10 Exercises to Strengthen Knees for Runners

Running is a great way to stay in shape, but it can put a lot of stress on your knees. To help prevent injury and keep your knees strong, it’s important to incorporate exercises that target the muscles around your knees into your workout routine. Here are 10 exercises to strengthen your knees for running:

1. Squats

Squats are a great exercise for strengthening the muscles in your legs, particularly your quadriceps, which are located in the front of your thigh and help extend your knee. Squats also work your glutes, hamstrings, and core muscles.

To do a squat:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your toes pointing forward.

• Keep your chest up and your back straight as you bend your knees and lower your body as if you were sitting back into a chair.

• Make sure to keep your knees behind your toes as you lower down.

• Keep your weight in your heels and push back up to the starting position.

You can also add weight to your squats by holding dumbbells or a barbell to increase the resistance and make the exercise more challenging. It’s important to use proper form when doing squats to prevent injury and ensure that you’re targeting the correct muscles.

When doing squats it’s very important to use proper form to avoid injury. Start with a light weight and few repetitions, and gradually increase the weight and reps as your strength improves.

 

2. Lunges

Lunges are a great exercise for strengthening the muscles in your legs, particularly your quadriceps and glutes. Lunges also work your hamstrings, core and can help improve balance.

To do a lunge:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your toes pointing forward.

Step forward with one foot and lower your body until your thigh is parallel to the ground.

Make sure to keep your front knee behind your toes as you lower down.

Push through your heel to return to the starting position.

You can also add weight to your lunges by holding dumbbells or a barbell to increase the resistance and make the exercise more challenging. You can also perform reverse lunges, where you step backwards instead of forwards.

It’s important to use proper form when doing lunges to prevent injury and ensure that you’re targeting the correct muscles. Keep your torso upright, avoid letting your front knee go too far forward and make sure to keep your weight in your heel as you push back up.

When doing lunges it’s very important to use proper form to avoid injury. Start with a light weight and few repetitions, and gradually increase the weight and reps as your strength improves. You can also incorporate lunges into your workout routine by doing them as a warm-up before running or as part of your strength training routine.

 

Calf raises

Calf raises are a great exercise for strengthening the muscles in the back of your lower leg, known as the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, which play an important role in knee stability, balance and running performance.

To do a calf raise:

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your toes pointing forward.

Rise up onto the balls of your feet, keeping your heels off the ground as you lift.

Slowly lower your heels back down to the starting position.

You can perform calf raises with or without weight, to increase the resistance. You can hold dumbbells or a barbell at your sides or use a calf raise machine. You can also perform calf raises one leg at a time for added balance challenge.

It’s important to use proper form when doing calf raises to prevent injury and ensure that you’re targeting the correct muscles. Keep your knees slightly bent, avoid locking them as you lift, and make sure to keep your weight in the balls of your feet as you lift.

When doing calf raises it’s very important to use proper form to avoid injury. Start with a light weight and few repetitions, and gradually increase the weight and reps as your strength improves. Calf raises are great for runners because they help to increase the power and endurance of the muscles in the lower leg, which can help to improve running speed and reduce the risk of injury.

 

Leg press

The leg press is a great exercise for targeting the muscles in your legs, particularly your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. This machine allows you to work these muscles against resistance, helping to build strength and endurance.

To do a leg press:

Sit in a leg press machine and place your feet on the platform in front of you.

Make sure your back is against the backrest and your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle

Release the safety lock and slowly press the platform away from you by extending your legs.

Slowly return the platform to the starting position

The leg press machine allows you to adjust the weight, so you can work with the resistance that is appropriate for your fitness level. It’s important to use proper form when using the leg press machine to prevent injury and ensure that you’re targeting the correct muscles. Keep your back pressed against the backrest, avoid locking your knees as you press, and keep your feet shoulder width apart.

When doing leg press it’s very important to use proper form to avoid injury. Start with a light weight and few repetitions, and gradually increase the weight and reps as your strength improves. It’s also important to warm up properly before doing leg press, as the exercise places a lot of stress on your legs.

 

Step-ups

Step-ups are a great exercise for targeting the muscles in your legs, particularly your quadriceps and glutes. Step-ups also work your hamstrings, core, and can help improve balance.

To do a step-up:

Stand in front of a step or bench and place one foot on top of it.

Press through the heel of your front foot to lift your body up onto the step.

Step back down with the same leg to return to the starting position.

You can also add weight to your step-ups by holding dumbbells or a barbell at your sides to increase the resistance and make the exercise more challenging.

It’s important to use proper form when doing step-ups to prevent injury and ensure that you’re targeting the correct muscles. Keep your torso upright, avoid letting your front knee go too far forward, and make sure to keep your weight in your heel as you press up.

When doing step-ups it’s very important to use proper form to avoid injury. Start with a light weight and few repetitions, and gradually increase the weight and reps as your strength improves. You can also incorporate step-ups into your workout routine by doing them as a warm-up before running or as part of your strength training routine.

Leg extension

The leg extension exercise is a great way to target the quadriceps, which are the muscles in the front of the thigh that help extend the knee. This exercise can be done using a machine specifically designed for leg extensions, which allows you to work these muscles against resistance, helping to build strength and endurance.

To do a leg extension:

Sit in a leg extension machine and place your feet under the pad, making sure your knees are aligned with the axis of the machine.

Grasp the handles on the sides of the seat for stability.

Slowly press the pad away from you by extending your legs.

Slowly return the pad to the starting position.

The machine allows you to adjust the weight, so you can work with the resistance that is appropriate for your fitness level. It’s important to use proper form when using the machine to prevent injury and ensure that you’re targeting the correct muscles. Keep your back pressed against the backrest, avoid locking your knees as you press, and keep your feet shoulder width apart.

