6 of the best knee strengthening exercises

We Released The Knees last week, now let’s strengthen them!

Knee strength does not necessarily refer to ‘grit strength’ - when it comes to strong knees, we need to consider the stability of the joint. Strengthening the local muscles of the knee joint contributes to this stability. Distal muscle strength is also vital as it dictates the action of the femur (thigh bone) and the tibia (shin bone); the 2 bones which make up the articulation of the tibio-femoral joint (aka the knee). Once stability has been achieved (which we will cover in this article), you can then work towards ‘grit strength’ (go and see a personal trainer about that one).

Additionally, the more distant muscles - in particular, the glutes - have a huge influence over the alignment of the knee. When it comes to injuries of the knee, a lot of the time the predisposing factor to the injury is poor alignment (particularly during movement). That’s why it is so important to focus at sites other than the knee.

STRENGTH EXERCISES

DISTANT

• Intrinsic Foot Muscles (Foot Tripod)

  • 60% of weight in the heels, 40% of weight in the balls of the feet

  • Imagine a tissue under each foot, scrunch the tissue between the big toe knuckle, little toe knuckle, and the heel

  • This will activate the inside and outside arches of the feet

• Glutes: Sidelying ABduction

  • Lying on your side with both feet pressed up against the wall

  • Lift your lower waist off the floor - imagine a mouse having to run through this space

  • Always be sure to maintain the contact between the heel and the wall - this will ensure you don’t collapse through the waist, plus you will be isolating the glutes more efficiently

• Bridges with or without ADductor squeeze

  • Wheel the pelvis towards the head

  • As you lift the pelvis, then begin to lift each vertebra off the floor one at a time

  • Think of drawing the heels towards you as you send the knees over the toes - this will help to elongate the spine

  • Imprint each vertebra back down, one at a time

  • You can also place a chi ball/towel in between your knees to squeeze as you perform the bridge - this will work to strengthen the adductors muscle group

LOCAL

• VMO: knee ext (on table/foot behind ankle)

  • Have the towel placed just below the crease of the knee or in the middle of the calf muscle. 

  • Aim to extend the knee so you are trying to touch the back of the knee with the floor. 

  • You should also be aiming to activate the muscle which sits just above and to the inside of the knee cap or the VMO.

• Hamstrings: Good mornings

  • Maintain contact with the stick with the head, mid-back & "crack". 

  • You should feel slight tension through the hamstrings as you hinge forward.

  • Perform this movement before then holding onto some weight or a therband, whilst maintaining efficient form

These exercises are general in nature, and may not apply to your individual presentation. Please be sure to contact your health care practitioner to discuss your specific needs.