Destroy knee pain and injury before it becomes an issue.
Constantly hitting the gym means constantly increasing the chances that you may get yourself injured. Like it or not, it’s simply statistical. Training the body constantly can mean constant strain is being placed on the body that can ultimately mean breaking down the body to the point where things stop working the way they’re supposed to. A common injury suffered in the gym revolves around the knees.
Like any other joints in the body, the knees carry great importance in building up the body. Building up the muscles surrounding the knees means ultimately alleviating pain and skirting injury. In order to avoid suffering a life altering knee injury, take these exercises under consideration in order to strengthen the muscles surrounding the knees.
Straight Leg Deadlifts
Strengthening the hamstring is of great importance in order to avoid damage to the knees. While many bodybuilders may focus on squats and building the quads, the hamstrings are equally, if not more important. Strengthening the hamstring muscle means granting more stability to the legs. As such, straight leg deadlifts are a great option. Instead of focusing on lifting heavy, pick a moderate weight in order to building strength while at the same time building muscle.
Glute-Ham Raise
Just like the straight leg deadlift, the glute-ham raise means emphasizing muscle strength in areas besides the quads. Again, building muscle in the quads are indeed important but the constant squat training can ultimately put undo stress on the knee, particularly the patella. Strengthening the hamstrings as well as the gluteus will translate into immense strength gains, particularly in the deadlift and the squat.
Rear Leg Reverse Split Squat
Now, we don’t want to completely avoid training the quads whatsoever. After all, the quads are indeed an incredibly important muscle for both performance and aesthetics. In order to strengthen and build the quad muscle without putting too much pressure on the knees, try the rear leg reverse split squat, or the Bulgarian split squat which will work wonders. By training one leg at the time you can focus on building equal strength into both legs and balancing development in the wheels. The great part about this exercise is that you still get the quad building benefits without the unnecessary stress that squats place on the patella.
Are these exercises apart of your leg day routine? Let us know by hitting up our comments below or head on over to our official Facebook and Twitter.
