Knee injuries are one of the most common injury prone areas
for regular exercisers. Strengthening the muscles that support your knee is
absolutely imperative for ‘fitness freaks’, and to continue with your exercise
regime.
Here are some useful tips to keep your knees strong!
Stretch Your Knee
Stretching and Warm –up exercises can certainly enhance the
performance of your leg muscles perform better. For e.g a brisk 5-minute walk
will help you workout better and reduce injury risk.
Squats
Squats exercises, advanced strengthening moves that keep
your feet on the floor. Stand with your legs shoulder width apart – keeping
your back and neck straight, slowly bend your knees. Do ensure that you knees
don’t go beyond your toes and that you never lock your knees once you come back
up. For balance, you may raise both your arms straight forward as you bend
down, and bring them back down and straighten your legs.
Hamstring Pushes
Hamstrings are the muscles on the back of your thigh. Stand straight
facing side, using a chair, wall for support. Now bend your knee and push back
against gravity with resistance, using your heel. Do repetitions of 16 with
each leg. Do 3 sets in the beginning. You may increase the sets to 5 as your
hamstring becomes stronger.
Leg Raises
Leg raises are most effective with light ankle weights. Sit
straight on a high chair and raise your legs together for 12 counts. Do 3 sets
and take a 2 minute break and do 3 sets again.
An effective variant of this is to do alternating Leg raises
12 counts each leg for 3 sets. Take a short break and do 3 sets again.
Knee Curls
Stand straight facing side, using a wall or chair for
support and bend and straighten your knee, keeping the foot flexed. Do ensure that
your knee is completely locked as you straighten your leg. Do 15 lifts and
switch sides. Adding light ankle weights as you gain strength. Do 3 sets of 15
for each leg and increase to 5 sets each leg as your knee becomes stronger.
Calf Raises
Stand facing the back of a chair and slowly raise the heels to
your highest point and slowly bring them back on the ground. Do three sets of
15 raises, raising it to five sets as you progress.
Non-Impact Cardio Exercises
for Your Knee
In case you have weak knees or have minor pain in your
knees, completely avoid high-impact cardio exercises, such as jogging or running,
skipping, high impact aerobics, amongst others. Instead, do low impact
aerobics, that is without jumping, power walking and swimming. Swimming is one
of the best cardio exercises to do to strengthen your muscles without causing
any impact or injury to them.
Exercise should ever cause or increase any kind of muscular pain
or in the joints. If you feel pain while exercising, stop right away and check
with your physician.
Regards,
Reema Sarin
Founder
‘BOLLYFIT’
Actor, Model, Emcee, Bollywood
Dancer & Choreographer
