As the largest joint in your body, your knees carry the biggest load. Every time you jump, climb, run, or even walk, you’re putting stress on your knee joints and exposing them to injury. The best way to avoid knee pain and injuries, and strengthen your knees is to exercise your knees and build strong muscles around them.
Although exercising may not be enjoyable for those suffering from knee pain, it’s the only way you can increase your joints’ fluidity and build strength and flexibility in your knees to reverse the aging signs. Not all exercises help with knee pain or strengthen the knees, but here are a few ways you can build solid knee muscles and delay aging knee problems.
Standing Curls
Standing hamstring curls or knee flexion is a very good exercise for strengthening the back of your thighs and your gluteal muscles. The knee bending movement stretches your knees and increases their flexibility. The muscles used to perform this exercise are related to your knees and exercising them will help you get rid of knee pain and grow stronger muscles in that area. For this exercise, you just need to stand with your feet about 2 inches apart. While standing straight with a slight bend in one of your knees, bend the other one backward and lift the same foot to reach a 90-degree angle beneath your glutes. You should be keeping each leg bent for about 5 seconds before slowly lowering your foot again and repeating this exercise. Using a countertop or a chair for balance is allowed as long as you don’t lean forward against it and ruin your posture.
Rowing Machines
Rowing machines are great for athletes looking for cardiovascular activity while increasing their resistance and body stamina. They strengthen the knees by tackling your front quadriceps and thighs while working the back hamstrings at the same time. If you’re looking for safety and injury prevention, you could look into getting the best rowing machine in the market to help let you strap your feet securely to it and work your muscles simultaneously to avoid twisting your knees. This is very important because when your muscles are not exercised equally with the same resistance, you can develop knee or back pain. However, rowing machines are excellent for providing resistance to both legs equally and in continuous motion if used properly.
Wall Squats
This one is pretty simple and fun. You stand against any wall at home with a straight back and lean your back and head against the wall. Your feet should be hip-width apart and you shouldn’t lock your knees. Next, glide slowly down the wall, bending your knees smoothly until you reach a 90-degree sitting position without letting your knees slide forward over your toes. While engaging your core or abdominal muscles, hold that position for about 10 seconds without letting your pelvis fall anywhere under your knee level. You can then slowly stand up again and repeat the same exercise 5 to 10 times. This is a great exercise for strengthening your knees and quadriceps and building stamina across both of your legs and thighs.
Weight Loss
People often forget that we carry all of our body weight on the legs and, specifically, the knees. There’s a medical concept claiming that every pound you weigh equals 4 pounds of pressure on your knees. This is why a weight gain of 10 pounds can be translated as an extra 40 pounds carried by your knees. Losing your excess weight and staying in shape reduces the pressure on your knees and relieves joint pain significantly. Try exercising and following a healthy diet in order to shed the extra few pounds carried on your knees and to strengthen them and increase their flexibility while moving.
Increasing Mobility
Age is one of the most prominent factors for knee and joint pain. This is because people tend to move less as they grow in age, leading to the stiffness of their joints and, mostly, their knees. It’s no wonder that people who move more often will have fewer symptoms of knee joint stiffness or pain. Straightening your knees, for instance, indicates good knee health and most people with knee problems will find it hard to do so.
This is why exercise and frequent motion are highly recommended to slow down knee joint aging and keep them flexible for as long as possible. It is recommended to exercise and straighten your knees if you suffer from knee stiffness by sitting on the floor and forcing your feet downward against a pillow to stretch the back of your knees and hamstrings.
Knee muscles are very important for supporting body weight and keeping your body in good shape. Various forms of exercises exist for strengthening knee muscles and building stamina. It is recommended, however, that you consult your physician before performing any of these exercises as some of them are not for everyone, especially if you have any knee conditions or suffer from arthritis. Mobility is also very important for knee health and the more time you spend moving, the more flexible your joints will be. Make a few simple changes, and your knees will have less pain and become stronger.