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How do I strengthen my knees particularly the muscle just above the knee cap. What exercises can I do?
I do not have access to weights and have to run on a cross trainer/bike but find that particular muscle does not get enough of a work out. Both knees also click a lot from there which is not good will result in arthritis eventually.
Maybe try lunges and squats. Do the lunges where you get real low almost touching the ground with your knee, and those might help. Also I like to do them going forward, not lunge then step back, repeat. Just like walking but doing lunge walk. :P
stand on one leg.hold on to a railing or something to keep balance. with the other leg do a front kick motion very slowly. 3 sets of ten on each leg before and after training. every week build up reps. it helped me out a bunch
I was just logging on here to ask a similar question. I have been having knee pain something awful. The torque put on them from punching is killing me. I don't know if my stance is flawed, I try to stay on the ball of the rear foot, good flex of the legs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Master
Right now I am taking MSM to try and gain an advantage. I stand all day at work, then hit the gym and sometime it's not tolerable. I have a tendency to lock my knees which I know is bad.
A trainer told me stairs are good, climb them whenever possible.
No weights?
Try:
Single Leg Squats (as deep as you can)
Single Leg or bulgarian Squat Jumps
Scissor Lunges
Good exercises that you won't be able to do tens and tens of reps of (if it gets to a point were you can do loads and loads of a movement then you are not having to generate enough force to stimulate strength development, so you either need to move more forcefully and explosively or add extra resistance in the form of a weight, seeing as you have no weight these should do and because they are dynamic you should develop good knee stability... cross trainer and the bike are not giving enough resistance and they are 100% stable so your central nervous system doesn't have to develop to improve gain stability)
To be honest it doesn't sound to me like your knee joint (or the muscles bridging it) are weak as such, I'd guess that they are over active and tight (espeicially if you cycle/cross train a lot) and this is what is causing the clicking. Stretch them and get some foam rolling done to loosen them and start training your glutes to function better (most people have tight quads and bad knees because their glutes don't work)
Try practice contracting your glutes by doing back bridges and learn to squat with correct form (big chest, arse out). Best way to squat properly is to do it facing a wall with your toes touching the wall. When youe squat, your knees shouldn't pass your toes... if they do it's a sign of weak/inactive glutes and that will be what is fucking your knees up most likely.
Thanks will try all that. Played football last night and muscles are aching and right knee feels a bit sore.
i actually have chronic tendoitits in both of my knees and took therapy for it, my physical therapist told me that i have to strengthen every other muscle so that the strain is transferred and not focused on the knees when i am doing anything, so point being you just have to work your legs from hip to toe, ur gluets, quads, calves etc...any above excesices are awesome, squats, lunges, leg raises, and calve pressups(don't know what its really called but u lean against a wall in a slant and raise up and down from your tippy toe to flat as fast as you can)
Scrap that looks hard, I could twist my knees and cause more damage but that would certainly build my knees but do not think I am up for that yet.
Standing on one knee and exercising on that is hard work and really works the weaker muscles. I think I have strained my ligament at the back so can not fully bend it for the squats but I am getting there slowly but surely.
What do you do for work?Quote:
Originally Posted by BigSkinny87I was just logging on here to ask a similar question. I have been having knee pain something awful. The torque put on them from punching is killing me. I don't know if my stance is flawed, I try to stay on the ball of the rear foot, good flex of the legs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Master
Right now I am taking MSM to try and gain an advantage. I stand all day at work, then hit the gym and sometime it's not tolerable. I have a tendency to lock my knees which I know is bad.
A trainer told me stairs are good, climb them whenever possible.
A rubber mat to stand on will help they are cheap enough we got one for 20 bucks the other day cause we stand and kneel most of the day in one spot.
You boys could try holding your legs out in front of you while watching a tv program thats going to do around the knees. One at a time or both just to break it up.
I do stretches like that when I watch TV, pull the toes in and hold it for a minute the the other foot. It helps the legs not tighten up.Quote:
Originally Posted by AndreWhat do you do for work?Quote:
Originally Posted by BigSkinny87I was just logging on here to ask a similar question. I have been having knee pain something awful. The torque put on them from punching is killing me. I don't know if my stance is flawed, I try to stay on the ball of the rear foot, good flex of the legs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Master
Right now I am taking MSM to try and gain an advantage. I stand all day at work, then hit the gym and sometime it's not tolerable. I have a tendency to lock my knees which I know is bad.
A trainer told me stairs are good, climb them whenever possible.
A rubber mat to stand on will help they are cheap enough we got one for 20 bucks the other day cause we stand and kneel most of the day in one spot.
You boys could try holding your legs out in front of you while watching a tv program thats going to do around the knees. One at a time or both just to break it up.
Hi Master, well I have had a couple knee issues in my time....and at one point I couldn't use weights to strengthen my knees... there was one exercise that did help my knees get alot stronger... Well first you need a bouncy ball, then find yourself a completely flat wall...stand so your back is against the wall with the bouncy ball between your back and the wall...with your feet about shoulder widths apart and your back resting on the bouncy ball squat slowly bending only at the knees...the bouncy ball should be rolling up your back and along the wall as your squating from your knees...this exercise will definitely strengthen your knees aswell as your thighs, gluets, hamstring, calves, and core...its a very easy exercise... I hope you understand what type of exercise I'm trying to describe in this thread... Cruiser
Thanks I have taken up riding a bike and that has helped my knees really well. I have not tried the ball exercise but do know weights are the quickest way of strengthening them.