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I'm 5'10 and about 150-155 pounds, yet I've been having terrible knee pain. I have been doing squats with 115 pounds and was thinking that's not even that much. Yesterday, I decided to skip squats at the gym, but I was doing my usual calf routine to make my heels stop hurting. I also liked having ridiculously strong calves. Then I realized my knee problems are probably coming from the relatively large amount of weight I'm putting on the calf machine. One time I managed to push 350 pounds for one rep. Lately, I've been using 260 time and time again. I realized that's where my knee pain was coming from. All that weight is pushed up through the legs into your knees. Since your own body weight pushes on the knees from the knee up, it doesn't represent all of your weight.

I realized that I'd need to be a 300+ tub of shit to have that kind of weight pressing on my knees since some of the weight under the knees doesn't count.

I'm 5'10 and about 150-155 pounds, yet I've been having terrible knee pain. I have been doing squats with 115 pounds and was thinking that's not even that much. Yesterday, I decided to skip squats at the gym, but I was doing my usual calf routine to make my heels stop hurting. I also liked having ridiculously strong calves. Then I realized my knee problems are probably coming from the relatively large amount of weight I'm putting on the calf machine. One time I managed to push 350 pounds for one rep. Lately, I've been using 260 time and time again. I realized that's where my knee pain was coming from. All that weight is pushed up through the legs into your knees. Since your own body weight pushes on the knees from the knee up, it doesn't represent all of your weight. **I realized that I'd need to be a 300+ tub of shit to have that kind of weight pressing on my knees** since some of the weight under the knees doesn't count.

(post is archived)

[–] • 2 pts

Is it a standing or sitting calf machine?

I used to have a standing in the previous gym and used it often, the trick is not to lock you knees when doing it - keep the weight on your muscles, not on your bones.

[–] • 1 pt

It's a sitting machine that is mostly just an ankle movement.

[–] • 0 pt

I used those only a few times long ago, but I can still see how overloading them could strain your knees.

[–] • 1 pt

Good advice. I would recommend both Bone broth (magical for joints) and finding a good body work person to massage them. Not a masseuse, a person who knows the body and muscles and fascia. Chiropractors are a good start. I once thought I blew out my knee and needed a new one. Months of pain after spending many months walking around on pea gravel. Turns out my knee was fine ( I swore it was destroyed and rubbing bones) with proper muscle and fascia massage. Crazy stuff.

[–] • 1 pt (edited )

Just do bodyweight exercises. Professional weight lifters dont live very long. Leave weightlifting to the heavier guys that can't do cardio.

Squat jumps. Burpees. Pulls ups. Push ups. Bicycle crunches. Any coordinated full body high energy exercise will do. No need to blow your knees out attempting to carry weight that your body wasn't designed to carry. Otherwise you're going to end up like those Zogbots that come out of the military with grandma knees and lower back.

[–] • 0 pt

Yeah, I am seeing now that I need to do lighter and longer. I already have a shoulder injury and my lower back hurts if I lift too much with it. I avoid heel impact stuff, because of a heel pain problem. Calf weight lifting is the most helpful thing for my heels. It really makes them stop hurting; although, I've read that really you just need calf stretching. I get a good stretch while lifting weights. I just got too extreme with the progress. I like having super strong calves, though, because you can use them to walk faster if your body weight is nothing to them.

[–] [deleted] • 0 pt

Have you heard of "knees over toes?"

[–] • 0 pt

no

[–] [deleted] • 0 pt

Well now you have. Walk backwards, sled pulls, etc. Look up the "kneesovertoesguy" on YT

[–] • 0 pt

I try not to do a lot of walking due to heel pain. Obviously I have to walk around in life, but I don't know how I will take to that. Running and jumping are really bad, but if a sled is heavy enough, I probably won't be taking a lot of steps.

[–] • 0 pt

Nice username.

[–] • 1 pt

It's based off of "hole in my soul" which was used in an Aerosmith song. The song is alright, but I'm not sure why I chose to go with this name. Most names are still available on here.

[–] • 0 pt

Do your knees hurt all the time, or just when you squat?

[–] • 1 pt

Actually, they weren't hurting while squatting, but they'd be hurting when I was away from the gym. It was definitely the calf machine causing it. 115 pounds on my shoulders, that's less than my body weight.

[–] • 0 pt

Obviously I'm not a doctor, but I'd recommend wrapping your knees when you lift

[–] • 1 pt

I do use knee braces, but that's not going to stop downwards pressure on them.

[–] • 0 pt (edited )

Are you talking about the leg ""? 350 is jack shit. You should easily be able to push 450 without being a "stacked" or "ripped" guy.

[–] • 0 pt

No, just a calf machine where you use your calves in a straight-legged position to push on two plates intended for your feet. It's a pure calf exercise, but the pressure of the weight pushes into your legs and into the lower back. I had to use a pad on the seat, because it was pushing my lower back into it so hard that it was hurting.

[–] • 0 pt

I never was able to push that much on a leg press. Typical guys don't understand what it's like being small-framed and narrow. My muscles also started out really undeveloped. When I was at my best, I was one of the weakest guys who had done a lot of weightlifting and about as strong as one of the strongest ladies there. I saw her bench pressing about the same amount as me.

[–] • 0 pt

If you didn't suck so much cock your knees wouldn't hurt.