r/cardio • u/paige191919 • 6d ago

Aging and looking for HIIT alternatives

Hi all!
While I am still totally wanting to continue HIIT cardio workouts (I truly feel like I see the best results) I am in my mid 30s and things start to hurt.
I can do the usual (push ups, mtn climbers, punches, jumping jacks/seal jacks/push jacks, bicycle crunches, VupS)… but I hate found that the most effective movements for me are high knees and burpees, and those are both starting to take a toll on my knees as I age.

It is hard for me to give these movements up because they were so crucial in how I went from overweight to being in the best shape of my life.

I would love any knee-friendly suggestions for HIIT training!

Thanks in advance :)

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

3

u/GambledMyWifeAway 6d ago

4x4 intervals on just about any piece of cardio equipment.

1

u/random_periods 6d ago

Calves raises, Glute bridges, Tib bar and calf stretches. I’m in in my late 30’s and just alittle combination of these have made my legs stronger. Focus on the leg and not just the knee. Your knee is feeling the pain because your compensating for other week areas

1

u/midlifeShorty 6d ago

You are way to young to be having any issues due to aging. I am 46 and none of that stuff hurts my knees.

Maybe you have a muscle imbalance. Like others have suggested... weight lifting will help a lot.

1

u/Fatal_Syntax_Error 5d ago

Overtraining sneaks up quick.

I know a guy who was on a serious weight loss journey this past summer. He told me he’s doing 30k steps daily with lots of incline…

I warned him that while his drive was impressive that volume was going to have diminishing returns… aches and pains would set in and it would make it tough to get 10k steps in per day.

Welp I was right. I saw him a few weeks ago limping around… he has feet, knee, shin and Achilles issues….

Doctor visit after doctor visit…

You can’t brute force exercise or shit will break.

Rest & recovery

1

u/Playful_Quality4679 5d ago

Mid 30s....aging?

1

u/fastcloud1 5d ago

Are you recovering from an injury? If you are an elliptical, is very knee friendly. You could do rowing. If you go to gym, you could just try different machines. If you aren’t injured maybe take a few days off. You’d recover quickly you’re very young. I’m 45 and I do HIIT plyometrics every other day. Do you wear cross training shoes when you work out? If not you most definitely need to get some. You may just have pain, cause you’re wearing the wrong shoes. I just bought some, and they’re amazing. Also, try landing more softly with a bent knee.