Goal: just loose some of the "fat guy" and get healthy, not looking to get huge. Just general fitness. 6'3" 245 lbs. Happy with 225lbs.



Work out at the gym during my lunch. Only have time to do this 3-4 times a week. NO time in the evenings or weekends really.



My knees kill when I run (always have, even when in good shape)



Swimming is good, but I get bored with it. Need some variation.



What do you guys do? I'm using this as a sort of "meditation" or "relaxation" time, so "joining the pick up game of basketball" isn't going to work.



I've tried racquetball and enjoyed it, but eventually someone wants to "join you" and then play a game. Not interested... I love competitive sports, but again...this is my time to relax and just mentally veg out.



Elliptical?



Bike?

 

When I do cardio, I warm up for 5 minutes on a bike then hit the elliptical pretty hard. It's a great workout, especially if you are concerned about your knees. I get bored easily with cardio, I just don't like it, but if I get a good mix of 30-45 workout music, I can do it easily. Look into some Bluetooth headphones, I REALLY love my Motorola S9-HD



Mix it up though. Do it as a normal routine, but swap it out for swimming or racquetball once a week. I love racquetball, and it's great if you have a friend to play with consistently. I used to play with a friend 4x/wk, and 30 minutes in the court gets me a better overall workout than anything else I've ever done.



I'm surprised running bothers you, but the side-to-side, back and forth of racquetball doesn't. Maybe you want to consider some strengthening and conditioning for your knees. Maybe throw it in at the end of the cardio for 5 minutes to stretch the knee/quad muscles and tendons.



Good shoes are important if you have knee problems.

 

Pick a couple different peices and rock time on each. 10 mins on one peice goes by fast so it will really speed up the time in the gym. Also you will be hitting different muscle groups and burning more calories. But definetly get out and mix it up with some sports or even an adventerous walk somewere.

 

Find a nice park with good scenery. I recommend near a college If running hurts walk, but walk quickly. Dont even need to do the mall walk thing. You would be surprised how well that can work you out.



Walking fast > jogging