Looking for advice on improving cardio/recovery for football without straining knees

[Phlog]

Situation is that I'm 39, play RT and have shitty knees. I'm managing decline when in season, mainly focused on prehab and recovery, off season I can focus on gaining strength more.

What I'm after is a way of improving my conditioning. I have been using aerobic-alactic training, sprints, jumps, shuttles, mirror drills etc but I'm finding that the added loaded explosive effort is just more inflammation I need to factor in and I end up doing less than I want.

I was wondering if anyone had any insight on whether a stationary bike of some sort could provide the same benefits or not? I know I can use those with little irritation. I'm assuming the systems I'm interested in working don't care whether it's more sport specific stimulus or not?

 

[LatFlare]

Cardio - 10k row 1-2/week
Recovery - bike whenever

 

[Snowfist]

I tore my meniscus a couple years ago. It bothered me significantly for a year and a half. It still flares up occasionally...

Now I have to really earn the right to play footy.
I have elastic bands and I do the warmup you see all the pros doing nowadays. Low banded walk...etc.

When you get your glutes firing before and the day after and activity it takes all the pressure off that knee.

Doing weights with my legs helps as well...the pain willl instantly dissapear

 

[Oblivian]

Heavy bag, shadowboxing, and burpees.

 

[Ilk]

You are talking about American football right?

 

[EL CORINTHIAN]

High resistance elliptical, prowler pushes, battle ropes, weighted vest incline walking, barbell complexes ect.

 

[Phlog]

You are talking about American football right?

Yes, American football, conditioning is for max effort, for about 12 seconds with 20 seconds rest, for a long assed time. The 20 seconds rest is active rest like jogging.

 

[EL CORINTHIAN]

Yes, American football, conditioning is for max effort, for about 12 seconds with 20 seconds rest, for a long assed time. The 20 seconds rest is active rest like jogging.

You could even try Tabata front squats.

 

[aus101]

For high intensity training (sprinting), the airodyne assault bike and ergometer will be less tough on the knees than running, by far.

For low intensity steady state simply walking (30+ mins a day) will be great, change to hill walking when the flat gets easy. I got my resting heart rate according to the Fitbit to 48 (with the lowest it hits being 38-42) via simply walking the dog.

 

[JauntyAngle]

I'm assuming the systems I'm interested in working don't care whether it's more sport specific stimulus or not?

Not really- short sprints are mainly powered by the anaerobic system, and that is mostly driven by local adaptations, not by the heart and lungs. So for anaerobic you should be primarily using the body parts and movements that you will be using in your sport.

I would guess that high intensity running drills of various types would be what you normally do. But there may be other things you can do that are high intensity and use the lower body which are lower impact and which will give good results.

You can also still benefit plenty by developing your aerobic system more. And for that it doesn't matter much what you do (although there are also some local adaptations from aerobic which are helpful). If your aerobic system is more developed it can contribute to your sprints more, putting less demand on the anaerobic system. Since you run when you play, you get a decent amount of high intensity work anyway. Low intensity/aerobic might go a long way.

 

[Ilk]

Yes, American football, conditioning is for max effort, for about 12 seconds with 20 seconds rest, for a long assed time. The 20 seconds rest is active rest like jogging.

I am not very familiar with the sport. I have trainned soccer for many years and while a lot of the basics for the conditions are similar I guess you it is not the same.
Here is what we did in on season:
Monday - 10 km run with stretching - basically an active recover post game
Tuesday - stairs - climbing stairs with sprints, jumps with both legs, single leg jumps and etc
Wednesday - sprints - short sprints 10-20-30-40-50-60 meters
Thursday - hill sprints - 50 m hill sprints
Friday was tactical day
Saturday - rest
Sunday - match day

In off season:
Monday - 10 km run with stretching
Tuesday - stairs - combined with body weight exercices and jumps
Wednesday - 10 x 1km runs for time with little to no rest
Thursday - hill sprints
Friday - short sprints
2 rest days

Point being in soccer you have a lot of running going on. And I mean a lot. That is a main tool in the sport - to be able to run for long and run fast for short distances.

