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

NadNight
NadNight Posts: 794 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
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?

Replies

  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    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
    jessef593 Posts: 2,272 Member
    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
    huntersvonnegut Posts: 1,177 Member
    Has your knee injury been diagnosed? Did you have physical therapy for it?
  • NadNight
    NadNight Posts: 794 Member
    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
    NadNight Posts: 794 Member
    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
    jflongo Posts: 289 Member
    Just curious, have you tried Goblet Squats? How about light hack squats on a machine? Do leg extensions and curls hurt?
  • mutantspicy
    mutantspicy Posts: 624 Member
    Hip Thrusts, and Glutes bridges work the booty really well. For quads, maybe step ups on a plyo box.
  • mikeandcris
    mikeandcris Posts: 8 Member
    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

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