Knee Strengthening Program, second level

Knee Extensions One does need a knee extension machine to do these. I'm using a half-gallon jug of water and an ace bandage, just four pounds but it's better than nothing. A small can of black-eyed peas would work, even, if you're really weak which I'm sure plenty of women in their eighties are, but if you'd like to grow up to be steady on your feet the way you were when you were ten years old, a strong leg is the only place to start. I'd been flexing my quadriceps for two weeks when I realized finally that I was ready for something more. I considered getting strap-on weights for my ankles but I'm poverty-stricken and decided the ace bandage, which I already have, and something heavy, which could be anything that I'm not afraid to drop on my apartment floor (poor Carrie, who lives below me downstairs, is always having to listen to Ms Butterfingers dropping stuff, even at three in the morning, since I have insomnia). At any rate, until I can feel rather confident about my Ace wrapping skills, I won't be doing these at three a.m. So anyway, let's assume you're well heeled and you have at least a membership to the local Y, or more likely a private fitness club, and therefore you have access to a knee extension machine. That's the sort of weight machine where you sit on the end of the bench and put your feet behind the lifty thingy where the weights are. The job is to find out how much weight you can lift with the stronger of your two legs. If it were I doing this, I wouldn't stress too much about lifting the maximum possible on my first week's visits. I am, after all, trying to rehabilitate a very sore joint and its attendant muscle. Garrick says to lift the weight slowly and hold it steady with your knee straightened all the way, for three seconds. So now you have a good idea how much weight your strong leg can lift, you're going to try to lift 1/4 that much with your weaker leg. Lift and hold for three seconds. If that doesn't make you pass out, try 1/2 the weight, then 3/4 the weight. Use your common sense to determine if you should go up to the next level. If you get to 90% of the weight, Garrick will allow you to consider yourself balanced. At any rate you now know what is the maximum your weak leg can do. Here's the strengthening program: Take your max weight, then figure out 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 of that weight. Now do ten reps at 1/2, ten reps at 3/4, UP TO ten reps at 100%, then cool off with 10 reps at 1/4. This assumes you may not be able to do any reps at all, but eventually you will. So, in brief: 10 reps at 1/2 10 reps at 3/4 however many at full 10 reps at 1/4 Don't think you have to advance too quickly. Increase all levels by 5 pounds, and that should be considered a goodly amount of progress. Do not make anything hurt. Love to all! Granny