Knee pain is common among adults and most of the time it is associated with daily wear and tear activities such as bending, walking, lifting, and standing. Moreover, athletes who play sports that involve running, quick pivoting, and jumping are also prone to experience knee stresses and pains.
Here are the most common types of knee stress that can be a nuisance and debilitating in some serious circumstances:
- Strained or sprained knee muscles and ligaments
- Tendonitis
- Torn cartilage
- Arthritis
- Knee dislocation
- Knee fracture
- Meniscus tear
- Bursitis
Knee Strengthening Exercises
If you’re experiencing one of the most common knee stresses mentioned above, you may probably feel discomfort or worse, severe pain that may affect your daily life. To prevent this from happening, you may strengthen your legs and knees through various exercises. It’s advisable to have a pain relief kit handy to use in case you overdo it.
Yes, that is right! Having a regular knee-strengthening workout routine may help improve the range of flexibility and motion in your knee joint. With this, you can move your legs and knees much easier without worrying about getting a sprain or fracture. The good thing about this exercise routine is you can perform it at home or the gym near you.
You may search using a keyword such as best fitness club near me to look for the great fitness centers in your area. Furthermore, below are some of the effective workouts that will target your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and hip muscles:
Half-Squat
If you’re looking for an effective exercise to strengthen your glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps without straining your knees, half-squat exercise is for pain relief kit. Here’s how you do it:
- First, do the standing squat position with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Then, squat down for a few inches or half the full squat.
- Pause for a while, then slowly stand up.
- You may do the half squat exercise for 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
Hamstring Curl
Another knee-strengthening exercise that may help keep your legs stronger is the hamstring curl. This leg workout targets your glutes and hamstring. Plus, it is also effective in strengthening your core. To perform this exercise, here’s what you need to do:
- Stand up and face a wall. You may also use a chair for support.
- Make sure your feet are hip-width apart.
- Raise your foot, bend your knee, and lift your heel toward the ceiling.
- Hold such a position for 5 to 10 seconds.
- Relax and lower to the starting position.
- You may add the hamstring curl to your workout routine and do it for 2 to 3 sets of 10 reps per leg.
Calf Raises
Calf raises is one of the knee-strengthening exercises that target your lower legs including calf muscles. This workout is simple and a great addition to your exercise routine particularly if you want to learn bodybuilding. To do the calf raises workout, here are the steps to follow:
- Stand up and make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart.
- You may stand facing a wall or use a chair for support.
- Lift your heels off the floor.
- Then, slowly lower your heels going back to the starting position. Take note that control is essential when doing this exercise to effectively strengthen your calf muscles.
- You may do the calf raises workout for 2 to 3 sets of 10 reps.
Straight Leg Raises
To strengthen your quadriceps, performing a straight leg raises exercise is an effective way to achieve it. Besides that, this knee-strengthening workout is also great for your hip flexor muscle. Furthermore, you may add a 5-pound ankle weight when performing this exercise and gradually take a heavier weight as you keep on strengthening your legs.
To do the straight leg raises workout, you should do the following steps below:
- Use a yoga mat to add cushioning beneath your back when doing this exercise.
- Then, lie down on the ground.
- Bent one of your legs while the other one is straight out in front of you.
- Contract the quadriceps of the straight leg and lift it slowly off the ground until it reaches the height of your bent knee.
- Pause for a few seconds, then go back to the starting position slowly.
- You may do this exercise for 2 to 3 sets of 10 reps per leg.
Takeaway
Knee stress can be a nuisance and may cause severe pain in some serious cases. So, if you don’t want to experience such discomfort, you need to work your knees out and strengthen them. The knee-strengthening exercise mentioned above is just some of the workouts that you may include in your routine to achieve stronger muscles and tough knees.
