EXERCISES TO STRENGTHEN KNEES

Discomfort caused by overuse of knees or just the natural aging process can make leg workouts a little difficult and often painful. The important thing to remember is there are ways to strengthen your knee to alleviate some of that pain and increase overall mobility. Prior to starting any workout, you should warm-up properly to increase blood flow to all your joints and muscles.

The following exercises help eliminate stress on the knee joint by controlling or eliminating flexion. Finding an effective combination is dependent on individual pain free ROM (Range of Motion) and applicable equipment. The level of exertion can be increased through added resistance and/or increase of repetitions.

EXERCISE 1

Lying Leg Raises target lower quads where they connect with the knee. It keeps the knees in a fixed position.

EXERCISE 2

Step-ups strengthen the knee and quads by using gravity to load resistance on your support leg.

EXERCISE 3

Side-Lying Leg Raises enhance mobility by using body weight to engage the entire hip region and inner thigh muscles.

EXERCISE 4

Banded Standing Knee Raises add some dynamic movement to your leg workouts while preparing the knee for more explosive activities.

EXERCISE 5

Seated Leg Extension (without a machine) is a pain free way to strengthen the quadricep muscles where it meets the knee joints. It’s a safe exercise to promote isolation during the flexion movement.