Leg Exercises for Bad Knees

These leg exercises for bad knees will help you strengthen your muscles without increasing impact or causing pain

When you want to stay in shape, but you have certain health issues, things may seem a little more complicated. Fortunately, there are many types of exercises you could still do without any fear of hurting yourself. These leg exercises for bad knees are a perfect example of this.

If you were a runner, or enjoyed biking in the afternoons as part of your workout regime, you may wonder how to build leg muscle with bad knees. Truth is, as long as you focus on low impact exercises you can still strengthen your extremities.

An ailment like osteoporosis or arthritis, for example, could lead to further deterioration of the bone, or even a serious injury if you engage in high-impact exercises or decide to perform certain activities that may prove to be challenging.

Engaging in a routine that focuses on low-impact movements, strength training and weights could be ideal since these types of workouts include leg exercises for bad knees, a strained back, painful neck, etc.

In addition, you could take advantage of using knee sleeves, supporting straps and even braces that are all the hype amongst athletes and training aficionados that have bad knees as well, but still want to get he best out of their workout schedule.

We’ve rounded up a few of the best knee friendly leg exercises that will help you get in shape without causing strain or pain in your joints. These are also fantastic as a form of cardio that targets your overall weight, cardiovascular health and keep you entertained.

Rowing

Rowing machines have moved indoors to provide a full-body workout. As one of the best leg exercises for bad knees, using this machine will also target and strengthen your arms, core and back.

Swimming

This is one of the most complete ways of staying in shape and it helps to burn calories fast. Without targeting your knees directly, this sport strengthens your glutes, core and chest muscles.

Elliptical Training

Believe it or not, this one is a good aid for your workout routine since it increases your cardiovascular health, strengthens your lower extremities, and it is safer than using a treadmill because you can use your arms as supporting mechanism.

Yoga

Famous for having a wide number of added benefits aside from weight and fat loss, this helps you work on your core, flexibility and stability without causing any discomfort.

Cycling

How to build leg muscle with bad knees means finding new ways to keep practicing your favorite activities. In the case of cycling, the trick is to avoid deep changes in the terrain, that means no more hills or bumpy areas, and practicing for shorter intervals and with a low resistance.

Additional knee friendly leg exercises include adding glute bridges, reverse lunges, front leg rises, side leg rises while lying down, standing calf rises, and seated leg extensions to name a few. These are practical because they can be performed in the comfort of your home and there is no need for any equipment.

Moreover, if you do like a challenge, the exercises mentioned above can be done using small ankle weights. Doing this will help you strengthen the muscles of your legs and – in doing so – you will provide extra support for your bad knees.

The trick of practicing leg exercises for bad knees is always changing up the pace, adding some funky music and trying to stay upbeat While you should not perform high-impact training under these circumstances, you can still target certain areas of your body to get the best out of your workout.

Learning new techniques, staying consistent and using supporting aids like the knee sleeves and braces mentioned above will ensure that you stay healthy while you avoid any injury or discomfort.

Sources:

https://www.curejoy.com/content/leg-exercises-for-bad-knees/

https://www.healthline.com/health/osteoarthritis/knee/alternatives-to-high-impact-exercises#1

https://greatist.com/fitness/take-it-easy-21-unexpected-low-impact-workouts

http://www.health.com/fitness/best-low-impact-workout-weight-loss#03-cycling-low-impact-workout

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