Leg press machine hurts my knee

withchaco

First of all, I'm not in serious pain or anything. Just worried because it might get worse over time if I keep doing leg presses.

Will squats and lunges be easier on my knees? I haven't been doing those because my form might be off... But if those are my only pain-free options to work on my glutes (which I really need!), I might have to just pay up and have a trainer teach me how to do them right.

What other exercises can I do to work my glutes?

quietlywinning

Diva Derriere

http://t-tapp.com/articles/divad/default.html

carolinarollergirl

I think you're a woman. Knee pain / problems in women is the result of one of two things: being overweight or imbalance in your quads / hamstrings.

Women tend to be VERY quad dominant which puts A LOT of stress on the knee. Make sure you build up those hamstrings / glutes to balance out those strong quads.

carolinarollergirl

Great for glutes and hammys: deadlifts and good mornings. Trust.

DiamondRubyMom

To protect your knees while squating always keep your knees behind your toes. In other words stick out your butt like you're about to sit in a chair. You ankles should not be moving, just your knees and hips. I hope this helps.

poustotah

If you question your form, have someone at the gym show you how to so the exercises correctly. The things that have helped me are working the hamstrings and building up the quad muscles. I had knee surgery a few years ago and still had pain afterwards. Now, my pain is completely gone.

Knee pain is NOT something to mess with.

simone_84

Are you maybe using too much weight on the leg press? Just because you can press more doesn't mean you should necessarily start there. If you aren't accustomed to it, while the large muscle groups might be able to handle it doesn't mean the joints or connective tissues are there yet. You might try using less weight and higher reps which will still help you get stronger and more toned.

withchaco

Thanks for the suggestions! Taking notes