Do You Really Have Bad Knees?
August 13th, 2007
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by Scott Tousignant · Filed Under: Fat Loss Mindset
I kind of chuckle to myself when people tell me that they have bad knees. I think, “What have they done to you? Should you put them on a ‘time out’ or scold them?”
Your knees are not bad! And for that matter none of the other body parts that may be hurting are bad either.
Yes, you may experience pain, you may have a strained ligament, worn out cartilage, bulging disc in your back, sciatica, and so on. But it does not mean they are bad.
You can take that arthritic knee and add one of two references. You can say, “My knee is bad I have to avoid exercise or at least certain exercises and that probably means I won’t be able to achieve optimal fat loss because I am limited in what I can do.”
Or
“I have an arthritic knee and I’m not going to let that stop me from achieving the body of my dreams. I know other people with arthritic knees that have achieved tremendous fat loss success and I have a clear vision in my mind of what my dream body looks like and I’m not going to let anything get in my way of reaching that goal.”
I’m not going to deny that you are experiencing pain or discomfort, but are you going to let that limit you? Do you think that you can turn that around?
A good friend of mine and fellow fitness professional Shane James told me his story where he was unable to walk or even get out of bed because his knees were so ‘bad’. The cartilage was worn out and his knees came off the track.
The doctor told him that he could never exercise again. Imagine that?
Shane refused to except the limitation instilled upon him by his doctor. Even though Shane was in pain he began to walk on the treadmill at a crawling pace.
Every morning and before bed he would repeat to himself, “I have the strongest knees in the world!” He would even have his friends call him up and say, “Hey how’s the guy with the strongest knees in the world doing today?”
Within a short period of time he had cranked up the treadmill and lost the 25 pounds that he had gained after being a bit depressed and the doctor ordering him to stop exercising.
You can listen to Shane tell the story here:
http://unstoppable-fatloss.com/blog/shane-james/
So are you going to let the references of doctors and other people who have given up on their fat loss goals because of ‘bad’ knees hold you back?
Or are you going to get new references of people who love their knees no matter what state they are in, and those knees are going to help them achieve incredible fat loss success.
Heck, you can even look at Nino Savona’s story:
http://unstoppable-fatloss.com/blog/nino-savona/
He walks with crutches and has fallen off the treadmill countless times. That sure isn’t enough to stop him.
In the Unstoppable Fat Loss interview with Tom Venuto, Tom mentions a study where they were trying to figure out which of two knee surgeries produced the best result. They also did a placebo where people thought they were getting the surgery, they were rolled into the operating room and incisions were actually made, yet nothing was done.
The person who had the placebo reported that his knee was better even though no surgery was performed.
I believe that Tom has worked through the difficulties of a bulging disc in his back as well. Take a look at the incredible physique that he has built even though he had this obstacle.
Take a moment to listen to the short audio clip with Tom as well:
http://unstoppable-fatloss.com/blog/tom-venuto/
I have trained numerous clients with sciatica and bulging discs and they have achieved tremendous fat loss success despite this.
I’ve had knee surgery myself because of a hockey injury. My bone will actually pop out of place at times and I quickly pop it back in. For the most part it’s very stable and I can do full deep squats and it doesn’t limit me from anything.
The work that I’ve done on it myself has been much better than any surgery could have ever done and my knee continues to get stronger every day.
I love that knee. It’s a good knee.
Are you starting to see where an Unstoppable Mindset can take you?
I get asked quite frequently what exercises are best to do when you have ‘bad’ knees. The best exercise for your knees is to exercise your brain and eliminate those limiting beliefs.
Isn’t it time that you started living the Unstoppable Fat Loss Lifestyle?
Your Dream Body Awaits You…
Scott Tousignant, BHK, CFC
www.UnstoppableFatLoss.com
www.FitChicFatLoss.com/blog
www.AskTheFitBastard.com/blog










After suffering from a severely painful knee I did some research and settle on a Pilates approach. Not a treadmill, as other techniques are necessary before that.
Finding a certified Pilates person I signed up and began the therapy. I had been unable to go to sleep at night the pain was so bad. Two months later my knee was normal but better yet I learned what to do when the pain returned which it did once in a while, but in a very mild reminder. Most old knees need stretching of the muscle fibers.
However I went hiking in Peru and California and in between I would do my therapy exercises. After extensive research I can say that Joseph Pilates really understood muscles and how they work and don’t work and what to do about it. No wonder the dancers from the New York City Ballet embraced his techniques. And no wonder his techniques have been so popularly accepted.
My son had back surgery and continued to moan and groan with pain. At first he dismissed my recommendations to see
a Pilates trainer. Finally with nothing to lose he went. Two months later he reluctantly confessed that his back hadn’t feel so good in years.
I am not a paid Pilates person, I just learned from direct experience a wonderful solution to a painful problem. I now know how to do the therapy myself and so I’m free of sessions. But I do take mat classes utilizing the Pilates method on a regular basis. I am 71 years old and weigh 145 lbs, and 5ft 7 in.
GL
Gretchen, that’s fantastic!
Pilates can be a wonderful form of exercise for many people. I know quite a few people myself who do it and have had tremendous success. It never really felt natural to me so I haven’t continued with it, but I know how effective it is.
You are a great example to many people Gretchen. 71 years old and taking control of your body and health is totally awesome.
Keep improving with age and doing the things that your body responds to best and that you enjoy the most.
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us.
Scott Tousignant
Hi Scott~
In reading this, I know I’m not crazy for thinking that you can’t have “bad” body parts!! I was wondering though, I have fractures in my L-5, S-1 area in my back and the doctors say it will never heal because it’s in my low back where we constantly move. I still work out and have tried to do as much as I can until it hurts and then I stop for that workout. It has been 3 years now and I still have the “fear” in the back of my head that if I do the certain exercises that they told me not to do, that I’ll break. How do I get rid of that mindset? Also, Do you think that I should limit myself? Don’t worry I will not hold you responsible for giving me your opinion, I’m just looking for another professional opinion because I want to know what I can do and maybe if you know of something I should stay away from, please be honest!!
Thanks,
Heather
HI Scott,
I have knee problems and I do exercise (when I am motivated) even if my knee gives me pain. I went to a physiotherapist yesterday and she said that she never seen a knee like mine. My knee cap is out of the groove and my inner muscles are really weak on both my left and right side. Do you know any good exercises to strengthen the inner thigh muscles?
Hi Scott!
Congratulations on this great website!
Yeah, I definitively agree with you! Being a Physical Therapist I can say that a good mindset helps overcome injuries and obstacles!
Do you have a “bad knee”? Then work around your injury, adapt your exercises a bit, seek treatment, concentrate on what you can do at that moment you´re going through, BUT DON’T STOP EXERCISING!
Alexandre