ActiveWorkouts5 expert-approved exercises to help build stronger, healthier kneesIf you want to move better in the gym and day to day, then strong knees are a mustWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
ActiveWorkouts5 expert-approved exercises to help build stronger, healthier kneesIf you want to move better in the gym and day to day, then strong knees are a mustWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
If you want to move better in the gym and day to day, then strong knees are a must
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Your knees may not be at the forefront of your mind when you step foot in the gym come leg day, but if you want to lift heavier, build muscle, and move more efficiently, you need to pay them some attention. Whether it be walking, running, climbing up stairs, or picking something up off the floor, healthy knees are essential for everyday movement.
“You shouldn’t underestimate the importance of having healthy knees as you age too,” says Sean Murphy Chief Personal Training Officer atUltimate Performance. “Conditions like osteoporosis and arthritis and sarcopenia (loss of muscle mass) are concerns as we get older. I’ve trained many clients in their 60s and 70s for whom even the simple act of walking was difficult because of weak knees.”
Strengthen your knees now and your body will thank you later. Below, Sean shares five exercises that can help do just that…
1. Lateral banded walks
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
“Your hip muscles (specifically your gluteus medius) are very important when it comes to stabilizing your knees and too many people overlook this,” says Sean. When you squat, or walk, or run, it is the lateral hip muscles that work to ensure the knee tracks in line with the foot and does not ‘cave in’. Lateral band walks are a great exercise to strengthen your lateral hip muscles, and, as a result, your knee stability.”
To do:
2. Squats
(Image credit: Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Sean suggests starting using just your body weight to help focus on your form and nail your technique. Once you master this, you can add some extra resistance, such as using abarbelland weight plates, holding akettlebell, or using dumbbells. “Keep your shoulders, hips and knees in line as you squat, as this will reduce the risk of your knees ‘caving in’, which is why so many people suffer an injury,” he says.
3. Step ups
(Image credit: Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
These are another great exercise that will help you practice keeping your hips in line and an upright posture to increase knee stability. “Because of where your weight is distributed in relation to your knees, you are not putting excess pressure through your joint capsules,” says Sean. At home you could use a sturdy surface, like a coffee table or even the step on your stairs, whereas at the gym aweight benchwill do.
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4. Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts
(Image credit: Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
If you find squats difficult because you struggle with mobility in your knee, then Sean suggests giving Romanian deadlifts a go with apair of dumbbellsinstead. RDLs are a hip hinge movement, so they place a far less significant bend in your knee compared to exercises like the squat. They also seriously strengthen your hamstrings and glute muscles, which will support the ligaments around the knee.
To do:
5. Hip thrusts
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
“Weak glutes can cause knee pain and hip thrusts are a great way to really develop the gluteus maximus without putting your knees under any excess pressure during the exercise,” says Sean. Again, if our glutes are weak, it can cause our thigh to turn inwards placing excessive stress on the knee joint. You can use just your bodyweight or incorporate free weights, or even use a barbell to make it harder.
To do:
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