"what kind of cardio do you normally do? there are all sorts of things that can cause knee problems. try self-myofascial release (foam rolling) on the outer part of your thigh to loosen up your IT band. many people's knee problems are due to this. you could also have a strength imbalance in your quads (stronger on one side of your thigh than the other) or between your quads and hamstrings. you'd have to do lifts to target the weaker muscles. also, if you do a lot of running, try chi running. even if you have the "best" running shoes for your stride, heel strike and weak feet/ankles can cause problems all the way up your legs, spine, back, and neck.
one more thing you might want to do is get your legs accurately measured by a doctor. even a difference of a 1/4" can be murder on your joints if do a lot of long distance type exercise.
in the meantime, you can do boxing like was mentioned, or complexes/circuit training with some light-weight squats. you can also do tabata protocol."
Ok thanks a lot. I had been doing 40-60 minutes of cardio, but cut it back to 35 with HIIT, and always on the stationary bike or the elliptical. I tried running about 2 weeks ago, not even at a fast pace, and my right knee literally just LOCKED UP, felt like a bear trap came down on it. I know you mentioned it, but I don't think I'll be doing squats. I'm probably going to see an orthopedic doctor regardless just to be safe, but I'll Google what you've mentioned to see what I can come up with. And how do I quote using Safari?
Still haven't figured that out. Edited w/Firefox...
yea, definitely let your orthopedist check that out. see if you can get measured too.
one thing about stationary bike is you're more prone to develop muscular imbalances, medially/laterally on the same thigh, and between your quads andhamstrings on the same side. elliptical is a little better, but it's still possible.
if you do HIIT, you should be done after 20 minutes. generally, you go for higher intensity, shorter rest for the greater cardio and fat loss effects. thisalso minimizes the time spend doing it.