Strength Knee Exercises – 3 Moves for Better Knees
Let’s talk about how to strengthen your knees
Strength Knee Exercises
Before we begin, let me introduce myself, I am Lucy Wyndham-Read, a qualified fitness and health trainer with over 30 years of experience in teaching safe workouts. With over 400 million views, my aim has always been to create safe and joint-friendly exercises that promote better health. I have specially created a Knee-Friendly Workout Playlist on my YouTube channel.
Before we look into exercises to strengthen your knees, let’s understand a bit more about how they work. The knees play a vital role in supporting us with every step we take. The knee joint, which is the largest joint in our body, is a hinge joint formed by the fusion of three bones: the femur (thigh bone), the tibia (shin bone), and the patella (kneecap).
This joint allows for a wide range of movements, including flexion, extension, and limited rotation, which are essential for activities such as walking, running, and jumping. Unfortunately, we often neglect to care for our knees until we experience discomfort. To begin your journey to better knee health, it’s important to prioritize the well-being of these hardworking joints.
KNEE EXERCISES TO STRENGTHEN KNEES
Here are 3 knee exercises you can do at home to help strengthen your knees and the muscles around them. These are safe and all you need is a chair to perform these strength knee exercises.
Knee Exercise Move 1: Calf Raise
Stand with good posture, using a chair for balance. Raise heels off the floor, hold briefly, then lower. Repeat 20-30 times to strengthen calf muscles (gastrocnemius) supporting the knee.
Knee Exercise Move 2: Hamstring Curl
Stand with feet hip-width apart, hand on a chair for support. Bend one leg, bringing the heel toward the glute, hold, then lower.Perform 20-30 reps on one leg, then switch to the other. This strengthens the hamstrings, stabilizing the knee joint.
Knee Exercise Move 3: Leg Extension
Sit with good posture and lift one leg straight out while the other remains relaxed. Lower and repeat 20-30 times, then switch legs. This strengthens the quadriceps by preforming the knee extension.
These three simple knee exercises can be done at home daily. Strengthening the muscles around your knee joint is essential for maintaining healthy knees. These three moves target all the major muscles needed for better knee health.
10 TIPS FOR BETTER KNEE HEALTH
1: MAINTAIN A HEALTHY BMI
Keep those knees happy! Imagine your knees as delicate bridges – too much weight and they might just collapse. By lightening the load through healthy eating and staying active, you’re giving your knees a well-deserved break from potential wear and tear.
2: BE STAIR AWARE
Going up and down stairs can be part of our day-to-day life, so being aware to step with good form is key. If your staircase has a handrail, be sure to use it. By allocating some of the weight from your legs to the handrail, you take a little bit of pressure off your knees.
3: GO FOR LOW OVER HIGH
Low impact will always be favoured over high impact because this is kinder on our joints. Examples of some joint-friendly exercises are walking, low-impact cardio, swimming or even cycling and ones to avoid are burpees and jumping lunges. And don’t forget that low-impact exercises can still be high intensity so you still get all the calorie burn and health benefits, just without the jump. 5 Knee Exercises Strengthening 
4: LOOK AFTER YOUR SUPPORT TEAM
By this, I mean that building a robust support system for your knees involves strengthening the surrounding muscles. Include exercises that target the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles in your routine. Plus keep working on your abs and core because a stronger midsection helps to take the pressure off our joints. So keep moving your body and looking after your overall support team. Here is a Free 5-minute Better Health Knee Workout you can use daily to look after your muscular support team.
5: BE POSTURE AWARE
The way you carry yourself has a direct impact on your knee health. Maintain good posture, whether sitting or standing, to distribute weight evenly across your joints. Poor posture can lead to misalignment and added stress on your knees.
6: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
Your body communicates with you, and it’s crucial to pay attention. If you experience persistent discomfort or pain, don’t ignore it. Give your knees the rest they need and, if necessary, consult a healthcare professional. Early intervention can prevent minor issues from becoming major problems.
7: STAY HYDRATED
Like a well-oiled machine, your joints benefit from proper lubrication. Staying hydrated ensures that your joints, including the knees, remain adequately lubricated. Aim for at least eight glasses of water a day to support overall joint health.
8: INCLUDE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FOODS IN YOUR DIET
Nutrition plays a vital role in joint health. Incorporate foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and flaxseeds, as well as anti-inflammatory ingredients like turmeric. These dietary choices can help manage inflammation and promote knee well-being.
9: SIT RIGHT
If you are sitting for long periods then be aware of your chair height so that your thighs are parallel to the floor when your feet are flat on the ground. If you can’t adjust the chair height correctly or if your desk height necessitates raising your chair too high, think about using a footrest.
10: BACKWARDS INSTEAD OF FORWARDS
When it comes to lunges, I suggest stepping backwards to make them easier or more comfortable compared to the traditional forward lunge. Lunging the foot back instead of forward helps maintain the proper positioning of your knee joint
Keep looking after your knees and give them the love and respect they deserve, and as I always say in all my YouTube Videos “movement is medicine” and “our health is our everything” Here is a Free Home Workout Video Playlist with all my Knee Friendly Workouts