Now your problem is the knees and your sport includes a lot more wrestling, a lot more the entire body than just running. A lot more agility than actual running. However you also need the leg enduarance, strenght and being able to run on my guess.

I would advice for general conditioning - LISS kind of training to try out rows or when in off season try to sign wrestling and just wrestle, without doing their conditioning.
For intensity to try out burpees or similar exercises.
However do not completely shut your sport specific training. Just replace a day of running with a day of rowing, or a day of sprints with a day of burpees. That is because you would like to have less inflamination in the knees.

Keep in mind I am not professional. I just shared what we did in another sport. I have no familiarity with your sport. My advice was to test our replacing a day or two at most of your workout with something different.

In the end I would like to share that my conditioning from soccer does not transfer well in my boxing. I do amateur soccer and I run 10 kms at the age of 32 twice a week during games - 1 practice, 1 competitive. However my lungs fail me in boxing which is my hobby. I gas pretty easily when boxing and my hands are not conditioned to do some nice volume of punching or keep my hands up all the time.

 

[Judoka1532]

Situation is that I'm 39, play RT and have shitty knees. I'm managing decline when in season, mainly focused on prehab and recovery, off season I can focus on gaining strength more.

What I'm after is a way of improving my conditioning. I have been using aerobic-alactic training, sprints, jumps, shuttles, mirror drills etc but I'm finding that the added loaded explosive effort is just more inflammation I need to factor in and I end up doing less than I want.

I was wondering if anyone had any insight on whether a stationary bike of some sort could provide the same benefits or not? I know I can use those with little irritation. I'm assuming the systems I'm interested in working don't care whether it's more sport specific stimulus or not?

So I'm just asking for a little clarification about your knees. Is it the impact that you're worried about? Or just overuse of the knee joint in general.

At any rate, my answer to your question is utilize a concept rowing machine. It's very little impact on your knees and offers great cardio conditioning. I mean you could use an elliptical and bike, but a rowing machine offers the best workout imho.

For the rower, you can do very hard short meter rows like 10 30s intervals full speed, all the way to hour long workouts.

 

[wufabufa]

Do sprints on an airdyne or rower.

 

[corpse]

since my hip is fucked i do hill sprints/runs with my bike. i ride all hills in standing position which becomes a whole body pull depending on the steepness and length. it's a little bit like gpp, i guess.

i once read of a heavyweight highland games guy with fucked knees who benefitted a lot from heavy backward sled pulling since he couldn't squat anymore. i can't remember his exact issue, though.

 

[funcrusher2007]

@Phlog .. I have fucked knee that hurts a lot. I also have i.t. band syndrome
I can’t believe no ones said..

Swimming. Water exercises

Best cardio workout without impact on joints imo.
I have been doing swim routines for a year now and it beats any cardio routine I’ve ever done.

You ever seen an out of shape swimmer?

 

[Phlog]

@Phlog .. I have fucked knee that hurts a lot. I also have i.t. band syndrome
I can’t believe no ones said..

Swimming. Water exercises

Best cardio workout without impact on joints imo.
I have been doing swim routines for a year now and it beats any cardio routine I’ve ever done.

You ever seen an out of shape swimmer?

That's great advice, if I had my own pool... I know it's a stupid distinction but with family life and work, but if something is to be a long term solution it needs to be able to be done at home.

I've used swimming for short periods but I just can't do it everyday.

 

[funcrusher2007]

That's great advice, if I had my own pool... I know it's a stupid distinction but with family life and work, but if something is to be a long term solution it needs to be able to be done at home.

I've used swimming for short periods but I just can't do it everyday.

I’m not sure if you have an y.m.c.a. Or public pool, even high schools will let public in sometimes.

I have la fitness membership,I go there mostly for Olympic pool but I’ll work out also if it’s before 3pm.... afterwards fuck that shit