Let’s be honest, training knees doesn’t sound sexy, at least not in comparison to arm day. But, it is important, especially if you want to walk, squat and pick things up with less pain and keep them fully functioning as you age. You don’t have to carve out a chunk of time for them either. Personal Training duo, Milad and Ryan, founders of Tailored Fit PT, have shared three simple exercises that will take you no longer than eight minutes and all they require is your bodyweight and a few items around the house.
Knee pain is highly common and, we hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it can worsen as you get older, thanks to degenerative wear and tear and conditions like osteoarthritis. However, Harvard Health says that knee pain is often caused by problems occurring above or below the knee. For example, you may have tight hips causing your pelvis to drop adding more pressure to your knees, or you could have weak knee stabilisers. However, the three stretch and strengthening exercises below will improve the way these joints function, relieving knee pain.
All you’re going to need for this workout is a couch, a wall, and something soft to place your knee on, like a cushion. Perform the three exercises below either during your warm-ups or when you’ve got five spare minutes. Give your knees this TLC at least times a week and Coach Milad and Ryan say they’ll seriously thank you for it. Here are your exercises:
- Couch stretch into hamstring stretch – 20 reps
- Wall sit with heel raises – 45 seconds
- Tibialis raises – 20 reps
Once you find the wall sits becoming too easy, Coach Milad says you can upgrade them to a single-leg wall sit with heel raises, and to increase the difficulty of the tibialis raises, just move your feet further away from the wall. For more knee-strengthening exercises check out these other five PT-approved exercises or, if the pain is interfering with your squats, then give these knee-friendly alternatives a go.
-
No pull-ups needed — sculpt a wider back with this five-move dumbbell workoutNo gym required
-
You only need two dumbbells, 30 minutes and this five-move workout to grow your armsYour t-shirt sleeves will feel fuller by the time you’ve finished
-
This 30-minute full-body dumbbell workout is all you need to grow muscle all overFull-body gains with this simple, straightforward dumbbell workout
-
Sculpt a strong upper body and solid core with this four-move Pilates workoutJust grab a light pair of dumbbells or two medium-sized water bottles
-
Boost your run speed, strength and power with this lower-body kettlebell workoutPowerful legs for more speed and less injury
-
This four-move HYROX workout will improve your running and build lower-body muscleCompromised running is key if you want to smash a HYROX PB
-
You don’t need the gym – boost total-body strength with this beginner-friendly resistance band workoutIt's also low-impact and can improve your mobility too
-
New to kettlebells? Try this four-move, beginner-friendly workout to build full-body strength
