While not all treatments work for every individual, doctors at the Arthritis Foundation report that bodybuilding can help to relieve arthritis pain. Strong muscles can help support aching joints and allow sufferers to have more flexibility. Additionally, exercise makes the blood pump, thereby increasing circulation and bringing oxygen and nutrients to the diseased areas to aid in healing.
Step 1
Stretch before and after doing any kind of weightlifting or other kinds of exercise. Range of motion movements can help to loosen up the stiff joints caused by arthritis as well as help you to avoid injury when you add additional weight, report doctors at the Mayo Clinic. Raise your hands over your head and hold for count of ten. Roll your shoulders backwards ten times before lifting weights. Hold your hands against a wall and stand about three feet out to stretch your legs.
Step 2
Start with small weights. Use one-pound hand weights to begin building your arm and back muscles. Try various movements such as the butterfly, where you bend over with a weight in each hand and raise the weights to your sides. Move very slowly to build muscle and ease into the exercise. Only raise the weights as high as your shoulder joints will allow.
Step 3
Increase the weight as you gain strength. Also increase the range of how far you lift a weight as your muscles become strong enough to bear the weight and not put pressure on your tender joints. For example, with arthritis in the knee, you may be able to push on a weighted leg machine only a couple inches at first without feeling pain. Stop before your knees hurt and slowly perform ten to 30 repetitions to that point. After a week or so, you'll be able to push a couple more inches. Keep at it until you can extend your knees without pain, and then add more weight.
Step 4
Include isometric exercises to build strength in your muscles, especially if you are still feeling joint pain when you lift weights. Mayo Clinic doctors report that isometric exercises can help to build strength that will allow you to continue with weight training. Isometric exercises involve holding a position for about ten seconds. For example, a good isometric exercise to gain leg strength is to stand beside a chair and hold the back while you lift one leg and place the foot on the calf of the other leg. Rise on your toes and hold for ten to 30 seconds. Repeat three times, and then perform the move with the other leg.
Tips and Warnings
- Ice your tender joints after a strenuous workout to help relieve the pain and reduce the inflammation.
- Take at least one day off between bodybuilding exercises to allow the muscles to heal. Take an additional day if there is continued soreness in the joint area. Pushing your joints can cause them to become too inflamed and create additional pain. It will be hard to continue with the exercise program if it hurts too much.
