10 Knee-Strengthening Exercises to Add to Your Routine
Doing knee-strengthening exercises is probably not your number one priority when you visit the gym or plan your at-home workout routine. You may think that knee exercises only matter if you’re an avid marathoner or an elite athlete who’s constantly pummeling the joint. But that’s actually not true: Taking the time to strengthen this important area can go a long way toward boosting overall movement capabilities and reducing injury risk—for anyone.
Your knees play a pivotal role in a lot of daily activities, whether that’s climbing and descending the stairs, running to catch the bus, or even just walking your dog around the neighborhood. As you perform these movements, the knees (along with the feet and ankles) absorb a lot of force, Kellen Scantlebury, DPT, CSCS, founder of Fit Club NY, tells SELF. Because of this, “it's really important that the knee and the muscles that surround the knee are working optimally,” says Scantlebury.
For that reason, it’s a good idea for all of us to do knee-strengthening exercises, whether we think we need them or not, Kate Bochnewetch, DPT, CSCS, founder of the Running DPT in Buffalo, New York, tells SELF.
With that in mind, we tapped Bochnewetch and Scantlebury for 10 awesome knee-strengthening exercises you can do at home. The experts also shared intel on the best ways to strengthen your knees and why strong knees matter in the first place. Below, all you need to know about this super-important joint.
What are the benefits of strengthening the muscles around the knees?
The knee often follows the movements of the foot and hips, which means issues in either area above or below the knee joint can lead to problems in the knee itself, Scantlebury explains. By strengthening all of the important muscles around the knee, you can improve knee stability and alignment, ultimately protecting it from injury, she says.
Muscles that provide support to the knee include the quadriceps, a group of four muscles on the front thigh that help straighten out the knee and also assist in hip flexion, as well as the hamstrings, or the muscles on the back of your legs that contract at the same time as the quads to provide stability for your knee. Additionally, the glute muscles play a key role in keeping the hips and knees aligned and controlling the knee in side-to-side movements, and your tibialis anterior (muscle on the front part of your lower leg) and calf muscles in the back of the leg “help support the knee from below the joint,” says Scantlebury. Lastly, your adductors (inner thigh muscles) are important as well, since “people who have instability of their kneecap usually have weakness in the adductors or medial muscles in the thigh,” according to Scantlebury.
All the muscles mentioned above need to be strong enough to properly stabilize the knee and keep it safe when it moves—and that’s where knee-strengthening exercises come in.
Knee strength is crucial for overall knee health. And as we mentioned, it’s important for pretty much everyone. But knee-strengthening exercises for runners and other athletes whose sports involve high-impact moves are extra critical, says Bochnewetch. Because these people are asking a little bit more from their knees (and bodies in general), it’s extra important to make sure their joints are strong enough for the tasks at hand.
What are the best knee-strengthening exercises?
The best knee-strengthening exercises target the supporting muscles of the knee, including the quads, hamstrings and glutes, plus the muscles of the inner thighs, calves, and front of the leg. It’s especially key to hit all the muscles of the glutes, including the gluteus medius, a smaller butt muscle that helps your legs move out to the side (a movement called abduction). “It’s a really important muscle when it comes to knee health because that’s the muscle that prevents your knee from caving in when you’re doing single-leg activities,” says Bochnewetch. Yes, that means running, walking, and stair-climbing.
Unfortunately, the glute medius tends to be fairly weak in the general population, says Bochnewetch, which is why you should definitely incorporate moves that specifically target this muscle when designing a knee-strengthening routine.
Another tip, especially if you’re strapped for time? Pick compound exercises, like squats and lunges, which hit several different muscle groups at once instead of isolation moves (like donkey kicks) that focus on just one muscle group. The reason: Compound exercises provide more “bang for your buck,” says Bochnewetch, so you can incorporate more knee-strength work into your routine without adding tons of extra time.
When doing knee-strengthening exercises, make sure to follow the concept of progressive overload, which is when you gradually and continually increase the intensity of your routine by either adding more weight, increasing reps or weights, or reducing your rest time. This ensures you will continue to challenge yourself and improve your strength, says Bochnewetch.
In addition to doing exercises that help strengthen the knee, it’s also important to do moves that increase the stability of the joint, says Scantlebury. You can do this by performing knee-strengthening exercises on various surfaces—like foam pads and BOSU balls—that throw your balance off a bit, or adding some extra coordination challenges, like turning your head side to side while holding a single-leg deadlift, or doing a bicep curl while holding a lunge. (Of course, make sure you have the traditional version of the exercise down first before you add in extras!)
Another good idea: Incorporating isometric exercises into your routine. These are exercises where you get into a position where a muscle or muscle group is engaged, and hold (think: a static lunge or glute bridge hold). Targeted isometric moves can strengthen the tendons that connect to the muscles that control the knee, and thus reduce your risk of issues caused by weak tendons, like knee pain or tendonitis, says Scantlebury.
That said, if you’re looking for knee pain exercises, it’s a good idea to talk to a physical therapist for individualized medical advice for your particular situation. Certain exercises may be contraindicated for certain types of knee pain and overuse injuries, so it’s always a good idea to get a personalized diagnosis and physical therapy treatment plan if you think you have an injury. (Curious about knee stretches? Check out these expert-recommended stretches for knee pain.)
How often should you do knee-strengthening exercises?
You don’t need to slot in knee-strengthening exercises every day in order to see results. In fact, Bochnewetch suggests doing knee-strengthening exercises just two times per week. Pencil them in alongside your usual leg workouts, or as a separate standalone routine, she says.
As a general rule of thumb, do each exercise for 8 to 12 reps and 2 to 3 sets. If you’re using weights, choose a weight that will allow you to perform repetitions at an intensity that feels between a 6 and 8 on a difficulty scale of 1 to 10 (where 10 is the most challenging), Bochnewetch advises. If it’s an isometric exercise, hold for 5 to 10 seconds, and repeat for 5 to 10 reps, says Scantlebury.
10 Knee-Strengthening Exercises
To get started with knee-strength work, Bochnewetch and Scantlebury recommend trying the exercises below. You can pick two to three to add to your lower-body routine and switch it up over the weeks to shuffle through the list. Or, do five or six of them at once for a complete quad- and glute-focused lower-body workout. (If you’re a beginner, pick just three to four moves for the full workout.)
However you choose to incorporate these exercises into your routine, make sure to do a warm-up first so that you don’t jump in with cold muscles. It doesn’t need to be elaborate; a simple 5- to 10-minute walk will do the trick. Or try this bodyweight routine.
Equipment needed: A pair of dumbbells and a resistance band. If these exercises are new to you, stick with bodyweight-only first and work your way up to adding resistance once you’re comfortable with form.