Strengthen the Knee and Stop Harm with These 10 Workout routines


No matter your train of selection—working, strolling, weightlifting, or Pilates— the well being and energy of your knees is essential. Knees bear your physique weight, permit for the complete vary of movement of your legs, and create stability; nonetheless, they’re typically susceptible to damage. Strengthening
your knees is important for mitigating injury and maintaining your physique robust and pain-free.

The knees are a posh system of joints that help the physique. Robust knees make a distinction in on a regular basis life, and incorporating knee-strengthening workout routines into your exercise regime is important to your well-being—the next 10 workout routines to maintain your knees in high form.

Earlier than starting a knee-strengthening exercise routine, maintain these high of thoughts:

  • Correct type is essential
  • If you happen to really feel any ache, stop the train instantly
  • Use stabilizers, reminiscent of a chair or wall, to make the actions simpler in your physique

Newbie Workout routines for Knee Energy

These three newbie strikes could make you snug with knee motion earlier than shifting on to extra superior workout routines.

Leg Lifts

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Leg lifts strengthen your quadriceps and keep away from placing any strain on the knee. In response to the Nationwide Well being Service, you possibly can add ankle weights to boost the depth or sit in a chair to scale back it.

  1. Lie in your again.
  2. Bend one knee and maintain the opposite straight on the ground.
  3. Elevate the straight leg to match the peak of the bent knee.
  4. Repeat 10 instances.
  5. Swap legs.

Bridges

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The bridge is a well-liked but easy train to strengthen your glutes. Robust glutes can alleviate strain off your knees whenever you stroll or run.

  1. Lie in your again.
  2. Bend your knees and flatten your toes on the ground.
  3. Elevate your hips up as you squeeze your glutes tight.
  4. Maintain this place for five seconds.
  5. Decrease your self again to the beginning place.
  6. Repeat 10-15 instances.

Calf Raises

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Calf raises could be carried out on a flat floor or a step for a deeper stretch. If stability is a problem, place your fingers flat in opposition to a wall.

  1. Stand together with your toes hip-width aside.
  2. Slowly elevate your physique onto your toes.
  3. Decrease again all the way down to the beginning place.
  4. Repeat 15-20 instances.

Intermediate Workout routines for Knee Energy

The next intermediate-level workout routines goal the key muscle tissues surrounding the knee (quads and hamstrings), rising energy, stability, and adaptability.

Step-ups

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Step-ups goal the quadriceps, and powerful quads can cut back the load in your knees.  

  1. Stand in entrance of a step or bench.
  2. Step up with one foot.
  3. Step up with the opposite foot.
  4. Step down in the identical order you stepped (e.g., should you stepped together with your proper foot first, then your left foot, step down in that order.)
  5. Repeat 10 instances.

Single-Leg Stands

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To extend depth when performing single-leg stands, shut your eyes or stand on an unstable floor, like a small trampoline.

  1. Stand on one leg for 30-60 seconds.
  2. Swap legs.

Wall Sits

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Wall sits work your total leg, focusing on the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.

  1. Stand together with your again in opposition to a wall.
  2. Slide down right into a seated place as if sitting in a chair.
  3. Maintain for 20-30 seconds.
  4. Repeat 5 instances.

Superior Workout routines for Knee Energy

Performing the next workout routines might help cut back the danger of knee accidents by rising
help and shock absorption throughout your each day bodily actions.

Squats

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Squats strengthen the glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings.

  1. Stand together with your toes hip-width aside.
  2. Bend your knees.
  3. Decrease your physique as should you had been sitting down.
  4. Preserve your again straight and knees straight over your ankles for correct type. Attempt to type a 90-degree angle between your knee and ankle.
  5. Push again as much as the beginning place utilizing your glutes.
  6. Repeat 10 instances.

Lunges

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Lunges work the identical muscle tissues as squats and enhance steadiness to forestall knee damage.

  1. Stand with one foot ahead and the opposite again.
  2. Bend your knees.
  3. Decrease your physique till your entrance knee is according to your ankle.
  4. Push again as much as the beginning place utilizing your leg and glutes.
  5. Swap legs.
  6. Repeat 20 instances. (10 instances per leg.)

Hamstring Curls

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Hamstring curls are a complicated motion that may take time to good. As soon as you’re feeling snug with them, you can also make them more difficult by including ankle weights. You may carry out them utilizing a leg curl machine or standing with a chair.

