knee condition/strengthening

[IronMonkey]

What's a good way to strengthen the muscles around the knee, or condition the knee. Doing that I read is better than relying on knee pads, straps and stuff to keep away from injury.

[IronFist]

You can strengthen the muscles, but you're not going to "condition" them so that you don't need knee pads when you fall down or take blows or something.

If you mean knee wraps, yes, it's better to strengthen the muscles of your knee so you're not relying on knee wraps for support, because in real life (out of the gym), you won't have knee wraps (or weight lifting belts) to support you.

[Willow Palm]

It's been my experience that doing the basic stances of longfist help strengthen your legs considerably, especially around the knees. Holding each stance for thirty seconds each side intially with a goal of one minute each side (for starters). This is a really good, low impact, way to build the muscles. Hope that helps!

Warren

[CLF Tiger]

IronMonkey,

I sprained my knee the beginning of this year. I then went to a physical therapist that put me on a rigorous knee strengthening/stabilizing program to get me back into training.

Long story short... strengthening the muscles around the knee happens when you strengthen the muscles that attach to and surround the knee.

Focus on exercises that build your hamstrings, quads, and hip flexors. Also, stretch the muscles to maintain flexibility and prevent future injury. Forward, side, and reverse lunges with 5-10 pounds resistance for starters work great, as well as crane dips.

Have fun...

-L

[Chief Fox]

Do squats! Nothing better for your knees. In my opinion.

[IronFist]

Do squats! Nothing better for your knees. In my opinion.

I might add, do squats CORRECTLY, unlike this guy (http://www.cobraguardcover.com/steve500x2.avi).

[Chief Fox]

D@MN! I can't see the video. Is it the one where the guy straightens his legs out and then sorta does a good morning?

Anyway, good point. If you don't kow how to do squats correctly, get a trainer to show you how.

[IronFist]

It's a guy in a squat rack bouncing the weight off the spot bars.

[IronMonkey]

No I cant do squats, kills my knees, lol.

I'll take CLF's advice, start with some lunges.

[Sardinkahnikov]

http://www.hellbiscuit.com/images/hand-grave.jpg

Hey, sorry about bringing it up again, but what about hindu squats? Some claim it wreaks havoc on your knees, while other state that it actually gave them super joints. I've started to practice low rep sets of hindu squats, but sometimes I feel a discrete pain in my right knee afterwards. Any imput on the subject?

[Lee Chiang Po]

How about your weight? The lighter you are, the easier it is on the knees. And especially if you have registered a few extra years. Also worth mention is that a wide, deep horse can be hard on knees.

[Frost]

banded TKE's look them up, they are great buddy morris has videos of them over at elite fitness i believe, they really help with knee pain

hindu squats bring th weight over the knees when you come onto the balls of the feet and really go through a great range of motion, , not th best thing to do if you have knee pain... speak to a specialist in the medical field, someone who helps athletes, rather than matt fureys stuff

[MightyB]

My old track coach used to tell us to pay attention to our Hamstrings and to spend more time doing leg curls to protect our knees. He said people tend to focus too much on their quads because they see the results faster, plus leg curls are more difficult - so long story short, you get an imbalance which can lead to injuries while participating in sports.

[MightyB]

http://www.hellbiscuit.com/images/hand-grave.jpg

Hey, sorry about bringing it up again, but what about hindu squats? Some claim it wreaks havoc on your knees, while other state that it actually gave them super joints. I've started to practice low rep sets of hindu squats, but sometimes I feel a discrete pain in my right knee afterwards. Any imput on the subject?

old rule of thumb, if it hurts - don't do it. Pain is your body signaling you that you're on your way to an injury.

[Sardinkahnikov]

old rule of thumb, if it hurts - don't do it. Pain is your body signaling you that you're on your way to an injury.

Word. I was wondering if the discrete pain I mentioned was a result of poor form, of my right knee's weakness or if hindu squats are simply a recipe for bad knees, which many seem to agree on.

A curious note: yesterday I decided to give it another go for 15 reps after standing in horse stance for about a minute. I felt no pain afterwards. Warming up/lumbrification of the knee joints helped, maybe?

[pateticorecords]

before you do any strengthening, stretching, or workout you should do some joint rotations to help lubricate the joint. for knees this is the most common one done...

Step 1
Face forward with your feet together.

Step 2
Bend your knees to a 90-degree angle, as if sitting on the edge of a chair. Keep your back straight, but at an incline with your hands lightly resting on your knees.

Step 3
Support your weight through the center of your body, not by supporting your weight on your hands.

Step 4
Circle your knees together out to the left and then around to the right, ending at the forward starting position.

Step 5
Repeat the rotation several times, then perform an equal number in the opposite direction

[Scott R. Brown]

Don't forget hacks and running backwards.

For hacks, place your heels on a 4-5" block and squat down til your butt touches your heels. Keep your torso erect and push upwards with the balls of your feet. Start without any weight for 10-20 reps and slowly increase the weight over time.