Do the top of your knees seem to get irritated when doing lower body exercises like squats, lunges or step-ups? Then don’t miss the coaching video above where I show you a simple, yet effective way to quickly develop strength just above those kneecaps without causing pain or inflammation.
Believe it or not, the cause of your knee pain may actually be from lack of strength in your quads.
WHAT YOUR QUADS HAVE TO DO WITH YOUR KNEES
Your knee is more than that funny little patella bone that seems to float around aimlessly without a care in the world. It’s controlled by an actual joint capsule and inside that capsule there’s “stuff” that tells you to flex and extend. Above your knee, it’s the quads that are working and then below the knee it’s your anterior tibialis.
When your quads aren’t strong enough to do things like squat, lunge or step-up, pain starts to set in and trickles down to your knees because you’re exceeding the capacity of this joint. If you want to strengthen your knees, you have to start working the muscles that extend them, which is the quadriceps.
STRENGTHEN YOUR KNEES AT HOME
When dealing with pain, our goal is develop strength without causing excess inflammation. So how do we do that? With isometrics! They’re a type of muscular contraction where the joints and muscles don’t move, but are still producing force. This is the ideal situation in our knee pain scenario.
Check out the video above to for a quick at-home exercise that will have your quads burnin’ and your knees getting stronger.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
A wall (or something solid) to lean up against
HOW TO PROGRAM THIS IN YOUR ROUTINE
This exercise can be done up to 3x a week, every other day.
Start out with 2-3 sets for 30 seconds, then working up to 40 seconds and 60.
To progress this, you can go deeper in your squat and eventually (eventually!) add load.
ABOUT COACH MATT PIPPIN
Matt is a Strength and Mobility Coach with over 15 years experience in his field and has coached over a thousand professional, collegiate and everyday athletes with the goal to help them move, feel and perform at their highest level. He's incredibly passionate about bringing simple and effective online mobility training programs to everyone who wants to take control of their self care and make lasting change. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Certifications:
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Level 3: Fascial Stretch Specialist
Level 1: Institute of Motion Health Coach
Certified FRC Mobility Specialist (FRCms)
Level 1 Kinstretch Instructor
Weck Method Qualified