To make things worse, I have a knee injury that makes almost impossible to jog. After ten minutes of a mid-pace jogging, the knee feels like something is stabbing it.

Before the workplace switch, I was able to go to the gym and exercise. Specifically about the knee, I was told not to run, do squats or use the leg press at all, but to use the static bike and do leg extensions, taking care of not using too much weight.

My question is if there are any exercises that I can do after work that would help me get into shape again without damaging anymore my knee.

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    I would normally say the pool for this situation but sometimes it's just a matter of making this a time priority – ford prefect Jun 11 '14 at 15:28
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    No time to go to the gym is a bad excuse not to exercise; if you cannot go to the gym, you can create yours. There are bodyweight exercises that can be done anywhere with exciting results. Also, if you perform squatting with the right form and weight , you should not hurt your knees; it will actually strengthen your knees. Search for bodyweight exercises; they might be the solution to your current predicament. – Kneel-Before-ZOD Jun 11 '14 at 18:56
  • It's not a bad excuse. If it was, I wouldn't be here, don't you think? Anyway, thanks for the info. – Adri C.S. Jun 11 '14 at 19:12
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    My apologies if my earlier comment sounded rude; I was implying that even in your current situation, you can still exercise. Why is that important? Because once you begin telling your body that you need to exercise, options to exercise will begin to flood open. Options to be more physically active will begin to emerge. Cycling to work, taking the stairs instead of the elevators, adjusting your nutrition, performing bodyweight exercises before going to bed or after waking up, etc. As the first comment mentioned, once your mind realizes it's a matter of priorities, – Kneel-Before-ZOD Jun 11 '14 at 23:57
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    it begins to seek opportunities to increase metabolism and reduce calorie intake. You begin to take initiatives; you might even join groups that help. Some organizations even provide gyms for its workers. Many options are available for those who are ready. :) – Kneel-Before-ZOD Jun 12 '14 at 0:01
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I would look into pilates. There are a lot of great free work outs on youtube that would be helpful for you with an injured knee. you could try POPpilates, she has a lot of free work outs on youtube. Or you can try Nike training club. its a free app in the itunes store. Very similar to insanity or p90x. but you can break it down into areas to work. You could avoid the exercises that would hurt your knee. good luck!

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  • After some thougths, I'll go into Pilates. Thanks to all of you for your help! – Adri C.S. Jun 13 '14 at 7:16
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My first thought would be to use kettle bells and create a light routine, but kettle bells require knees to be used in almost all movements. Depending on how tight your work schedule is and how bad your knee injury is I would recommend kettle bells. They provide a full body workout in less than 20 minutes.

Try yoga. You may think yoga is easy and not a 'real' workout, but it can be very intense depending on the routine and length of the routine.

If your knee injury is bad you should focus on recovering rather than simply avoiding exercises which place stress on your knee.

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  • Thanks for your answer. I have practised martial arts (Wushu and Yang Taiji) but I dropped them because of the knee. I might start again Taiji adopting higher positions. As of yoga, I have no experience, but I recall reading about "styles". Any in particular? The knee would require surgery, but nowadays I can't afford the operation. The knee lets me do a normal life as long as I don't overdo it. For example, I can go to a concert, but I wouldn't be able to pogo. – Adri C.S. Jun 11 '14 at 15:49
  • @AdriC.S. I recommend Bikram Yoga, but, on second thought, many positions in yoga require knee strength and will place a great deal of stress on your knee. Have you looked into body weight exercises? – Michael Jun 11 '14 at 16:01
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    I would not recommend Yoga without instruction, at least at first and especially considering a knee injury. – mart Jun 12 '14 at 8:29
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I would avoid the leg extension machine entirely, and focus on doing simple bodyweight exercises for the legs that you can find in books. Pilates is an excellent suggestion. But you should definitely find some way of getting some cardiovascular activity. If you can, take the stairs. Negotiate with your employer to make time: if they are really having you work so much you don't have time to maintain your physical fitness, then they are taking a short view of your value to the company and compromising your health for their financial benefit. Is that really the kind of company you want to work for? If you get sick more frequently or are more tired and stressed because you can't exercise, then will you be as productive?

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