Knee Strengthening
In this post I am going to give you some of my go-to exercises for knee pain and how to workout around discomfort and still improve your function. Rehab exercises are like prescription medication, if you don’t take the right type of meds or the right amount, they wont work.
Knee pain is a common ailment that many will experience at some point in their lives. I would take more than a few blog post to cover the different types of knee pain and how to deal with them, so the main thing we need to know is knee pain can affect different types of tissue and need to be address in different ways. Whether it has occurred due to acute or chronic injury, all types of knee pain are unique to the individual and must be delt with in a unique way. Therefore, if dealing with knee pain its best to seek out a health care professional versed in knee injuries.
“But coach Nic, my knee hurts, I don’t think I should be in the gym, wont that make it worse?” If you are not careful, yes it could. However, I can tell you for a fact, that popping a couple Advil and going out golfing or whatever else, isn’t making your knee pain better either. So let’s do something proactive and helpful to get you back on track.
A few words of wisdom before we get into it:
Start slow and build up your tolerance. There is a good chance that your knee is hurting because it is not equipped to handle the stress you are asking it to, so why are we expecting your knee to perform loaded deep squats and 3+ mile runs/walks. Listen to your body. I cannot stress enough that if you are uncomfortable doing any exercise with your knee or you experience any acute spike in pain to seek the help of a healthcare professional, like myself or your physician.
TKE aka Terminal Knee Extension: 3 sets of 10-20 reps (building quad strength at end range)
Knee extension is very important mechanism for a healthy knee and this exercise promotes exactly that. Attach a big band to something stable or use a cable and attach the other end around the lower half of the knee. Squeeze the muscles on the top of your thigh (quads) as you straighten the knee.
Split squat Isometrics: 3 sets of building up to 30 sec hold with each leg (building tendon strength)
Like you are taking a step, have one foot in front of the other, feet shoulder width apart. Now squat down slowly to a tolerable position. Hold onto something is the movement is uncomfortable or you are losing your balance. Hold that position for up to 30 secs. Make sure you are near something to hold onto in case you fall.
Single leg step down: 3 sets 10-20 each (hip and foot stability and knee strength)
Stand on an elevated surface like a plyometric box with on foot on the box and the other hovering off the edge. If you have trouble balancing on one leg, make sure you have something near to hold on to. As slow and controlled as you can, squat and lower your hovering leg down towards the ground, gently touch the ground with your foot and then stand back up again. Make sure the standing leg knee is driving over the toe as you squat down and lower the foot towards the ground.
Knee extension machine: 3 sets 10-20 reps (build quad strength through full range)
Another knee extension exercise but working a larger range of motion. We are going to do eccentrics, meaning we are focusing on the lowering (bending) portion of the lift. Start with both ankle on the pad. Kick the feet up, extending the knees, and squeezing the quads. As you go to lower the lever back down, remove the good leg and let the weaker knee lower it back down to the starting point slowly over 3-5 secs. Start with light weight that is easy to move with both legs going up but harder with one leg coming down.
2-1 leg press: 3 set 10-15 reps (building single leg strength)
On the leg press machine, we are focusing on eccentrics again (going slow on the lowering portion of the press). Take one foot off the leg press plate and lower yourself down with one leg. Then push back up with both legs. The reason we are doing eccentrics is because it is the quick and most efficient way to build strength and muscle quickly.