Seeking Supplement Advice

[Dirty Hippie]

Over the past year I have transformed myself from an overweight couch potato to a slimmer person who regularly exercises.

I gotten back into biking but my exercise mainstay is Spinning classes at the gym.

Now, after 3 or 4 months of regular spinning, my knees are getting creaky and the hurt a bit.

Someone at the gym recommended glucosamine.

Has anyone had any experience with this supplement. Any brands you might want to recommend?

I really want to keep up the spinning classes. I feel so much stronger and it helps me maintain my weight.

BTW: I'm 45.

Thanks!

[BiggJawn]

1. I like it. and I'm 48

I use the store-brand Glucosamine Complex, the one without the Chondroitin. My knees feel better, I don't have any pain in them, not even when climbing stairs.

But it could be like "Speaker Oil" for Audiophools. So, I would suggest trying it for 30 days and see what you think.

[welshTerrier2]

2. sore knees ...

i've been taking glucosamine chondroitin for about 8 months now ... i used to be able to make a clicking sound just by going from an open hand to a fist ... i could do this 1,000 times in a row ... now, i can't make the sound even once ... i attribute this to increased lubrication in my joints ... i also used to have very stiff knees ... i now can crouch down without any problem at all ... so, i guess that's a recommendation to take the supplements ... fwiw, i take 1500 mg of glucomsamine and 1200 mg of chondroitin every day ... until recently, i was using a brand called: Arth-X ... i just switched to Walgreen's because it is cheaper ...

the guy who started the glucosamine craze and wrote the bestseller book called "The Arthritis Cure" is named Dr. Theodosakis ... i would highly recommend reading a little of his website: http://www.drtheo.com/ ... the site provides lists of recommended brands and brands to stay away from ...

as to your sore knees, however, that's another matter ... the supplements may help but one has to wonder why you're having soreness ... are you just plain overdoing it? i know someone who's now had 5 major knee surgeries because of overdoing it on a StairMaster ... too much of good thing can do real damage to your knees ... it might be worth getting some diagnosis to determine what's causing the soreness ...

one thing that's very important is to ensure that you have the bike setup correctly ... at the bottom of the pedal stroke, your leg should have a very slight bend at the knee ... if your leg is totally straight or if it's very bent at the knee, you can cause serious knee problems ... check that out the next time you're on the bike ...

if i had sore knees, i would use ice to reduce inflammation ... i would also use some type of anti-inflammatory (like Aleve or Advil) and i would rest for several days or more ...

probably the best thing you could do would be to cross-train ... too much intensity with a single activity often leads to injury ... so, ride the bike one day; swim the next; do weights the next and then return to the bike ... maybe even mix in a little jogging when your knees feel better ... variety is the best way to get into shape ...

aerobic activity is a great way to lose weight and being lighter puts less strain on your knees ... but all that will be lost if you become injured or it becomes so uncomfortable that you don't want to continue ... let yourself heal ... fitness is a marathon; not a sprint ...

hope this helps ...

[Kolesar]

3. Stretch your quadriceps often

Especially 10 minutes or more into a workout when your muscles are warmed up. I went through anterior knee pain 4 years ago and recovered nicely. I had to rest, though.

One of my physicians told me that glucosamine will not pass through the cell walls because it is too large. He said there is no way it can work. OTOH, it is not too expensive and has no side effects, so I say use it if you want to.

[Dirty Hippie]

4. Thanks for the great information

I had the instructor check my bike setup last night and we made some adjustments.

That alone seemed to help.

Thanks for the lead on the website. Unfortunately, when you google something like "glucosamine" 90% of what you get is sales pitches.

I think I'm definitely going to switch out my biking with some swimming. I've alway felt clumsy in the water but I'll do it anyway.

Thanks again everyone for your responses.

[Kolesar]

5. "Spin, don't mash" , especially when doing hills

Downshift and get in a gear where your crank cadence is >60 rpm. 80-90 rpm is great, but you have to get your mind trained to do that.

I think getting out of the saddle for tall hills is an acceptable technique. The funny thing is that you sometimes want to upshift a gear or two above the lowest gear. YMMV.

Make sure your saddle is high enough. Your legs should have full extension, but your hips should not waggle when you pedal. (That's how high). A bike shop might set up the bike for you. I have never done that.

If you have really short legs, you may want shorter crankarms. There are a few manufacturers of 165mm or shorter crankarms. TA Specialities' comes to mind. There is also a US brand with 165mm.