Will Knee Strength Exercises Make You Fitter?
November 3rd 2008 -
Doing a few simple knee strengthening exercises can go a long way to making your knees stronger therefore enabling you to get fitter, quicker.
To begin with the first exercise is very useful for those who have a condition called chondromalacia patella. This is an inflammation of the cartlidge beneath the patella ‘knee cap’. This sometimes results because the bones and muscles on the knee are out of alignment.
A really simple exercise that will help is as follows:- Sit comfortably on a chair, try not to tense up, you need to relax, have your thigh parallel with the ground, leg bent and 90 degrees, feet on the ground, tense the thigh, then hold this position for five seconds and release the hold, do the same with the other leg. Complete ten reps on each leg.
Please make sure your breath normally while doing these exercises.
If you want to build up a little more strength in your knee you may want to try the following exercise.
Sit up straight and breathe normally, then cross your legs at the ankle. Push forward with the rear leg and back with the front leg. (A little tricky at first, but think about it!)
Switch legs by reversing the direction of the cross. If the right leg was in front, move it to the rear. Repeat the exercise 10 times for each position.
Calf Burns
Now for something a little more challenging.
If your balance is not all that great it may be a good idea to do the following exercise whilst standing on a may, carpet or at least a wooden floor. Try to avoid do the exercises on a metal or concrete floor.
Making sure you are well balanced, stand up straight, toes a little apart, heels together.
Lift your heels up, balance on the balls of your feet. Try to imagine an invisible string fixed to the centre of your head pulling you straight up. Hold this position for five seconds, then lower yourself down slowly. Do ten reps of this. Eventually as you build up strength in your legs and increase your balance, you will be able to increase the amount of time you can stay on the balls of your feet.
Vary the action by bending slightly at the knee while you still have the heels raised. This will bring the thighs (quadriceps or ‘quads’ and hamstrings) as well as the buttocks into play. Straighten up, then lower the heels. Repeat 10 times.
Doing these knee strengthening exercises daily or at least a couple of times a week will really improve the strength of your knee. And if you are interested in fitness you will know how important it is to have healthy, strong knees.
Do you want to get your legs in shape? If you do then check out the best leg exercises to find out how you can tone up your legs quickly. If you want to get the rest of your body into shape you can find more health and fitness tips here.