I used to play a lot of sport when I was at school and that tapered off to just intensive Karate training at university. I injured my back and have had problems ever since (I think mainly because my core strength is very poor). I trained for the Sheffield Half Marathon two years ago on a treadmill and that seems to have given me cartiledge problems since. I find it difficult to run more than twice a week without that crunching sound. If you've got it, you'll know what I mean!

I really want to get fit again especially to take up Karate again as soon as I can but the jury is still out whether I should do something else in the interim to bring my core strength up. I'm already very muscular especially around the knee joint so I'm looking for ideas of "cardio" activity that I can do. Until I get checked out, running is out. I find swimming boring and cannot afford the initial investment of a bike at the moment. Any suggestions?

Or should I just jump straight back into Karate training?

If I were you I'de jump straight back into training. Just know your limits. If it gets too much stop. I've had a back problem for 3 years so have been unable to train. Once I felt up to it though I got straight back on the karate mat. It's been 6 months now and things are getting better. I've had a few accidents because I pushed it too far too soon. I'm still up and fightin though.

Hope this helps.

can't keep my mouth shut - daft listening to someone who is in pain and not offering.
i am a bowen therapist and can possibly help you with these problems.
give me a ring to chat about it.
see www.sues.info. (http://ww.sues.info)
hope you don't mind me mentioning it.

The knee problems could well be from the karate which is fairly notorious for them :o For fitness and core strength a decent gym routine combining resistance and aerobic training or maybe something like judo?

I've trained in martial arts for 14 years, and funnily enough swimming seems to aggravate my knees more than anything else!! ?:confused:

I've always found spinning sessions at a gym to be very good for cardio without placing too much strain on the knees.

I've trained in martial arts for 14 years, and funnily enough swimming seems to aggravate my knees more than anything else!! ?:confused:

I've always found spinning sessions at a gym to be very good for cardio without placing too much strain on the knees.

The knee problems tend to be a problem associated with karate (and similar styles) with their bent knee stances and tendancy to fire off unloaded full power chambered kicks where most of the energy of the kick is absorbed by the knee. I'm surprised about the swimming though as it's about as close to a zero impact exercise as you can get!

i have trained in martail arts from the age of 9, in many styles, i found that the most damge caused to the knee is down to how many times a week you train, what your style is and the surface on which u train. if the surface is a solid concrete floor or similar than moving around bare footed damages you knees as you have nothing to absorb the impact, this also plays a part in what style you do, if you do a style such as taekwondo where there is alot of jumping involved then our knees will start to sustain damage especially if on a hard floor. also any form of martial arts is high impact on your joins, it is always a good idea not to train anymore than 3-4 times a week depending on your style, floor and foot wear. if you find that you have trouble with your knees try doing light repetitions of weights on your legs at the gym ensuring that you work both you quadriceps and your hamstrings, developing one group of muscles more than the other can also add to the chance of damaging your knee further

I'm surprised about the swimming though as it's about as close to a zero impact exercise as you can get!

I was under the same impression but when i mentioned that swimming was aggravating my knees to a personal trainer friend of mine, he said that breaststroke in particular if not performed technically perfect can cause a lot of stress to the knee joint.

Fortunately I don't have any problems with my knees doing anything else, just swimming.

Also as Richard said it is a good idea to work on muscular imbalances as they are the cause of most problems especially in martial arts which have the same basic repetitive movements by nature.

I agree with Evil Dr Neil. Styles where there is a lot of chambering of the knees during kicking and throwing unloaded kicks against empty air puts a lot of stress on the joints.
Especially where there is a lot of locking out of the joints.
Full contact styles that include padwork rather than empty air kicking do not have such injury records.