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Unfortunately, the gluteus medius tends to be rather weak in the general population, says Bochnewetch, which is why when designing a knee-strengthening program you should definitely incorporate exercises that specifically target this muscle.
Another tip, especially if you’re pressed for time?choose compound exercises, such as squats and lunges, which work several different muscle groups at once, rather than isolated movements that focus on one muscle group (like donkey kicks). Why: Compound exercises are more “bang for the buck,” says Bochnewetch, so you can incorporate more knee strength training into your routine without adding a lot of extra time.
When doing knee strengthening exercises, it’s important to follow the concept of progressive overload, which involves gradually and consistently increasing the intensity of your exercise routine by adding weight, increasing reps or weight, or reducing rest time. This ensures you continue to challenge yourself and improve your strength, says Bochnewetch.
In addition to doing exercises that help strengthen your knees, it’s also important to perform movements that increase joint stability, Scantlebury says. You can do this by doing knee-strengthening exercises on a variety of surfaces, such as foam pads and BOSU balls, that throw your balance a bit off, or by adding some extra coordination challenges, such as holding a single Turn your head side to side while doing a leg deadlift, or do a bicep curl while doing a lunge. (Of course, make sure to work through the traditional version of the exercise before adding the extras!)
Another great idea: merge isometric exercise into your daily life. During these exercises, you get into a position where a muscle or muscle group is engaged and hold it (think: static lunges or glute bridge holds). Targeted isometric exercises can strengthen the tendons that connect to the muscles that control the knee, reducing the risk of problems caused by weak tendons, such as knee pain or tendonitis, says Scantlebury.
That is, if you are looking for Knee Pain Exercises, it is a good idea to speak with a physical therapist to get personalized medical advice for your specific situation. Certain types of knee pain and overuse injuries may contraindicate certain sports, so it’s best to get an individualized diagnosis and physical therapy if you think you’ve injured yourself. (Curious about knee stretches? Check out these expert-recommended stretching knee pain.)
How Often Should You Do Knee Strengthening Exercises?
You don’t need to do knee strengthening exercises every day to see results. In fact, Bochnewetch recommends doing knee strengthening exercises only twice a week.Pencil them the same way you normally would leg workoutor as a separate stand-alone program, she said.
As a general rule of thumb, do 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions of each exercise. Bochnewetch recommends that if you use weights, choose a weight that allows you to perform repetitions at an intensity of 6 to 8 on a difficulty scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being the most challenging). For isometric movements, hold for five to 10 seconds, then repeat five to 10 times, says Scantlebury.
10 Knee Strengthening Exercises
To get started with knee strength training, Bochnewetch and Scantlebury recommend trying the following exercises. You can pick two or three to add to your lower-body workout routine, and switch it up to shuffle through the list over the course of a few weeks.Or, do five or six at a time for a full quad and glute-focused workout lower body workout(If you’re a beginner, you only need to choose three or four moves for a complete workout.)
However you choose to incorporate these exercises into your routine, be sure to warm up first so your muscles don’t get cold. No elaboration is needed; a simple 5 to 10 minute walk will do the trick.or try this weight routine.
Equipment needed: A pair of dumbbells and a resistance band. If these exercises are new to you, stick to bodyweight only at first and gradually increase the resistance once you get comfortable with the form.
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