How to Strengthen Your Knees
It’s important to keep your knees
strong and healthy so that your mobility doesn’t deteriorate as you grow
older. We often take the health of our knees for granted, not noticing
there’s a problem until everyday activities like lifting boxes or
walking downhill become painful. Take the following measures to
strengthen your knees and ensure you’ll stay active for as long as
possible.
Part 2 of 3: Exercising to Strengthen Your Knees
- Stretch your IT band. Spending some time stretching
and warming up your IT band before diving into a strenuous activity is a
good way to keep your knees strong.[2]
- Stand with your left foot crossed over your right and stretch your
arms above your head. Lean your upper body as far as you can to the left
without bending your knees. Repeat with your right foot crossed over
your left, leaning your upper body to the right.
- Sit on the floor with your legs stretched in front of you. Cross one
over the other and pull your knee as close as you can toward your
chest, holding it in place for a few seconds. Repeat with your other
leg.
- Take a brisk walk before launching into a more complicated exercise to give your IT band a chance to loosen up.
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Work out your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes.
- Do lunges to work on your quadriceps. Stand upright with your hands
on your hips. Take a big step forward with your left foot, and lower
your body toward the floor until your left leg is bent at a right angle.
Your back knee will lower until it is nearly touching the floor. Repeat
this exercise several times, then switch to the other side.
- Strengthen your hamstrings with step-ups. Stand in front of a raised
surface and practice stepping up with one foot, then the other. Repeat
on both sides.
- Do squats to get stronger glutes. Stand upright and simply squat to
the ground, bending your knees and keeping your back upright. For a less
strenuous version of this exercise, practice standing in front of a
chair, sitting, and standing again.
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Learn to jump well. Jumping is great exercise, and
done properly, it helps strengthen the knees. Try jumping rope in front
of a mirror so you can study your form. Are you landing with your knees
straight, or are they bent? Landing on straight knees puts too much
pressure on your joint, and can eventually lead to injury. For stronger
knees, practice landing in a half-squat position with your knees bent.
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Try recreational activities that build full-body muscle tone. If your leg muscles aren’t strong, your knees won’t be, either.
- Yoga is a low-impact activity that tones your leg muscles. As a
bonus, many yoga positions involve stretching and warming up your knees.
- Swimming is another great way to build leg and knee strength and flexibility.
- Walking and biking keep your legs and knees in shape for more strenuous activities.
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