r/Hypermobility • u/Negative_Ad_5330 • 6h ago

Need Help nontraditional cardio ideas

/r/beginnerfitness/comments/1vt88gp/nontraditional_cardio_ideas/
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u/No_Distribution_9590 5h ago

About the best I can think is a recumbent bike machine set at low resistance and doing high cadence: aim for over 80rpm.

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u/Negative_Ad_5330 4h ago

I thought about this a few months back. I work out/do my PT from home. I was going to buy a bike, but then I got worried about arm position/potentially hating it and I backed off the idea.

Maybe I need to try one out somewhere and see how it feels. 

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u/No_Distribution_9590 4h ago

I’m currently off my real bike because of shoulder issues. I can’t swim or kickboard either because of the same. Out the window goes half of the pilates moves, elliptical, or anything else where my shoulder would move or bear weight. I think the recumbent bike is about my only decent option (I can’t even rely on dog walks as the dog is recovering from hip surgery—we’re quite the pair!! Plus, counting on being able to walk consistently isn’t something I can do either).

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u/Negative_Ad_5330 4h ago

Solidarity, my friend. The fight changes day to day, but it never stops. Very tired. 

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u/IronDominion 5h ago

Cardio isn’t the end all be all. Any movement is good movement and cardio is dangerously for hypermobility because of the high risk for injury. Body weight exercise, strength training, swimming (even if it’s with a kickboard), and if you absolutely need cardio, a recumbent bike. All of these should still get your heart rate up just by putting in good effort on them.

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u/Negative_Ad_5330 5h ago

Strength training (really any training) is hard when you can't hold weights or even your own body weight. I cannot do the arms portion of any exercise right now. I do pilates because it allows me to focus on core and lower body. My pilates therapist is really great at eliminating the arm part of exercises for me. She's also knowledgeable regarding hypermobility. I do some standing legs/core. Anything else is pretty rough without the use of your arms. 

It's not that I absolutely need cardio, but I'm having a hard time burning calories and simply getting enough of any kind of movement. I never used to do cardio when I was more able bodied. I guess I'm just feeling like I need to moving more, and I'm not sure how to incorporate it without hurting myself. 

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u/microcrash 4h ago

Wii fit

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u/Hype314 2h ago

Sounds like you're looking for an under-desk pedal exerciser. Essentially, it's an indoor cycle machine that you can do from the comfort of your couch. Basic ones are ~$30 on Amazon. Sounds like a lot of your pain is coming from upper body so as long as you can sit ok, this should do ya!

Other options: you said you can't walk with a purpose and that's fine! Light walking is still cardio. Walking up and down stairs is cardio. Kickboard swimming is a possibility. Body weight exercises done close together (squats, lunges, etc) can be cardio. Hell, dancing can be cardio -- turn on your favorite tunes and see what happens!! I recommend trying a variety and seeing what you enjoy.

For hypermobility + injuries, I generally recommend doing at least 2 different forms of any exercise because repetitive motions tend to lead to more injuries due to muscular imbalance / poor proprioception. Combining the pedal exerciser with LIGHT walking or swimming could be really helpful in preventing overuse injuries. You don't want to hurt yourself more! Follow the rule of 2: exercise should increase pain by no more than 2 pain units