Cardio without legs...

[psomers181]

Weird post, I know...I just recently sprained my right knee(severity to be determined later this week) but I was really on a roll with my cardio. I'm pretty bummed out and was trying to think of any way I could do a fat burning cardio workout without my legs. All I came up with was some form of circuit training while monitoring my HR. Any clever ideas?

[lolinternet]

punch a bad alot for a long time with weighted gloves?? or there was this weird machine at my old gym were all you did was sit there and move your arms in a circle like a running motion. you could also try just doing lots of cable rows? be creative lol

[matthor]

-swimming
-punch out drills
-rowing machine with stationary lower body
-med ball circuits

[ManOwarrior86]

- jerking off might help
- one legged ass kicking contests

[Trimen1000]

I'd say that swimming goes under the list of "uses legs".

You could probably use any exercise you normally do that doesn't use the legs but at a low intensity.

You could find someone with a racing wheel chair or whatever they're called. No legs there, but plenty of cardio.

[Dr. Painburner]

punching a bag.

and if you dont have a bag/gym dont have one, you can always shadow box.

[patsmith]

Go kayaking. Not only does it not use the legs, it really tones the upper body and burns a lot of calories.

[exnihillo]

I broke my leg about two weeks ago..I have been doing very low weight, high rep routines..
Like benching 145lbs with legs off the floor...
Preacher curling with legs up..

Where there is a will there is a way..

[HEAVYMETALMATT]

Weird post, I know...I just recently sprained my right knee(severity to be determined later this week) but I was really on a roll with my cardio. I'm pretty bummed out and was trying to think of any way I could do a fat burning cardio workout without my legs. All I came up with was some form of circuit training while monitoring my HR. Any clever ideas?

boxing! its fun too!!!

[riseboi]

get a hold of a wheel chair and hit the road!!

[lordofchaos]

uh guys.... boxing/shadow boxing/bag work uses A LOT of the legs, atleast it does if you are doing it correctly....

I'd say look to see if you have one of the arm bikes or a stationary rowing machine...

[Dublo]

You actually can swim without using your legs.
You can also use them very minimally. Just to get your position correct.

[bigjoe17]

-doggy paddle swimming
-the hustle without your legs
-wheelchairing would be great

[mraustin0v]

i think the wheel chair would be your best bet... that is really a clever idea

[jf1]

swim using a pull-bouy!
basically a piece of styro-foam you put between your legs that allows the legs to float imobilized behind you while you swim with just your arms...

[pologod05]

since kayaking is a very location specific thing to do, i would say swimming is your best bet. since the injury was to your knee, i would recommend turning the swimming into HIIT cardio(since you cant turn without bending your knee, and for the start/push off just use your good leg and then start pulling as hard as you can before you lose what momentum you got from the start). Get in, get warmed up and then you can do 25 yard sprints and rest 15-30 seconds between each. Do as many of those as you feel like, but I would say 15 minutes of that will get your heart rate sky high.

[NickPeli]

swim using a pull-bouy!
basically a piece of styro-foam you put between your legs that allows the legs to float imobilized behind you while you swim with just your arms...

Resurrecting an old thread, I know, but it was the first hit on google for "no legs cardio" So decided to chime in.

I strained/sprained my knee just into a new regime (limping walk for a couple day), and didn't want to give up doing cardio. Based on this thread, and the fact that I have a pool, I decided to try out some pool cardio. This would not work if you're completely immobile, but for more mild injuries with no cast or searing pain I imagine it would do wonders.

Fun With Noodles:

I grabbed a noodle, which can be bought from Academy or Walmart for a buck or two, stuck it under my feet, and started doing laps in my pool.

Stick it under your feet and swim freestyle. I didn't realize how much your legs aide in swimming. It's quite the workout. The fact that your legs aren't kicking and the added resistance of the noodle was great.

Try new styles. I did freestyle and butterfly with the noodle under my feet.

Try new positions. I then started putting the noodle under my knees and did backstroke, as well as a "reverse breaststroke". Stick the noodle under your armpits and you can do breaststroke. Putting it under my butt and sitting vertically I would "row" either forward or backwards. Using variations of this I could position myself differently and target different areas based on the strokes. Not only getting a good cardio workout I could also easily target different upper body areas.

So, for those with access to a pool but with knee or leg injuries, this may be a consideration for you. I plan on looking into the bouys more, as I assume this is pretty much what I was doing with the noodle, and would love to see the faces of people in the gym as I tow things around the pool.

[urukhai29]

maybe take a break from cardio until your body heals? you could concentrate on increasing your pull ups and dips, since your body is hanging on those exercises