Cycling is actually my "foundation" workout, and I do an occasional short triathlon when I feel good. Cycling will absolutely strengthen your entire legs (not sure about "healing" a meniscus, but it's great cross training with about zero impact). As to your question, road cycling is great to start (next to zero impact)....But the leap for me comes from trail riding. That really gets me stronger all-around, and rather quickly too, and it's hardcore cardio too. Wish I could make more time for it again....
My cousin, Tony Greer, (my mother’s nephew) played in the Rucker tournament against Earl the Pearl Monroe, scored 30 points against him, and was MVP of the tournament that year. It just goes to show you the best talent is not always the one that ends up in the limelight. He became a HS coach and Pearl an NBA champion and Hall of Famer..
Mountain biking and stationary. My PCP, who is a DO, suggested it saying my tear wasnt major and the low impact, high volume flexion /extension of the joint could smooth / grind down any little "flap" in the meniscus that was causing issues. A lot of people say it was coo coo, but it worked for me. Maybe it helped in ways different than he described, but it worked.
I think it’s possible with an intensive exercise program that strengthens your quads tremendously. But, everyone’s different and it takes a real commitment and Same for me. After I tore my meniscus, I went to a PT for intensive physical therapy. Back then, he used certain Cybex machines to really strengthen my quads. It was very hard but it worked. My knees were like bionic and I resumed sports. Cycling on stationary bikes was a big part of the PT. Murphree may not be a candidate but in general, the quads can be strengthened beyond belief to offset certain knee injuries to various degrees of success.
I might give it a try. I do have strong legs from weighted ruck marches… which is my most common form of cardio. I do it 3-5 times per week. I run less frequently, because that gets me really sore, but it’s actually my favorite thing to do. I could see how biking really addresses those stabilizing knee muscles differently, as well as quads and hamstrings. Serious cyclists have very powerful legs. I do squat and deadlift at the gym, too.
That makes a lot of sense. Thanks for sharing. That flap is annoying and painful when it gets caught somewhere it’s not supposed to be, as I’m sure you know!
I think when you have that flap that gets stuck, they can trim it with arthroscopy so minimum invasive. Then, you might try PT/cycling. Let us know how it goes!
Yeah that’s what I’ve been putting off. I just hope that they don’t have to take out too much. I’ll keep you all posted. I want to be able to have it all squared away by end of the year.
I wouldn’t say I’m not. Even if my legs are strong overall, there are most likely weak spots that cycling or other activities can address. I definitely feel a slight strength imbalance between my legs that wasn’t there before. I’m going to give cycling a try based off you guys recommendations. Also made sure to ice after my run last night.
The newer Schwinn stationary bikes are pretty good - I use one. You can often find one on Craigslist for not much $$ (people think they’ll exercise but never do!) Of course, you can find very good quality bikes, they just cost more. Cycling is a good exercise to alternate with running, I’ve found.
What a cool story! It's amazing that your cousin Tony Greer held his own against a legend like Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. Scoring 30 points against him is no small feat! It's a great reminder that there's a lot of talented people out there who may not get the recognition they deserve, but still make a big impact in their own way. Kudos to Tony for finding success as a HS coach!
Be careful cycling as part of an exercise program in support of hoops. When I was a grad student one summer I took up cycling and bought a low end Peugeot 10-speed. I spent many hours riding the back roads outside Champaign-Urbana, IL. Put in well over 1000 miles each month. Silly me thought "My legs are really strong now. I am going to play way over the rim now!" WRONG! I actually lost a few inches of vertical but I could run up and down the court all day long. I didn't know about fast twitch and slow twitch and I converted some of what little fast twitch I had to slow twitch. But one can work fast twitch with some very intense sprint drills but none of them would be part of a "fix my knee" program and should not be attempted without building up a lot of fitness first.
My older brother was in the Air Force in Thailand way back when Earl Monroe played in the NBA and he watched NBA games on TV with Thai commentary. He said that they used the Thai word for black pearl when talking about Earl Monroe. Cool.
I started my biking experiment two days ago with a 30 min session the first day and a 45 min session the next. Both on stationary recumbent bikes at the gym. Awesome workouts. I’m a runner, but biking is working my leg muscles in a completely different way. It’s hard for me to walk for a few minutes after because my legs are so fatigued (in a good way). I can feel that burn in my quads and hamstrings. Initial results look promising. My bad knee does seem to be getting immediate benefit. Still a long way to go. I’ll keep you updated. Thanks for this recommendation!
Glad to hear it! And one of the good things about this experiment is there's nothing to really go wrong on a stationary bike. Good luck and keep us posted!
No bball today for me, but typing live via satellite from an exercise bike at the gym fellas @exiledgator @bike1014
