Strengthen your knees?

[tom ped]

Due to a few years of bjj training and some stupid stretching routines at the start of my bjj life I've been left with damaged and weak knees that are hampering my training and forcing me to take frequent time off from training.

Does anyone know any simple exercises I can do to strengthen up my knees?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, cheers guys

 

[Uchi Mata]

Squats. Seriously. But you have to start with very low weight and make sure your form is correct. But good form squats with appropriate weight will strengthen the quads and the ligaments of the knee. Same story for deadlifts. Squats being bad for your knees is a myth, squats are only bad for your knees if you have bad form, usually when you don't do a full squat and use more weight than you should.

 

[Roads55]

body-weight squats are supposed to be good right? anyone know of any good videos that show correct form for knee exercises like these? thanks

 

[wigglestick]

I get pain in my kneecaps and worry about them most, I don't know if you got the same thing but my foot and knee cap aren't aligned that good, im hoping some bodyweight and light squats will help.

 

[orangeclay]

http://www.poliquingroup.com/Articl...w_to_Build_Strong_Legs_and_Healthy_Knees.aspx

 

[Chute Stomp]

Get a good ass-to-grass squat program going and your knees should feel great (if you're doing them correctly). I also find that my back aches less from getting stacked, which I put down to the squats also; they will strengthen your whole body.

 

[Einarr]

Heel Hook yourself. Eddie Bravo recommends it.

 

[Oleg Raktatov]

Go to a physio once to have a program designed for you and to make sure you do the exercises right.

I have knee problems, they improved quickly with physio's help

 

[Obscure Terror]

Get a good ass-to-grass squat program going and your knees should feel great (if you're doing them correctly). I also find that my back aches less from getting stacked, which I put down to the squats also; they will strengthen your whole body.

Actually this can be counter-intuitive. Ass to grass squats, usually front squats or Olympic style squats where the bar is placed "high" on the back on the trapezius can actually make knee pain worse in some cases. Especially if you "drop and bounce" into the bottom of the squat.

Low-bar, powerlifting style back squats are usually a safer option for the knees if you're unsure of which style to choose.

As always, focus on form first and if anything hurts, stop and re-evaluate.

Film yourself lifting and post a video on the Strength & Conditioning forum, there are guys there who can give you advice.

 

[GordoBarraBJJ]

start with body weight squats and work on form/technique.

 

[magick]

Goblet squats.

 

[Championstuff]

[YT]toZ6yxHUOJ4[/YT]

 

[thedoc3]

strengthen your quads. ride a bicycle

 

[Championstuff]

strengthen your quads. ride a bicycle

I love riding, I have a street and mountain bike

 

[SinkOrSwim]

body-weight squats are supposed to be good right? anyone know of any good videos that show correct form for knee exercises like these? thanks

I'd say if really want to learn how to do them properly go to your local gym & get help from an instructor, I used to be a personal trainer & found squats & deadlifts to be the main exercises most people did wrong. Even if you watch a video you really need someone there correcting your technique as you go (just like when learning a new BJJ move, it can be the things you don't notice in the video that are most important).

On strengthening the knees I'd say what most other ppl have: squats, dead lifts, single leg body weight squats (as a progression) cyceling, swimming (no arms), lunges, there's heapsmof stuff.

 

[Digitsu]

Strengthening the muscles around the joint will help support its function. Try some body weight stuff to get the joints feeling better. Heavy weights might aggregate any injuries.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13893/6-body-weight-exercises-for-strong-toned-legs.html

 

[bart300000]

Squats, if done correctly help you strengthen the muscules around the knee, I would recommend the book Starting Strength, it explains how you don't damage your knees with squats and how to do them properly:

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki

 

[redaxe]

strengthen your quads. ride a bicycle

Most people have stronger quads than hamstrings, so cycling and strengthening the quads can exacerbate that imbalance. What most people need is to train their posterior chain through squats and deadlifts.

 

[Fandango]

Most people have stronger quads than hamstrings, so cycling and strengthening the quads can exacerbate that imbalance. What most people need is to train their posterior chain through squats and deadlifts.

hespect

 

[hotborsh]

My brothers wife is a physiotherapist. I have some problems with my knees aswell, they POP sometimes when im in mount position and my left knee bothers me when i train middle kicks. I asked her about it and she said that I should strenghten ligaments in the knee. What she suggested is different static positions, like holding the squat position/wall squat/holding squat position while standing on your toes etc. Plus she recommended to stand on an unbalanced surface (something like those fucking bosu balls). Simply standing on them on one/two feets and balance. I'm trying the static positions for now, will see if that will help.