Do your knees hurt during simple movements or constantly ache? It is super frustrating and can feel like it affects almost every area of your life? I’ve had my fair share of knee issues from a patellar tendon disease growing up, tearing my meniscus last year, and other various nicks and bruises. While there is never a single magic exercise you can do to “bulletproof” any of your joints, I have found 2 major things typically contribute to most people’s knee pain: Overall weakness in the leg muscles AND / OR Tightness in the quad muscles and hip joint Below are 4 incredible exercises to strengthen and mobilize these areas to help create pain-free knees. Constantly wanting to “rest” your knees, reach for the Advil, put on the brace, or rubbing on a cream may mask the pain but will not improve the root cause in the long run! 1 - Squats The first thing you may say is “well squats hurt my knees”. That is probably due to weakness in the surrounding musculature or you are simply squatting through a range of motion that your joints aren’t ready for yet. Instead, use a box or chair at a height that is pain free for your knees (2 loading options pictured below) and then add as much additional weight as you can while maintaining proper form. If you can squat past parallel with good form, feel free to remove the box and continue to load as heavy as you can tolerate (pictured on the right in the graphic below) Technique: Feet slightly wider than hip width, neutral spine and core braced before initiating the movement. As you squat down, keep even pressure on the bottom of your foot so that your heels stay on the floor and make sure your knees don’t cave in! Rep Scheme: 4 sets of 6 reps. Rest at least 2 minutes between sets. 2 - Lunge Hold Isometric (muscles stay still) lunge holds are heralded as one of the all time best exercises you can do for your knees. These have personally been a game changer for my knee issues and I have prescribed them to countless of our members with great success. In addition to the physiological benefits, they are also great because they require zero equipment and can be modified for any fitness level. Technique: With as good of posture as possible, lift your back knee off the ground and hold for a set time. Try to keep weight evenly distributed between the front and back leg and torso upright. Rep Scheme: 3 sets of 20 seconds each leg, keeping the back knee as close to the floor as you can tolerate. As you improve, increase the hold time. 3 - Foam Rolling If you are sitting down for long periods of time during the day (at a desk, driving, etc.), I can almost guarantee you that the muscles in your quads and hips are not only tight, but also the layers of muscle get “stuck” and don’t move like they should. Foam or stick rolling can help restore proper function. Technique: Find a pressure level with the foam roller or stick that you can relax (even if it feels tender). If you go too hard on these where you can’t relax, it will be a waste of time. I normally do 10 passes up and down on my quad and then go back to 1 or 2 “hot spots” and pin them down and breathe for ~30 seconds until I feel them release. Rep Scheme: 2 or 3 times per day, 10 passes up and down your quad. Can also pause on a spot that feels tighter than the rest and take 4-5 deep breaths. 4 - Couch Stretch Combined with the foam rolling above, stretching your quads and hips will help relieve pressure down the kinetic chain in your knee. This couch stretch position is great because it puts you in the opposite position of being stuck in a chair all day (for the back leg) and can help reverse some side effects of sitting. Technique: Once you get in position, think about tilting your tailbone down and back and then gently pushing your hips forward. Stretching should never be painful, but you do want to feel like the muscles are being lengthened. Don’t forget to take big deep breaths in through your nose and actively think about relaxing the muscles in your thigh. Rep Scheme: 2 or 3 times per day. Shoot for at least 45 seconds on each leg. Most people make the mistake of resting, constantly masking the pain (ice, ibuprofen, etc.), or generally avoiding any movements that bother their knees. While this might give some temporary relief, you'll never get to the root of your problem and won’t be able to move confidently and pain free in daily activities. Don’t settle for the band-aid fixes! Use the exercises above 2 or 3 times per week to combat those achy knees. Did you find this guide helpful? Email me at austinb@creedgymathens.com and let me know what joint or muscle you have pain with and I'll send you some more helpful tips! Austin Bates Head Coach - Creed Fitness Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
2361 West Broad St., Athens, Georgia 30606
