4 Simple Knee-friendly Workouts

Next to back pain, the most common body pain we encounter when exercising is knee pain. So knee-friendly workouts are important to know.

Knee pain occurs when you overwork the joints of your knees from repetitive movements like running, squats, and lunges. So if you’re overdoing these movements too much or perhaps, too soon, take a break! Don’t add insult to injury!

Recovery is one of the critical parts of an exercise routine. It allows your body to repair itself and get ready for your next workout. When properly done, it can improve your overall performance and decrease the risk of potential muscle tears and injuries.

So let’s focus on being knee-friendly instead of focusing on what you can’t do, and just skip those lower body movements for a day or two and focus on other routines for strength and stability.

Ready to discover some knee-friendly exercises?

Hop into something comfy and try these simple and doable workout routines for your core, lower body, and cardio!

Flutter Kicks

Targets: core, glutes, quads, and hip flexors

How to do it: Lie on your back with your legs extended up to a 45-degree angle. Slightly lift your arms off the floor, palms down and in line with the ground. Also lift your shoulders, neck, and head off the ground. While keeping your legs straight and toes pointed, simultaneously lower one leg and raise the other. Engage your core muscles as you continue the movement, alternating between legs.

Leg Raises

Targets: glutes and lower back

How to do it: Lie on your back with your arms at your side and legs stretched out. With your toes pointed and legs straight, slowly raise the legs and lift them until your body forms a right angle. At your own pace, lower your legs back down until they are slightly just above the ground. Try to stick to the same pace with the rising and lowering of your legs.

Deadlift

Targets: glutes and hamstrings

Equipment needed (optional): dumbbells

How to do it: Stand with feet at hip distance apart and dumbbells (optional) resting in front of the thighs. Maintaining a straight back, slightly bend the knees as you lower the dumbbells or your hands towards the floor. Squeeze the glutes at the top of the movement and use your hamstrings and legs to come back up and return to the upright position.

Up for a challenge? Try the single-leg deadlift! Here’s how to do it:

Stand on one foot as you slightly bend your knees and bend forward at the hips. Shift your weight onto one leg while sweeping the other leg behind you and keeping your back nice and flat. Take note to sit into the heel of your standing leg and not on your toes. Slowly come back up while driving through your standing leg and hamstrings, and squeezing the glute at the top. Feel free to use a pair of dumbbells to make it more challenging. Switch to the other leg after completing the reps on one side.

One final note!

If you suffer from knee pain, it is important to focus on your form, not on speed. Start with 10 to 15 reps for each exercise and as you feel more confident, gradually add 3 to 5 reps. Do the right thing: start slow to finish strong.

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