Better knees

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mountain01
mountain01 Posts: 65 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Looking for exercises to strengthen the muscles for my knees, any ideas? Thanks!

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  • glenperk
    glenperk Posts: 24 Member
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    Try doing decline squats. I suffered from patellar tendinitis for years before I finally went to physical therapy for help. The first exercise they made me perform was a decline squat. You can buy adjustable boards on Amazon or make your own. A 20 degree decline is a good place to start.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    mountain01 wrote: »
    Looking for exercises to strengthen the muscles for my knees, any ideas? Thanks!

    The primary muscles supporting your knees are your quadriceps which are responsible for knee extension and your hamstrings which are responsible for knee flexion. For optimal knee health you want balanced strength between both muscle groups.

    What you begin with kind of depends on your current fitness level. Some people can do back squats right away but some need to work on the above mentioned muscle groups separately. Assuming you can correctly Back Squat, and by correct I mean that you are mobile enough to get your thighs parallel to the ground by letting your hamstrings manage the weight on the way down and then when you reach parallel you fire your quads, glutes to stand yourself back up. Squats are a great all-around exercise and really can be the cornerstone of your strength-training, however; the hamstring activation is the Squat is still low and you need some separate hamstring training. The Straight-Leg Deadlift is probably one of the best exercises for hamstring activation. You probably don't need much if any quad specific work, but if you do that's easier to figure out between Bulgarian Split Squats, Leg Press, etc.
  • knightreader
    knightreader Posts: 813 Member
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    i agree with what sam i am says about quads and hamstrings. it really depends on what your fitness level is. squats are the real deal and to start with them might be a mistake. if you are rehabbing a knee, or haven't done much leg muscle work, i'd start with leg lifts. there are several variations and when they become too easy, add some weights around your ankle.

    the more i think about it, the more i think it depends on what your fitness level currently is. and it doesn't matter what your upper body fitness level is, your lower body level is what needs to be taken into consideration.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    edited February 2015
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    I thought about my answer and I feel that it was pretty incomplete. Knee health isn't just about the strength of the directly supporting muscles, but it's also about the flexibility and mobility of those muscles and other muscles that control movement such as your hips, glutes, lower back, calves, hell even your lats control movement posture. Your body is very much a chain and deficiency in one are causes problems in another. Definitely work on overall strength and mobility as well; don't neglect the Core muscles either.
  • airborne18th
    airborne18th Posts: 57 Member
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    Yoga has some great positions which will help. Yoga will also teach you how to position your feet so you don't do damage to your knees when working out.
  • mountain01
    mountain01 Posts: 65 Member
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    I would consider myself fit, I run 3-5 miles and do calisthenics but my knee is beginning to show the wear. I also ruck. You say squats will help, my only issue is I do not have great flexibility on my right ankle.... Broke three separate times. While doing the squat, is it necessary to keep the feet planted? What happens to me is my foot will arch forward lifting the heel.
  • techgal128
    techgal128 Posts: 719 Member
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    What about spinning? That'll work your entire legs down to your feet!
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    mountain01 wrote: »
    While doing the squat, is it necessary to keep the feet planted? What happens to me is my foot will arch forward lifting the heel.

    Did you do any physical therapy afterwards? It sounds like you might have a couple things going on right now. One, you have some lack in flexibility. Two, you are probably quad dominant and possibly some strength development in your hamstrings and Core muscles is needed as well. Do you belong to a gym?
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    If you have knee problems, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Have you asked a doctor about it? If so, what was the diagnosis? And what do you think caused it?
    What movements or exercises causes pain? What doesn't cause pain?
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
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    mountain01 wrote: »
    I would consider myself fit, I run 3-5 miles and do calisthenics but my knee is beginning to show the wear. I also ruck. You say squats will help, my only issue is I do not have great flexibility on my right ankle.... Broke three separate times. While doing the squat, is it necessary to keep the feet planted? What happens to me is my foot will arch forward lifting the heel.

    My ankles limit my squat depth too but I can significantly improve it by doing some mobility work before squatting.

    Here is a good resource for mobility drills. There's a whole section on ankles

    http://www.allthingsgym.com/mobility101/

    In terms of your knees, there could be a whole range of issues going on. It could be worth seeing a physical therapist who can diagnose any muscle imbalances and give you exercises to strengthen and correct. You'll probably be looking at a lot of single leg work, so if for some reason you can't see a PT then don't neglect single leg work
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
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    Oh and on the heel lifting issue, you can try putting small plates under your heels which may help. Also different types of squats may be easier (low bar for example)
  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
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    gmallan wrote: »
    Oh and on the heel lifting issue, you can try putting small plates under your heels which may help. Also different types of squats may be easier (low bar for example)


    this. My husband has one ankle that is fused so it won't flex no matter how much he stretches it. He uses a plate under his heel per his PT
  • mountain01
    mountain01 Posts: 65 Member
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    Yes I belong to a gym, I can see I am more quad strong then my hams. As for PT, yes in the knees, one was blown out playing soccer, which is funny because that one is fine. It is my other knee where issues have happened. Mostly walking down stairs in the morning hurts. I have switched running shoes to a new pair, yes it is my fault for not switching them out earlier after 3 years :-/ Thanks for the wonderful suggestions!
  • mountain01
    mountain01 Posts: 65 Member
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    Oh.... I will try the plates!!
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
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    Where's the knee pain? You may have be favouring the non-injured knee causing problems in the previously good one. Is the pain in the tendon at the front below the knee cap.

    Also - do try some ankle mobility work. It really does help
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    mountain01 wrote: »
    Yes I belong to a gym, I can see I am more quad strong then my hams. As for PT, yes in the knees, one was blown out playing soccer, which is funny because that one is fine. It is my other knee where issues have happened. Mostly walking down stairs in the morning hurts. I have switched running shoes to a new pair, yes it is my fault for not switching them out earlier after 3 years :-/ Thanks for the wonderful suggestions!

    If you've been cleared to exercise BY the PT, which I'm assuming your were, it would be good for you to either go back to the PT for further therapy or possibly find a trainer at your gym that is good at Corrective Exercise training. With what you're saying about how you move and your ankle, it's really too hard to give good advice from here. If it were just a matter of taking somebody with healthy movement that just needed to understand what made the knee move and what not that would be easier but this is definitely much more involved. :)

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