5 Exercises You Can Do Without Hurting Your Knees
Our knees are the joints most prone to
injuries in the body, due to the heavy use and daily stress we exert on
them from the moment we wake up. Knee injuries lead to pain and restrict
us in movement, which in turn cause us, in many cases, to completely
give up exercising, leading us to neglect the rest of our body.
Many exercises do put a lot of strain on
your knees, so if you suffer from pain in this area, you should get to
know the following 5 exercises. These are familiar exercises that
underwent changes to make them suitable and effective for those who want
to stay fit without putting pressure on their knees or damaging the
recovery period. After you start doing them you will find out how easy
it is to keep fit, sculpt the body and build strong muscles, without
suffering pain!
1. Static boxing
Many people who suffer from knee pain are forced to give up various
aerobic activities, as these often include running, jumping and other
exercises that make it difficult and painful for the knees. The next
exercise, which is a kickboxing exercise, is a static exercise, so you
can perform it while remaining standing. This exercise increases your
heart rate and strengthens your biceps, without hurting your knees.
Stand with your feet parallel but slightly apart (as opposed to one
leg in the front and the other in the back, as is the case with
kickboxing).
Now bend your knees slightly until you feel comfortable.
Make a fist and keep your hands close to your face, keeping your
arms bent with your elbows close to your ribs.
Now, move your fists forward, in opposite directions: punch your
right hand to the left, and your left hand to the right. Perform 3 sets
of 10-20 punches.
2. Half-bridge
The following exercise helps to extend the spine and stretch the muscles
that support it, while strengthening the leg muscles in a way that
doesn’t overload them and helps in sculpting the buttocks. Instead of
performing a regular bridge exercise, which exerts the knees that are
responsible for stabilizing the body, you can perform it in the
following manner and achieve the same benefits. Perform it on one leg,
then on the other leg.
Lie on your back and place your hands on either side of your body,
with your palms down.
Bend your knees and place your feet on the floor. Note that you
don’t need your calves to be perpendicular to the floor, so don’t overdo
it with the bending
Now, straighten one leg so that it is parallel to the thigh of the
other leg. Since the calves are not perpendicular to the floor, the foot
will rise upwards
Next, lift the body by using the force of the hips and buttocks, so
that your entire body forms a straight line. The movement should come
from your hips, not your knees.
Stay in this position for 3 seconds and then return to the starting
position. Perform the exercise 5 times for each leg.
3. Quad strengthening
The following exercise is suitable for someone suffering from pain in
the patella area, which is caused by cartilage erosion or overload,
injury or a wrong movement of the joints. This kind of injury sometimes
leads to pain as you climb the stairs or when you bend over to pick up
an object, and to avoid it, it is very important to strengthen the core
and quadriceps muscles. There are several ways to do the following
exercise; if you are a beginner you should do the first exercise, and if
you feel you can do a little more, you can do it with a rubber band as
shown below.
Beginner level:
Lie on your back and place your arms at your sides, with your hands
straight and your palms facing the floor.
Bend one of the knees so that your heel is as close as possible to
the buttocks, then straighten it out very slowly until you reach the
other foot. Keep it in the air and parallel to the floor without
touching it. The foot alignment process should take about 30 seconds,
but if you find it difficult to start, you can start from a shorter bend
and extend it over time.
Repeat about 5 times for each leg.
quad strengthening
Advanced level:
Put both feet into a rubber exercise band.
Now lie on your back, put your arms at the sides of your body, or
under your lower back if you suffer from spinal pain and want to provide
stability.
Bend both legs, close to the chest, and then straighten your left
leg while keeping your right leg bent. Make sure that the loop is tight
and not loose, and hold the traction for about 30 seconds.
Lower the bent leg slowly towards the floor, and perform the
exercise again with the other leg.
4. Deadlift for one leg
The deadlift exercise is known to all of us as lifting weights, where
you lift a weight from the floor while bending your legs. This is an
exercise that helps the muscles of the back, knee, and the quads, but
due to its complexity many become injured and it is not recommended for
those suffering from knee pain. The following solution allows it to be
performed with a small weight for each leg separately, which allows the
person practicing it to enjoy its benefits without causing damage to the
knees.
Stand with your legs slightly apart at shoulder width. Hold a small
weight in your hands.
Move all your weight to one leg, with the other leg bent backward at
an angle of 90 degrees.
Now, start leaning forward slightly with both hands holding the
weight as they are faced toward the floor. Remember to keep your back
straight and avoid bending it.
Reach the point where your back is parallel to the floor and return
to the starting position.
If you find it difficult to maintain balance, you can lower your
other foot to the floor and stabilize yourself with its tip.
Lift back, repeat the exercise about 5 times for each leg
5. Sidestep
One of the most painful things for those with knee problems is going up
and down stairs, so the first exercise they give up is step training.
However, for many, the following simple change may help them go back to
the favorite exercise without a problem. All you have to do is switch
from regular step exercises to side step exercises. Try this exercise
slowly several times to see if it is right for you, and if you don’t
feel pain you can do it regularly.
Stand with your right side adjacent to the step, raise your right
leg and place it gently on the step.
Now, bend the other leg and lift it in the air as you straighten
your foot on the step.
Straighten the bent leg and put it back on the floor, with the foot
on the step accompanying it. Perform the exercise 30 times for each
side. If you feel the exercise is easy for you, you can do it with
weights in your hands.
