Middle-age lifter With bad knees

[RustyB]

Hey folks!

I’m a 45-year-old, slightly overweight novice lifter. I recently had an MRI on my knees, and it showed chondromalacia patellae (knee arthritis).

I just wrapped up my first month at a Starting Strength gym, and I’m making good progress with box squats. Thanks to the way the low-bar squat is taught, my knees actually don’t bother me that much during the lifts, especially once there’s weight on the bar.

My question for the group is: Is it possible to keep getting stronger and progressing on the program, even if my knees never really improve? They still hurt during everyday tasks, especially when I bend down and put weight on them.

If anyone here has dealt with this issue, I’d love to hear about your experiences and what I might expect. It’s OK if this is just part of getting older and having bad knees—I’m just curious to know how others have managed this.

Thanks in advance for sharing your insights!

[Mark Rippetoe]

You don't have "bad knees." You got the same knees that all sedentary people have, and squats done correctly will fix them. You're doing fine, just keep at it.

[RustyB]

Thx Rip. Will do. I love the coaching I’m getting at Starting Strength Orlando!

[Rednek]

I had the same problem, probably from doing stupid stuff like running when I was younger. At times, going upstairs felt like a knife had been inserted under my kneecap. I can't say when it happened, but after following the SS method the pain disappeared and now at 72 I can run upstairs 2 at a time.

[Al_Orange]

Hey folks!

I’m a 45-year-old, slightly overweight novice lifter. I recently had an MRI on my knees, and it showed chondromalacia patellae (knee arthritis).

I just wrapped up my first month at a Starting Strength gym, and I’m making good progress with box squats. Thanks to the way the low-bar squat is taught, my knees actually don’t bother me that much during the lifts, especially once there’s weight on the bar.

My question for the group is: Is it possible to keep getting stronger and progressing on the program, even if my knees never really improve? They still hurt during everyday tasks, especially when I bend down and put weight on them.

If anyone here has dealt with this issue, I’d love to hear about your experiences and what I might expect. It’s OK if this is just part of getting older and having bad knees—I’m just curious to know how others have managed this.

Thanks in advance for sharing your insights!

I have had the same diagnosis (with what I believe was a torn meniscus that was missed). I struggled to walk down stairs, walked with a noticeable limp, and needed to use my hands to get up from a chair. I eventually figured I'd give the gym a try to see how I got on and 6 weeks into SS NLP, my knee was better than it's been at any time since it went bad. I don't do box squats except for some warm up sets when I'm feeling stiff or cold.

I can't really kneel down without discomfort and they still swell up a little if I overdo it on my dirtbike or mtb but in terms of strength and general function, I can only say squatting as per SS has all but fixed them for now.

If you have problems with swelling and stiffness, I can highly recommend gentle cycling (stationary or normal), as this really helps mine. Good luck!