Knee strengthening exercises are important for mobility and injury prevention. Knee injuries, like meniscus tears or patellar tendonitis, are some of the most common injuries associated with weightlifting. The body is often referred to as a kinetic chain, and strengthening the leg muscles surrounding your knees can prevent issues related to knee joints and tendons around the knees. There is also an abundance of evidence suggesting strength training can improve both mobility and bone density[1]. Here’s a list of 6 exercises you can do at home to strengthen your lower body and improve stability around the knees. Perform each exercise for 8 repetitions and 3 sets, and the wall sit for 60 seconds and 3 sets. Alternatively, integrate these exercises into your own workout plan:
Knee Strengthening Exercise Explanations
Squats
Standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Tighten your core and lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Push through the ground to stand back up to the starting position. Remember to keep your chest up and don’t let your knees point inwards.
For beginners or people with mobility limitations, you could squat onto a chair for more safety. For more difficulty, you can hold a weight in front of you or a barbell on your shoulders. If this exercise feels too easy and you don’t have access to weights, you can perform more reps or hold the squat at the bottom.
Split Squats
Stand with one foot forward and one foot back, about 2 feet apart (more or less depending on your height). Lower your back knee until it’s a couple inches above the floor. Push through your front foot to straighten your legs and get up to the starting position. Remember to keep your front knee above but not past your toe.
For beginners or people with mobility limitations, you can perform split squats by holding onto something during the exercise. You can also place pillows on the ground under the back knee to prevent it from accidentally hitting the floor. For more difficulty, you can also perform bulgarian split squats with your back foot on a bench or chair, or hold a weight.
Forward Lunge
Stand with your feet about a foot apart and your hands on your hips. Step forward with your right leg until your right heel is Around your left toe. Bend your knees until your right knee is above your ankle and your left knee is a couple inches above the floor. Push up with your front foot to return to the starting position, which is standing. Repeat the same but with your left foot in front. Don’t forget to keep your chest up.
This exercise can be modified for beginners or people with mobility limitations. The easiest ways to modify this exercise are to stand next to a wall or something (or someone) to hold onto, and to lunge only half way down.
Single Leg Lift
Lie on your back with your left leg straight or bent on the ground and your right leg straight. Keep your left foot on the ground, and lift your right left in the air. Lower your right leg but keep it an inch above the ground and repeat. Perform the same steps with your right leg bent and your leg leg lifting in the air. Remember to keep your lower back into the floor.
This exercise can be modified for beginners by lowering your straight leg all the way back to the ground instead of keeping it hovering off the floor. To make it more difficult, you can perform a bridge and hold the straight leg up for longer.
Clamshell
Lie on your right side with your legs bent and your left leg stacked on top of your right. While your feet are still touching, spread your legs by lifting your left knee into the air. Return back to the starting position. Repeat then do the same on your left side.
To increase the difficulty of the exercise, you can use a resistance band above your knees. You can also perform the clamshell in somewhat of a side plank by lifting your hip off the ground.
Wall Sits
Lean your back flat against a wall or another flat sturdy surface with your feet about a foot away from the wall. Lower yourself down the wall until your legs are at a 90° angle and your thighs parallel to the floor. Your feet can be together or shoulder-width apart, whatever is the most comfortable. Hold this position for 1 minute or until failure.
You can modify the exercise by holding the position half way down or for less time. You can also place your hands on your legs for stability, or hold onto a chair or other object with each arm.
Review
Although the knee itself is a bone with closely surrounding ligaments and tendons, exercising muscles responsible for moving it can protect the knees. The primary movers of the knee are muscles based in the quads, hamstrings, and gastrocs in the calves[2]. Some exercises that improve strength, stability, mobility, and injury risk reduction in the knees are:
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- Squats 8×3
- Split Squats 8×3
- Forward Lunge 8×3
- Single Leg Lift 8×3
- Clamshell 8×3
- Wall Sit 60secsx3
References
Zeng, C. Y., Zhang, Z. R., Tang, Z. M., & Hua, F. Z. (2021). Benefits and Mechanisms of Exercise Training for Knee Osteoarthritis. Frontiers in physiology, 12, 794062. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.794062
Trumble, K. (n.d.) Knee Anatomy: Muscles, Ligaments, and Cartilage. https://www.joionline.net/library/knee-anatomy-muscles-ligaments-and-cartilage/