When we switch to sports, whether in the gym or outdoors, we realize that the knees are very important joints for the whole body. Like the ankles, the knees are essential for the movement of our body in general. We cannot perform well in sports if our knees are not up to par. Therefore, we are going to teach you some exercises to strengthen knees.
If you want to learn how to strengthen your knees, this is your post.
Knee anatomy
To learn how to strengthen knees, we must first know how it works and what anatomy it has. This is articulation is quite complex and very important for the body. Without wings we would have we couldn't even walk like we do. When we speak of complicity in these joints, we mean that they have a large number of structures involved. We start with the bone structure. In the knee, the thigh bone known as the femur converges with the shin known as the tibia, the smallest bone that is found along the fibula known as the patella.
As you can see, it is a union of many bones that are, in turn, joined by tendons to the muscles responsible for moving the joint. It should also be noted that the ligaments are what join the bones of the knee and provide stability. We know that the anterior cruciate ligament is in charge of preventing the femur from sliding back over the tibia. The posterior cruciate ligament is what prevents the femur from sliding forward over the tibia. Finally, the medial collateral ligaments are those in charge of preventing the femur from sliding sideways.
For all these functions it is important to strengthen your knees in order to play sports and have good health.
Exercises to strengthen knees
Having strong muscles responsible for moving and stabilizing your knees can prevent major problems in the future. Much of these problems are severe pain. There is a portion called the vastus medialis that helps absorb the impacts that the entire body and the joints receive continuously. When the quadriceps muscle it is not strong enough, instability occurs. The rest of the structures that are present in the knee and that we have mentioned above will begin to suffer.
Therefore, we are going to teach you some exercises to strengthen your knees. With these exercises you can start conditioning the body to avoid pain and other health problems. In addition, they can help prepare for a more complex and hard training. Remember that if you have any pain in your knees, it is essential that you go to the doctor before starting any type of exercise.
We are going to analyze which are the main exercises to strengthen knees.
Straight raise of tender
It seems like a fairly straightforward exercise and it is. However, they do help to work the front of your quads without having to get bent at the knees. This exercise can be very useful if you have any discomfort when bending the joint. You can strengthen the muscle and it will be vital to be able to absorb the impact by reducing the movement of the joint.
The exercise is carried out as follows:
- You lie on your back and place your resting leg flexed. The tender that we have to exercise has to be in a straight position towards the front on the ground.
- We flex the foot bringing the toes towards you and keep the knee extended at all times.
- We lift the foot up to about 20 centimeters from the ground and we will hold it for a few seconds. Then we will go down again and repeat between 10 or 20 times with each leg.
Elastic Band Knee Raise
If you are exercising as a newbie or you are recovering from an injury, it is interesting to do this exercise without a rubber band. The elastic band can be stretched to increase resistance and exercise more strength. The army is carried out as follows:
- We hold the band with the left foot that will stay on the ground and support them on a wall.
- We raise the right knee until it reaches hip level or as high as you can.
- Lower again for 10-15 repetitions.
Strengthening your knees with an isometric squat
This type of exercise is excellent for increasing the strength of the knees. With this exercise you also work the muscles that surround the entire knee as well as the thighs and buttocks. The army was carried out as follows:
- We start standing up and lean our backs against the wall.
- We step forward without moving our back from the wall, keeping our feet hip-width apart. We slide the hips down until it is level with the knees. We will stay between 20-30 seconds.
Assisted squat
For those people who are not very good at squatting, a variation can be used. This way we put less pressure on the knee. The army is carried out in the following way:
- We will stand with our backs to a chair.
- We go down in a controlled way until you almost sit on the chair just as we go up. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart and your back always straight. You can do 10-15 reps.
Strengthen knees for advanced
Next we are going to teach some exercises to strengthen the knees somewhat more advanced that will also help to improve the muscles around and the buttocks.
Bridges
This exercise is well known for its great effectiveness in working the lower body and core. Helps strengthen glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps. In addition, it benefits from the reduction of pressure on the knees and improves stability during workouts. The exercise is carried out as follows:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet in a straight line with your hips.
- We activate the glutes and lift the hips up. We hold for a few seconds and we will avoid arching our back at all times.
- Lower yourself almost to the ground and do about 10-15 reps.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about some exercises to strengthen knees.