ActiveWorkoutsFitness expert recommends 5 best squat alternatives for bad kneesKnee pain when you squat? No problem! Maximise your gains with these moves insteadWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
ActiveWorkoutsFitness expert recommends 5 best squat alternatives for bad kneesKnee pain when you squat? No problem! Maximise your gains with these moves insteadWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Knee pain when you squat? No problem! Maximise your gains with these moves instead
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)
Whether it’s building a bigger booty, or growing your legs,squatsusually get all glory. After all, it is one of the bestcompound exercisesout there for your lower body. But if you’re prone to knee pain, then thisstrength exercisemay not be the best for you.
According to Steve Chambers, Gym Manager and Certified Personal Trainer atUltimate Performancethere’s lots of reasons why your knees may be suffering while you squat, such as poor form, joint imbalances, weak glutes causing your knees to cave inwards, ego lifting, or it can even be down to your actual body composition. For example, having a short torso and long femur can cause you to lean forwards when you squat, placing pressure on your knees.
Unless you’re a powerlifter or athlete you don’t actuallyneedto squat and there’s plenty of alternative exercises out there that, aren’t just a lot more gentle on your knees, but still deliver great results too. (Although, if you’re experiencing consistent pain you should get your knees checked out.) Below, Steve shares his five of his favourite squat alternatives for bad knees.
1. Step ups
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Muscles targets:Quads, glutes, inner thighs and calves
“Step ups are a really effective move to practice keeping your hips in line, and your posture upright, all of which will increase stability in your knees,” explains Steve. “It’s a highly metabolic exercise, but because of where your weight is distributed in relation to your knees, you are not putting excess pressure through your joint capsules.” You can also perform it with just your bodyweight, apair of dumbbells, or abarbell.
How to:
2. Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts
(Image credit: Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Muscles targeted:hamstrings, glutes (gluteus maximus), lower back, upper back
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“Unlike a traditional deadlift or a squat, a Romanian Deadlift does not involve any significant bend in your knees,” says Steve. “It’s a hip hinge movement that will really increase your strength and size in both your glutes and your hamstrings. If you suffer from mobility or flexibility problems that make a traditional squat painful in your knees, this is a super effective exercise to try.”
How to:
3. Machine leg press
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Muscles targeted:Quadriceps, glutes (gluteus maximus), inner thigh (adductor muscle group)
“Machine leg presses are a really effective way to increase your lower body strength and improve your overall knee health,” says Steve. “A lot of people, particularly if they have existing injuries or pain, find fixed machines easier on their joints than free weight exercises because, in general, they require less skill and control to master.”
How to:
4. Hip thrusts
(Image credit: Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Muscles targeted:Glutes (gluteus maximus), hamstrings, quadriceps and lower back
“A big reason why people struggle with knee pain is due to weak glutes and hip thrusts are a great way to really develop the gluteus maximus,” says Steve. They don’t require you to put your knees under any sort of excess or undue pressure during the exercise either." Again, these are another versatile exercise that can be performed with either weights, or no weights.
How to:
5. Lying leg curls
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Muscles targeted:hamstrings
“This is another machine-based exercise, and one which primarily targets the hamstrings in a similar way to a squat, but putting less pressure on the knees,” says Steve. “The hamstrings help stabilise the knee and hip joint, which is vital for preventing injuries. The lying hamstring curl machine achieves superior hamstring recruitment because the quads are fixed and the hamstrings can move freely through their range of motion.”
How to:
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