Would you have an obese woman run/jog/jump rope?

[Merrida]

If you were training a woman who was overweight by 80 pounds, give or take, whose only form of cardio has been the bike (which she prefers and tends to default to), the eliptical (which she does only for several minutes and complains occasionally, though not always, that it hurts/bothers her knees), the Arc-Trainer (so far so good), and the treadmill (which she only has done at rather slow steady-state paces).

Regarding her exercise history, her attempts at step-ups and leg press,...(she complains it bothers her knees). Ball squats with just her body weight (bothers her knees). She's fine with leg extensions and leg curls (but her ability to increase weight has been painfully slow). Lunges (yes, bother her knees).

I'd like to see what other people here have to say before I expand on why I'm asking this question. (This is not a client of mine, but a client of one of our new, recently certified trainers).


EDIT: Damnit: I did not mean "JOB" in the subject title, I meant "JOG" -- Can a MOD please fix that for me to avoid confusion (and not reveal what happens when I type too fast).

I'm eager to hear what others would do if training someone like this,...and also to hear the opinions of others who may have been in her situation themselves,...and did you run/jog/jump rope?

[Lady C]

Someone that is 80 lbs overweight usually has knee problems. Think about all of the extra stress applied to them to just carry the body up and down stairs or to the grocery store. My mother has terrible knees and arches. Her foot doctor won't even let her walk for exercsies anymore. So yes I do believe your cliet does have knee issue (and probably some personal metal ones in avoiding some exercises).

I would continue using the treadmill and start increasing the incline. She can still do HIIT using the incline function and not changing the speed. Once she has lost much of the excess weight her attitude and abilities should change.

[Merrida]

Originally Posted by Lady C

Someone that is 80 lbs overweight usually has knee problems. Think about all of the extra stress applied to them to just carry the body up and down stairs or to the grocery store. My mother has terrible knees and arches. Her foot doctor won't even let her walk for exercsies anymore. So yes I do believe your cliet does have knee issue (and probably some personal metal ones in avoiding some exercises).

I would continue using the treadmill and start increasing the incline. She can still do HIIT using the incline function and not changing the speed. Once she has lost much of the excess weight her attitude and abilities should change.

Lady C, she is not my client. She is the client of one of our new, recently-certified trainers.

I've watched this woman work out at the club for a while now (ergo, my observations on what she has been doing). She reminds me of a few of my clients in some respects (most illuminating being the aspect you pointed out, which is: the mental blocks to avoid certain physical activities,--- combined with the obvious physical impediments).

Anyway, this woman,....I kept thinking what I'd do with her if I was training her because this trainer,...he has her doing things I never, ever would have her do (given her physical condition).

He has her doing HIIT with running and jogging on the treadmill (not run/walk, but run/jog). He has her jumping rope for cardio intervals between various circuits. He has her doing plyometrics.

None of these things would ever cross my mind as incorporating into the workout of a woman 80+ pounds over-fat, with a history of knee pain (and as you reminded me, Lady C, she's also complained of foot pain), and who was unable to perform some basic non-impact exercises.

But what's bugging me is: She's doing it. He is having her do all sorts of joint-aggressive activities, and she claims she's doing fine and has no pain.

This is where I think the mental blocks have come into play. But at the same time,....how can someone so overweight actually DO these types of activities without injury? She's having fun so that counts for a lot,....but if she had pain in a leg press, can someone explain to me how she can do these exercises he has her doing, and NOT hurt herself?

That's why I wanted to get other people's input because he's doing things with her I wouldn't,....yet they seem to be working. Why, and how is what I want to know. And how is it she isn't hurting her joints?

Sounds like the other trainer is thinking outside the box and, perhaps, was intuitive to realize that her bad knees aren't bad until the fat lady sings.

I wouldn't make it as a trainer because I wouldn't have enough patience, and I would say mean things and make fat ladies cry.

[.V.]

Jog and jump rope? No way, those are just too difficult on the joints. Running? Yeah, probably running like doing sprints and walking. Why? Because running is easier on the knees than jogging, and one ortho and one internal medicine doc that I know both say that running is actually good for the knees. When I learned to run, my own knee pain which I'd had since age 16 went away.