Strengthen and safeguard your knees with a five-exercise regimen recommended by a trainer certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
Katie Leonard, a NASM-qualified personal trainer, has designed a knee-strengthening workout specifically for runners. This routine, requiring a mat, a small exercise ball, a resistance band, and a step or low surface, aims to prevent knee injuries by strengthening the muscles surrounding the knee, such as the hamstrings, quads, and glutes.
The Workout
Glute Bridge with Ball Squeeze
- Sets/Reps: 3 sets of 10-12 reps
To perform the Glute Bridge with Ball Squeeze, lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor hip-width apart. Hold a small Pilates ball between your knees. Push through your heels to lift your hips while squeezing the ball with your inner thighs. For more challenge, do five small pulses up and down with hips elevated, then slowly lower.
This exercise strengthens the glutes and hamstrings, reducing knee strain and promoting proper alignment.
Banded Knee Drive
- Sets/Reps: 3 sets of 10 reps each side
For the Banded Knee Drive, stand with a resistance band looped around your feet. Drive one knee swiftly upward. Complete all reps on one side before switching. Use a wall for balance if needed.
This exercise activates hip stabilizers and hip flexors, while also strengthening the glutes to prevent knee collapse.
Single-leg Step Down
- Sets/Reps: 3 sets of 10 reps each side
The Single-leg Step Down involves standing on a step or low surface on one leg. Slowly bend the knee and hinge at the hip to lower the other foot down toward the floor, then return to standing. Control and slow movement is key for knee stability.
This exercise builds single-leg stability and strengthens muscles around the knee for better control.
Single-leg Romanian Deadlift
- Sets/Reps: 3 sets of 10 reps each leg
Stand on one leg, hold a light weight or dumbbell if desired. Hinge at the hip to lower your torso forward while extending the free leg backward. Maintain balance and slowly return upright.
This exercise strengthens the hamstrings, glutes, and improves balance, which supports knee alignment.
Lateral Band Walks
- Sets/Reps: 3 sets of 10-15 steps each direction
Place a resistance band just above your knees or around your ankles. Stand with feet hip-width apart, slightly squat, and step sideways maintaining tension on the band.
This exercise strengthens hip abductors and glute medius, important for stabilizing knees during movement.
Quad Activation
In addition to the exercises, Katie Leonard's routine includes quad activation. This involves sitting on the floor, extending legs in front with a rolled-up towel under the knees, driving the back of the knee into the towel while squeezing the quad muscle, squishing down into the ground, and holding for 5-10 seconds. This exercise improves knee stability by building eccentric quad control.
Hamstring Activation
Lying on the back, bend one knee to 90°, dig the heel into the floor, engage the hamstring muscle, and hold for time. This exercise strengthens the hamstrings, reducing knee strain by promoting proper alignment.
This routine requires a mat, small Pilates ball, resistance bands, a step or low surface, and optionally dumbbells for certain exercises. It is recommended to perform these exercises in a gym or a space where the necessary equipment is available.
- The Glute Bridge with Ball Squeeze, a part of Katie Leonard's knee-strengthening workout, not only targets the glutes but also strengthens the hamstrings, contributing to knee strain reduction and promoting proper alignment, alignment being crucial in health-and-wellness and fitness-and-exercise.
- The Lateral Band Walks in Katie Leonard's routine aim to strengthen hip abductors and glute medius, essential muscles for stabilizing knees during movement, which directly impacts the overall health-and-wellness and fitness-and-exercise regimen of runners.