When doing leg extension it’s very important to use proper form to avoid injury. Start with a light weight and few repetitions, and gradually increase the weight and reps as your strength improves. It’s also important to warm up properly before doing leg extensions, as the exercise places a lot of stress on your quadriceps.

 

Leg curl

The leg curl exercise is a great way to target the hamstrings, which are the muscles located in the back of the thigh that help flex the knee. This exercise can be done using a machine specifically designed for leg curls, which allows you to work these muscles against resistance, helping to build strength and endurance.

To do a leg curl:

Lie face down on the leg curl machine and place your lower legs under the pad, making sure your knees are aligned with the axis of the machine.

Grasp the handles on the sides of the machine for stability.

Slowly press the pad towards your glutes by flexing your legs.

Slowly return the pad to the starting position.

The machine allows you to adjust the weight, so you can work with the resistance that is appropriate for your fitness level. It’s important to use proper form when using the machine to prevent injury and ensure that you’re targeting the correct muscles. Keep your hips on the bench, avoid arching your back and keep your feet at the end of the pad.

When doing leg curls it’s very important to use proper form to avoid injury. Start with a light weight and few repetitions, and gradually increase the weight and reps as your strength improves. It’s also important to warm up properly before doing leg curls, as the exercise places a lot of stress on your hamstrings.

 

Clamshells

Clamshells are a great exercise for targeting the muscles in your hips and glutes, which are important for knee stability, balance and running performance. Clamshells can be done lying on your side, using a resistance band to increase the intensity of the exercise.

To do a Clamshell:

Lie on your side with your legs bent at a 90-degree angle and your feet together

Place a resistance band around your legs, just above your knees.

Keep your feet touching and your hips stacked.

Slowly lift your top knee as high as you can, while keeping your feet touching.

Lower your knee back down to the starting position.

You can also perform this exercise without a resistance band, it will still target the glutes and hip muscles.

It’s important to use proper form when doing clamshells to prevent injury and ensure that you’re targeting the correct muscles. Keep your hips stacked, avoid twisting your torso, and keep your feet touching as you lift your knee.

When doing clamshells it’s very important to use proper form to avoid injury. Start with a light resistance and few repetitions, and gradually increase the resistance and reps as your strength improves. Clamshells are great for runners because they help to strengthen the muscles in the hips and glutes which can help to improve running speed and reduce the risk of injury.

 

Single-leg deadlifts

Single-leg deadlifts are a great exercise for targeting the muscles in your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back, which are all important for knee stability, balance and running performance. This exercise also helps to improve core stability as it requires balance and control.

To do a single-leg deadlift:

Stand on one leg and keep your other leg slightly off the ground.

Hinge forward at the hips and lower your body towards the ground, allowing your non-supporting leg to extend behind you.

Keep your back straight and your core engaged as you lower your body.

Return to the starting position by squeezing your glutes and pushing through your heel.

You can also add weight to your single-leg deadlifts by holding dumbbells or a barbell at your sides to increase the resistance and make the exercise more challenging.

It’s important to use proper form when doing single-leg deadlifts to prevent injury and ensure that you’re targeting the correct muscles. Keep your back straight, avoid rounding your back and keep your core engaged as you lower your body.

When doing single-leg deadlifts it’s very important to use proper form to avoid injury. Start with a light weight and few repetitions, and gradually increase the weight and reps as your strength improves. You can also incorporate single-leg deadlifts into your workout routine by doing them as a warm-up before running or as part of your strength training routine.

 

Balance exercises

Balance exercises are great for improving stability in your knee joint, as well as overall balance and coordination. These exercises can help to reduce the risk of falls and injuries, especially as we age. Here are a few examples of balance exercises:

Single-leg stance: Stand on one leg and hold the position for as long as you can. You can also close your eyes to make the exercise more challenging.

Heel to toe walk: Take small steps and place the heel of one foot directly in front of the toes of the other foot. Try to maintain balance as you walk.

Tandem walk: Similar to the heel-to-toe walk, but this time you place the ball of one foot directly in front of the heel of the other foot.

Balance on one leg with your eyes closed: Stand on one leg with your eyes closed, try to balance as long as possible.

One-legged balance on a Bosu ball: This is a more advanced balance exercise, stand on one leg on an inflatable Bosu ball, try to balance as long as possible.

These exercises can be challenging at first, so start with shorter periods of time and gradually increase as you improve your balance. It’s also important to use proper form to avoid injury and ensure that you’re targeting the correct muscles. Keep your core engaged and your body in a neutral position.

Incorporating balance exercises into your workout routine can help improve stability, reduce the risk of injury, and improve overall balance and coordination. It’s also a great way to challenge your proprioception (the ability of the body to sense the position of its own parts) which can help with injury prevention.

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, incorporating exercises that target the muscles around your knees into your workout routine can help prevent injury and keep your knees strong. This can be especially important for runners, as running can put a lot of stress on your knees. Some of the exercises that can help strengthen your knees include squats, lunges, calf raises, leg press, step-ups, leg extension, leg curl, clamshells, single-leg deadlifts, and balance exercises.

When starting any new exercise program, it’s always important to consult with a doctor or physical therapist, especially if you have any pre-existing knee issues. Start with a light weight and few repetitions, and gradually increase the weight and reps as your knee strength improves. Remember to use proper form to avoid injury and ensure that you’re targeting the correct muscles. Incorporating these exercises into your workout routine can help improve your overall fitness, reduce the risk of injury, and improve your running performance.