Best Leg Workout With Knee Pain

As a doctor of physical therapy, one of the most common injuries that I treat in my clinic is knee joint pain.

It’s incredible how debilitating knee pain can be! Even the simplest of activities such as standing and walking can be limited by pain in this one joint.

Today I wanted to share with you 8 of my favorite lower body strengthening exercises that you can do despite painful knees. These virtually no-impact exercises are not only easier on the knee joint itself, but chances are they might also help your knees to feel better as you strengthen key muscles that stabilize the knee!

As a general rule – please do not do these exercises if they hurt your knee. MUSCLE soreness – the burn you feel in your quads, hips, and hamstrings with a workout – is a great thing. I hope you feel some of that with this workout. However, if any of these exercises do cause an increase in pain in your knee JOINT I would advise you to stop. If your knee pain is persistent or increasing, I recommend that you go get it checked out by a medical professional (I would recommend consulting with a physical therapist, but I’m probably a little biased!!).

These exercises are presented in order of easiest (exercises I don’t anticipate any knee pain at all) to hardest (exercises where there may be some discomfort depending on what type of knee pain you’re experiencing). I encourage you to try as many as you can as long as they’re pain-free! Now let’s get started!

Warm up

Your warm up is CRUCIAL to any workout if your knees are painful. A bike is going to be your best friend – your feet are in constant contact with the pedals and there is virtually no impact. Second to the bike would be an elliptical. Again – constant contact with the petals minimizes ground forces, but this one’s a little more aggressive as you’re weight-bearing on the joint.
5-10 minutes (even longer if it’s feeling good!)

The Workout

Straight Leg Raises

This is a great exercise for the front of the hips; try to keep your leg locked out as straight as possible (really concentrating on firing the quad muscle on the front of the leg). Increase difficulty by adding an ankle weight.
3 sets of 10-20 reps on each leg

Sidelying Abduction

A lot of times knee pain can be attributed to knee instability and glute weakness. Sidelying abduction is a great way to target the glute med and min and get them to fire a little more effectively during activity.
3 sets of 10-20 reps on each leg

Bridges with Ball Squeeze

Doing bridges are great for the butt and back; throwing a ball (or pillow) between your knees adds one more muscle group (adductors) to the mix to strengthen the knee joint. Really focus on smashing your glutes and squeezing that pillow throughout the motion.
3 sets of 10-20 reps

Heel Raises

Great way to sculpt and strengthen the calves! Can be done on the floor or up on a stair for a little more challenge.
3 sets of 20 reps

Lateral Band Walks

A resistance band is one of my favorite tools to use in strength training. Put it around your ankles, get in a semi-crouched position, and walk sideways with it. Take a big step with your leading foot and just a half step with your trailing foot so there’s some tension on the band at all times.
3 sets of 10 on each leg (10 left, 10 right; repeated 3 times)

Lateral Step Ups

One of the most common problems I run into with knee pain is nobody ever does anything side-to-side. These lateral step-ups are a great way to kick on hip abductors and stabilize your knee joint. Start with a 4 inch step and work up from there assuming it’s pain-free.
3 sets of 10 on each leg

Step Ups

Start small (4 inch box) and progress up from there. Try to focus on keeping your knee right over your toes throughout the motion.
3 sets of 10 on each leg

Single-Leg Deadlift

One of my all-time favorite leg exercises to work the butt, hamstrings, and glutes. It’s a lot of weight to bear through your knee (might be aggravating to meniscus injuries and arthritis), but if you can do it without pain it’s one of the best for strength and function. Add a weight (dumbbell or kettlebell) for some added resistance.
3 sets of 10 on each leg

 

And there you have them! 8 great exercises in one awesome workout that’s easy on the knees but big on strength!

Questions or comments? Leave me a comment below or you can always email me at jared{at}toneandtightenfitness{dot}com

Make it happen,

Jared

Disclaimer: The  information  presented in this post designed to be used for informational purposes only. The diagnoses and treatment plans outlined are extremely generalized and may or may not be the recommended interventions for your specific problem. If you are experiencing pain, you are encouraged to consult a healthcare provider to determine the best  treatment  plan that will be in your best interest individual.  Tone and Tighten claims exemption from accident, injury, or perpetuation of any injury incurred while performing  exercises  found on this website. The user assumes all risk … and reward !!