  1. Stand and maintain onto a chair.
  2. Bend one knee and convey your heel again towards your glute.
  3. Decrease it again all the way down to the beginning place.
  4. Swap legs.
  5. Repeat 10 instances on every leg.

Resistance Band Lunges

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You have to a resistance band for this train, which helps so as to add resistance and isolate the muscle.

  1. Place band below proper leg.
  2. Stand with proper leg ahead and left leg again.
  3. Preserve the strain on the band and decrease right into a lunge till each knees are 90 levels.
  4. Return to begin.
  5. Repeat 16 reps on all sides.

5 Causes to Strengthen the Knees

Weak knees can improve the danger of sprains, strains, and extreme situations like osteoarthritis. Increase the muscle tissues surrounding the knees can enhance total leg well being and improve mobility and stability. These are science-backed the explanation why it’s best to deal with rising knee energy:

Promotes Joint Assist

Robust muscle tissues across the knee (quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscle tissues) assist stabilize the joint and cut back the danger of accidents, reminiscent of meniscus accidents, tendinitis, and ligament tears. In an observational research, researchers discovered {that a} low-load knee train regime can improve joint perform and improve muscle energy. It will possibly additionally create pain-free strolling and enhance bodily well being, high quality of life, and social well-being.

Improves Steadiness

Strengthening workout routines enhance steadiness and vary of movement, which might help forestall you from vital falls. In a randomized management trial, researchers evaluated symptomatic and asymptomatic members with knee osteoarthritis to judge if bodily train makes a distinction in steadiness. Outcomes confirmed important enchancment within the symptomatic knee group, particularly in ache and performance; the asymptomatic group additionally skilled important reductions in time to finish a step-up check. These findings recommend that bodily train, reminiscent of knee-strengthening actions, can positively have an effect on steadiness and performance.

Will increase Mobility

Robust knees are important for each day bodily actions, together with strolling, grocery buying, choosing up youngsters, and standing up and down. In a research with a number of sclerosis members, researchers discovered that resistance train (see elastic band train above) is a purposeful intervention that may enhance knee mobility and muscle energy in a brief interval.

Reduces Stress on the Physique

Sustaining robust knee muscle tissues might help handle the stress of physique weight. In a scientific overview, researchers discovered that resistance coaching with blood stream restriction (see elastic band train above) can cut back joint stress, improve quadriceps muscle mass, and enhance performance in sufferers with knee osteoarthritis.

Delays Age-Associated Degeneration

Robust muscle tissues work to protect cartilage well being and delay degenerations related to getting older. In a current systematic overview, researchers discovered that train is a worthwhile remedy able to mitigating cartilage degeneration, decreasing irritation, and preserving bone construction. As well as, health coaching is proven to scale back ache, stiffness, and joint dysfunction.

Strengthening the knees is a crucial a part of your exercise routine, because it helps forestall accidents and keep total well being and well-being. Once you enhance your mobility and maintain your joints versatile, you possibly can carry out your each day actions to one of the best of your capability. As all the time, it’s best to search the approval of a medical skilled when starting any exercise, particularly in case you are susceptible to damage.

Verywell Match makes use of solely high-quality sources, together with peer-reviewed research, to help the information inside our articles. Learn our editorial course of to be taught extra about how we fact-check and maintain our content material correct, dependable, and reliable.
  1. NHS.uk. Knee workout routines for runners.

  2. Peeler J, Christian M, Cooper J, Leiter J, MacDonald P. Managing knee osteoarthritis: the results of physique weight supported bodily exercise on joint ache, perform, and thigh muscle energyClin J Sport Med. 2015;25(6):518-523.

  3. Braghin R de MB, Libardi EC, Junqueira C, Nogueira-Barbosa MH, de Abreu DCC. Train on steadiness and performance for knee osteoarthritis: A randomized managed trialJ Bodyw Mov Ther. 2018;22(1):76-82.

  4. Moghadasi A, Ghasemi G, Sadeghi-Demneh E, Etemadifar M. The impact of complete physique resistance train on mobility, proprioception, and muscle energy of the knee in individuals with a number of sclerosisJ Sport Rehabil. 2020;29(2):192-199.

  5. Zeng CY, Zhang ZR, Tang ZM, Hua FZ. Advantages and mechanisms of train coaching for knee osteoarthritisEntrance Physiol. 2021;12:794062.

Jennifer Purdie

By Jennifer Purdie, M.Ed, CPT

Jennifer Purdie, M.Ed, is an authorized private coach, freelance author, and creator of “Development Mindset for Athletes, Coaches and Trainers.”

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