Strengthen Your Knees With These 3 Exercises

Knee pain is incredibly common. In fact, it affects over 19 million adults in the United States alone. If you have weak or achy knees, strengthening the muscles around the knee joint is crucial.

Activate Your Quad Muscles

As coach Tyler states, "every step we take the quad muscle is supposed to slow us down. It's supposed to decelerate movement and if we can't properly use this muscle maybe it's because of past injuries." To reactivate and strengthen your quad muscles, he recommends a quad activation exercise.

Get in a kneeling position and swing one leg out to a 90 degree angle. Focus on pressing the top of your foot into the ground which will immediately activate your quad. From here, slowly drop your hips back but don't go past the point of pain. Hold for 60-90 seconds until you feel your quad shaking and burning. Do this daily.

Strengthen Your Glutes

According to Tyler, weak glutes often lead to "a valgus collapse" where your knee caves inward. This puts pressure on your knee joint. To strengthen your glutes and abductors, he recommends the kneeling side plank with knees open.

Get in a kneeling position and bring an elbow to the ground. Open your knees wide and lift your hips high, feeling your glutes activate. Hold for 60-90 seconds on each side. As Tyler states, “When we start to strengthen hip abductors and external rotators, then it stops that knee from caving in."

Don't Neglect Your Tibialis Anterior

The tibialis anterior muscle supports the knee joint, but it's often neglected. Tyler says this muscle along with your quad decelerates movement to protect the knee. To target it, stand with your feet about 1 foot from a wall and lift your toes towards your nose until you feel your shins burn. Repeat for 60-90 seconds.

Conclusion

Targeting the quad, glute, and tibialis anterior muscles is crucial for knee health. But Tyler emphasizes using proper form and activating the right muscles throughout your day. At We Shape, they create customized workouts to strengthen your body in a safe way. Try one of their workouts tailored to your needs. Your knees will thank you!

Overall, strengthening the muscles around your knee joint with specific exercises can help reduce knee pain and improve function dramatically. Don't neglect these important muscles. Take action now to support healthy knees for life!