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The High Performance Journal - June 4th, 2024

Your knees are one of the most important joints in your entire body.

They make it possible for us to walk, jump, dance, pedal a bicycle, climb steps or ladders, kick balls or tires, squat to sit, or bend to lift a child – all while bearing the weight of our bodies.

Unfortunately, 25% of people over the age of 50 will report experiencing knee pain and approximately half of these will report some form of disability.

If you want to live a quality life you want to build strong knees.

Why the knees?

Your knees take on 1.5x your body weight in pressure, which compounds over the hundreds of thousands of steps you take every year.

This wears on them especially if the muscles & ligaments get weaker over time, which is why knee pain becomes more common as we age.

So in this article, I'm going to share with you the top 5 exercises I'm doing to create strong knees.

Muscles to target to build strong knees:

Weakness in the vastus medialis oblique (VMO), is a common cause of knee pain & instability.

Other common causes of knee pain are weak quadriceps, hamstring, & glutes as well as carrying too much weight.

When your tibialis gets tight, it can compress the tiny nerves and arteries that supply your knee.

I'll be working on strengthening those using 5 specific exercises.

5 Exercises I'm Doing to Build Stronger Knees

Exercise #1 - Backwards Walking

As I'm getting older I'm doing more backwards walking.

When we walk backwards we work on our deceleration muscles and posterior chain while strengthening and protecting our knee joint. It also improves stability, posture and balance.

Walking backwards has also been shown to… pic.twitter.com/BYszOUSsXr

— Dan Go (@FitFounder) September 6, 2023

We spend most of our time going forward but not enough walking back.

Reverse walking can improve mobility in your knees, hips & ankles while preventing pain & improving shock absorption compared to regular walking.

While the video has me pulling a sled you don't need to do this.

You can walk backward on a treadmill or a field as long as you're doing it safely.

I'm aiming to get at least one 15-30 minute backward walk done each week.

Exercise #2 - Tibialis Raises aka. Tib Raises

The tibialis acts as a decelerator for the lower body.

It runs under the knee & is the first line of defense against knee pain.

You can start with bodyweight, but you may want to add weight as you get stronger.

The first level of tib raises are having your back against a wall and raising your toes towards your shins.

The second level (see pic) is leaning forward.

The third level is to add weight using a tib bar.

Aim for 25 to 30 reps of level 1 or 2 bodyweight tib raises.

Once that becomes easy add the tib bar for added resistance.

Exercise #3 - Forward Sled Pushes

When you push a sled your knees travel a bit further beyond your toes.

Since you push from the balls of your feet, your toes and ankles must go into a more extended position.

This helps strengthen the VMO, quadriceps, and glutes for a high number of repetitions.

If you don't have access to a sled you can do alternative exercises by either pushing a plate on the floor or using a treadmill (that's been turned off) and pushing the tread with your legs.

I'm aiming to do 1-2 sled pushes each week for 15 minutes a session.

Exercise #4 - Nordic Hamstring Curls

Studies show that the Nordic hamstring exercises were more effective in improving knee pain and stability after ACL reconstruction and promoting the recovery of knee function.

This is due to the effect Nordic curls have on the hamstrings, knee flexor muscles, and overall knee flexibility.

One thing to note is that these are extremely difficult.

I'm not even able to do a full rep yet so I'm using a platform that allows me to work up to a full Nordic Curl.

To make the exercise easier you could also add a resistance band for support or allow yourself to fall onto your hands using them as assistance to help push you back up.

Exercise #5 - The Poliquin Step-Up

This step-up variation strengthens the VMO.

Due to being single leg, it can also help fix muscular imbalances while forcing you to engage your core & keep your hips straight to balance.

Other benefits are correcting muscle imbalances and improving the durability of your anterior tibialis.

I'm aiming for 8-15 reps on body weight before adding weight to the exercise.

Summary - 5 Exercises I’m Doing To Create Stronger Knees

1. Walking backwards
2. Tibialis raises
3. Forward sled pushes
4. Nordic Hamstring curls
5. The Poliquin step-up
   
   

Strong Knees Lead To A Better Life

The knee is the most important joint for living a strong life.

Developing a strong set of knees will help you live independently as you age.

These are the exercises I'm using to keep my knees healthy and functional.

I hope they help you in your journey to aging powerfully.

Onwards and upwards 🚀

- Dan

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References:

1. Chen J, Wu T, Guo Y. Nordic hamstring exercises in functional knee rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a prospective, randomised, controlled study. Sci Rep. 2023 Nov 3;13(1):19039. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-45817-6. PMID: 37923738; PMCID: PMC10624851.