The Best 8 Exercises You Can Do With Bad Knee

“I can’t do that exercise my knee is bad” “Every time I try to squat I have knee pain” These are two of the things I hear a lot in the gym. The strange thing is that it is not limited to a certain group of people or age group. It affects a lot of people, young and old, slim and fat, male and female. Knee problem does not respect boundaries.

Bad knees can make it difficult for you to take part in exercise you enjoy.  If you are overweight, knee pain can make it difficult for you to do high impact exercise. You may believe that without high impact exercise you will not lose weight. That is not true. There are other exercises that are low impact that can also work effectively to make you lose weight. The most important thing is consistency.

Generally, if you have knee pain, it is best to avoid high impact exercise like jumping jacks and workouts that involve sharp and sudden movement like jump squats. Running and jogging should also be avoided because they stress your knees.

Below are some of the exercise you can do if you have a bad knee. They are effective in weight loss goals as well as well as all round fitness.

Before you start any exercise routine, make sure to warm up and stretch, this will help to prevent injuries.

 

# 1 Walking calf raises

 

 

1. Stand up straight with legs hip width apart. Hold a pair of 2-4kg dumbbells.
2. Your hips, shoulder and ankle should be in alignment
3. Lift your heels slowly and lower them gently
4. Take two steps forward.
5. That is one rep
6. Do 20 reps

The walking calf raises targets your lower leg muscle

 

# 2 Step – ups

1. Stand in front of a stepping board
2. With your abs engaged place your left foot on top of the board
3. Your knee should be directly above your ankle
4. Put your weight on the heel of the feet on the board
5. Lift your right leg off the floor and press it straight back behind you
6. Squeeze your glutes at the top of the motion, hold for 5 seconds and return to starting position

Step ups target your glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps

# 3 Incline rear leg extension

1. Place your hands 3 feet in front of your toes
2. Tighten your abs and keep your hips straight
3. Lift your right leg back and up with your heels towards the sky
4. Squeeze your glutes and hold for 3 seconds
5. Return to starting position and change legs

The incline rear leg raise targets your glutes, abs and hamstring

# 4 Biceps and arm circle

1. Stand with legs hip width apart with 3 4kg dumbbell
2. Keep your spine straight, keep looking in front of you
3. Circle your left hand up and in toward your shoulder (as if you are beckoning someone)
4. Reverse to starting position
5. Switch hands. That is one rep. Do 10 reps

The biceps arm circle target your biceps and abs and oblique’s

 

# 5 Partial squats

 

Squats can be punishing for the knee, but the benefits of squats are too good to miss. You can still do a partial squat and get the benefit of a full squat

1. Keep your feet shoulder width apart.
2. Tighten your abs and push your hips backwards
3. Lower your upper body just as low as is comfortable for you
4. Gently come up, tilt your pelvic forward and squeeze your glutes

That is one rep. Do 10 reps

Your knee should not go past your toes

Partial squats targets your abs and glutes

# 6 Plank

1. Get into a plank position, with your forearms on the ground, elbows directly under your shoulders, feet hip-width apart, and legs extended straight behind you.
2. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulder to your ankles, and your abs tight.
3. Keeping your hips parallel to the floor, squeeze your butt and hold your tummy tightly tucked in. Do not allow your hips to sag and touch the ground. Hold for the number of seconds.

 

Plank targets your core. It burns abdominal fat and tones your abs

 

# 7 Super man

 

1. Lie belly down and draw your belly button toward your spine to tighten your abs. Keep your legs straight, arms stretched out over your head, and palms facing each other
2. Contract your butt, arch your back and raise your arms and legs.
3. Hold for 3- 4 seconds and slowly lower them down to the floor. Repeat

The superman tightens your booty, strengthens your lower back and reduces lower back pain

# 8 Side leg raise

1. Lie on your right side with your legs on top of the other and your hips on top of the other
2. Your body should be on a straight line from your head to your toe
3. Lift your left leg towards the ceiling, hold for some seconds and lower it to the starting position.
4. Do 10 reps on one side than switch sides

 

The side leg raise targets your abs, hips and thighs

 

Choose the best kind of cardio for your health and goal. It is possible to be challenged and achieve your goal without hurting yourself or taking your body beyond its natural limits. Use the workouts regularly. You can also include speed walking to make it more challenging.

Remember to stretch after your workout to prevent any injury. Any time you are working out, if you experience pain stop immediately and look into it.

Are you experiencing knee pain? What is your go to work out? I will like to hear from you. Leave your comments below