Strength training when your knees hurt

Yanicka1

For the last few weeks, my knees are sore for apparently no good reason. the only thing I can think of was stopping my cardio for my bulk cycle and my trainer making me train my legs on a machine. Not sure how it is called but you sit down and raise your legs??? I did that 3 times and it was painful so I stopped.

Anyway I started taking more time to stretch and it helped a bit. It was suggested to me to use the arc trainer at high resistance to train my legs while being as gentle as possible to my knees. Anyone as a suggestion on how to still train my legs while being gentle on my knees ? Having pain when squatting make me want to cry because I can't imagine my life without doing that

Thank you

Chief_Rocka

Squat form is the first thing I would look at. Not using your hips properly can lead to knee pain.

wellbert

Leg extensions? Those are terrible for you. They put a ton of stress on your knees and are pretty much useful only for hypertrophy.

Leg curls have a place as an accessory exercise though and can help get hammies caught up to quads.

harlanJEN

LEG EXTENSIONS! Horrid, horrid, horrid ... wretched.

As you know, I have a bad knee (well .. it isn't "bad" anymore - just FAKE ) so I"m super aware of knees and how to workout with them intelligently.

NO NO NO to that ghastly leg extension machine ! My knee doc / therapist told me that that is terrible on knees. PERIOD. I told them GOOD - because it hurt mine like the devil. I was told it wasn't just my knees - was that way in general.

And .. in regard to why yours are hurting to begin with. YES .. definitely look at your squat form.

Without being overly graphic - oh, why not? My legs are super strong and I do believe I could crack a nut with my thighs. Any type of nut. Leg Press was my primary leg workout along with abductor/adductor extensions on cable machine. Then I moved to deads, including straight leg and rack pulls. I've just started squats. Bodyweight and goblet squats only right now. And now I"ve discovered the joys of tire flipping. Yep! My legs and glutes are getting worked out. So .. no FEARS - your legs won't become chicken legs. : )

Zylahe

Work your glutes/ abs.
They help you get good knee alignment / posture.
Also check out how you walk/ stand.
I found out a few months ago i don't heel strike when i walk, and changing that has made a huge difference.
Make sure you can walk softly.

And yes it sounds like you should avoid the leg extension maching.
Do butt bridges , then go to one leg on the opposite knee, or lifting one leg if you want to work the hamstrings.

DavPul

leg extensions are a very good reason for your knees to be hurting. stop.

BinaryPulsar

I'm just replying here to read more of what people say. Good stuff so far.

gmallan

I have patella tendonitis in both knees and am going to try some leg weight exercises to work around this problem. Unfortunately I think no traditional squats, deadlifts or lunges is best. After a bit of research I'm going to try something like the following:

Single leg 1/2 squat (45 degrees instead of 90)
1/2 dead lift (starting and returning to knee high from a power rack)
Romanian dead lift (straight leg)
Hip thruster
Single leg bench hip bridge (like a hip thruster with one leg up on a weight bench bent or straight with a weight plate resting on the non-working bent leg - not sure if that's a helpful description)
Hip abductor machines

I am yet to try most of these out and they are the result of a little internet research.

#1 Rule any pain don't keep doing them. Modify range of motion or technique where necessary

nz_deevaa

I had knee surgery at the end of Feb, and I was also told to avoid leg extensions -- by the surgeon, the physio and the PT.

I was also told to avoid traveling lunges... I'm now at the stage that I can do lunges in place, but traveling lunges hurt.

I also do leg raisers.

gmallan

Oh and calf raises should be okay as well.

I usually do three sets of 6-10 reps and will most likely stick with this initially but may modify to suit when I give it a go (probably on Thursday or Friday)

dave4d

I will back up what all the others have said. While not all knee pain has the same causes, Leg extensions are some of the worst exercises you can do for your knees.

My physical therapist, and the personal trainer I was working with had me doing squats, concentrating on keeping my knees behind my toes. The personal trainer had me doing them in the Smith Machine with my feet forward, as far as I could comfortably put them. Leg presses with my feet up high on the leg press machine, to concentrate more on my quads, and hamstrings. bavarian lunges,( put back leg on a chair, or bench, then do the lunge) it is similar to a single leg split squat. monster walks, and other glute work. They had me stretching my glutes, Hamstrings, and quads real well.

Yanicka1

Thank you everyone. I knew I would get great answers here.

wellbert

I will back up what all the others have said. While not all knee pain has the same causes, Leg extensions are some of the worst exercises you can do for your knees.

My physical therapist, and the personal trainer I was working with had me doing squats, concentrating on keeping my knees behind my toes. The personal trainer had me doing them in the Smith Machine with my feet forward, as far as I could comfortably put them. Leg presses with my feet up high on the leg press machine, to concentrate more on my quads, and hamstrings. bavarian lunges,( put back leg on a chair, or bench, then do the lunge) it is similar to a single leg split squat. monster walks, and other glute work. They had me stretching my glutes, Hamstrings, and quads real well.

smith machine 'squats' aren't good for your knees either. They force your joints into unnatural motions.

Additionally, any kind of partial squat is brutal on the knee. Lots of shearing force.
Below parallel is the only way to go, as it becomes knee-neutral at the bottom.

dave4d

I will back up what all the others have said. While not all knee pain has the same causes, Leg extensions are some of the worst exercises you can do for your knees.

My physical therapist, and the personal trainer I was working with had me doing squats, concentrating on keeping my knees behind my toes. The personal trainer had me doing them in the Smith Machine with my feet forward, as far as I could comfortably put them. Leg presses with my feet up high on the leg press machine, to concentrate more on my quads, and hamstrings. bavarian lunges,( put back leg on a chair, or bench, then do the lunge) it is similar to a single leg split squat. monster walks, and other glute work. They had me stretching my glutes, Hamstrings, and quads real well.

smith machine 'squats' aren't good for your knees either. They force your joints into unnatural motions.

Additionally, any kind of partial squat is brutal on the knee. Lots of shearing force.
Below parallel is the only way to go, as it becomes knee-neutral at the bottom.

I was doing ATG squats, before. My physical therapist told me to only go to parallel. As far as the smith machine goes, I think it would have a worse effect on the lower back, than the knees. I can force my feet forward more on the smith machine, keeping my knees behind my toes, which was what my therapist recommended. For therapy they had me doing body weight squats with a band around my knees, concentrating on pushing my butt back, (like I was going to sit down.)

With the workouts I was doing, I didn't really get sore in my quads, but my glutes were nice, and sore the next day.