Top 10 Leg Exercises For Bad Knees | How To Exercises With Knee Pain
Most knee pain and arthritis in adults is caused by repetitive impact over a prolonged period of time. Building strength in your legs limits impact at the knee and is one of the best things you can do to avoid a life of pills, injections, or surgery. However, it can be hard to build strong legs when knee pain is keeping you from exercising. The following leg exercises for bad knees will help you SAFELY build strength without stressing your knees.
The Top 10 Leg Exercises For Bad Knees
The best leg exercises for bad knees engage important muscle groups while minimizing movement and impact at the knee. The following exercises are both SAFE and effective exercises to help you exercise without knee pain.
1. Sit To Stand
Starting with the easiest, the sit to stand helps engage your legs with minimal impact on your knee. By starting in a seated position you can control the movement for even more safety.
2. Toe Taps
Building strength in the single leg improves side to side imablances that can cause stress at your knees. Toe Taps work to improve balance and stability on your leg while strengthening your glute med muscle group to protect your knees. With limited movement at the knee, Toe Taps are a safe and eggective leg strengthening exercise for bad knees.
Protect Your Knees With These 10 Balance And Stability Exercises
3. Wall Sit
Isometric contractions involve muscle engagement with no joint movement. This limits the impact that goes through the knee. The wall sit is a great isometric leg exercise.
4. Single Leg Step Up
A safe and controlled variation of the step up exercise. This move has many variations to fit all ability levels. Change the height of the step or simply add weight to make as challenging as you want.
5. Glute Bridge
Strong glutes (or hip muscles) protect your knees from repetitive impact of your daily activities. The glute bridge is a SAFE and EFFECTIVE way to target your glutes, even if you have bad knees.
Find 10 Glute Bridge Variations Here
Click Here To Find The Best Glute Exercises For Knee Pain
6. Box Squat
A step up from the sit to stand exercise. Using the same box, simply reach your hips back to tap your hips before coming back up. Having a box behind to catch you keeps you safe if your knee gives out.
Can't Squat Because Of Knee Pain? Learn How To Work Up To The Squat Here
7. Banded Hip Hinge
The hip hinge is an important movement pattern that limits impact on your knee while strengthening your glutes and hamstrings. This banded variation allows you to add a little bit of resistance to help ingrain this pattern while strengthening your muscles.
Learn How To Perform The Perfect Hip Hinge Here
8. Kettlebell Deadlift
Another great option to build STRENGTH in your hamstrings and glutes. This move has minimal impact on the knee making it a great leg exercise for bad knees.
Click Here To Learn How To Safely Perform The Kettlebell Deadlift
9. Squat Holds
A more challenging isometric exercise. The squat hold is a step up from the wall sit. Holding the bottom of a squat engages the muscle of your leg with minimal movement and impact at the knee.
Click Here To Find 10 Squat Variations To Match Your Ability Level
10. Assisted Lunge
Lunges are one of the BEST leg exercises for bad knees. Unfortunately, they can be hard to perform when dealing with knee pain. Using a suspension trainer (like the TRX) allows you to control the movement with your hands to find a comfortable level to allow you to build strength and confidence.
Learn How To Perform The Lunge Even When Dealing With Knee Pain
As you can see, the best leg exercises for bad knees fully engage the muscles of your leg while minimizing movement and impact at the knee. Incorporating a few of these exercises into your exercises routine will help you build the strength and confidence to live active, healthy, and happy lives.
