Exercises for glutes and quads that are easy on the knees?

NadNight

I want to increase the strength and size of my glutes and quads. I've found things like squats, lunges and leg presses aggravate an old knee injury even if I don't use any weights. I've made sure I'm performing the exercises with the correct form but they're still hurting. Does anyone know of any exercises that work glutes and quads that are less stressful on knees?

stanmann571

When you say correct form, does that mean you have a spotter telling you that you're going correctly to full depth?

Ultimately, for squats especially, the thing that is worst for your knees is not going deep enough, and not keeping your knee between your toes.

jessef593

Also have you looked into knee sleeves? They're compression sleeves designed for lifting. They help keep the joint warm and are designed to promote longevity. SBD has an amazing pair. They do cost a bit of money but it could be worth it. Or even seeing a physical therapist in order to strengthen the injury.

Aside from that. You can try weighted hip thrusts using a bench to support your shoulders and conventional or sumo deadlifts. All 3 of those rely on little knee flexion but still result in quad and glute activation

huntersvonnegut

Has your knee injury been diagnosed? Did you have physical therapy for it?

NadNight

stanmann571 wrote: »

When you say correct form, does that mean you have a spotter telling you that you're going correctly to full depth?

Ultimately, for squats especially, the thing that is worst for your knees is not going deep enough, and not keeping your knee between your toes.

I don't use a spotter every time but I have had it checked

NadNight

huntersvonnegut wrote: »

Has your knee injury been diagnosed? Did you have physical therapy for it?

Yes I've seen several doctors and physios over the years (I used to be a competitive swimmer so saw sports physios...you'd think swimming was low impact and wouldn't cause knee pain?) and it provides temporary relief but it's very expensive and the pain always comes back

jflongo

Just curious, have you tried Goblet Squats? How about light hack squats on a machine? Do leg extensions and curls hurt?

mutantspicy

Hip Thrusts, and Glutes bridges work the booty really well. For quads, maybe step ups on a plyo box.

mikeandcris

This video from youtube addresses 8 exercises. One of them is for the glutes, hamstrings that is probably easier on your knees than other exercises. Hope it helps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFQaJ6-T_6o