Knee protection during “leg day”
Key tips to keep your knees healthy –
Did you know that the KNEE is the number one joint injured in gym related activities? Why? Improper form, lifting weights that are too heavy, overuse, and mal alignment on weight machines cause preventable injuries.
TIPS FOR HEALTHY KNEES
When performing squats and lunges, it is imperative to maintain a neutral spine (upright posture) with head looking straight ahead and knees separated rather than caving in throughout the entire movement.
Using body weight squats with a small band around your thighs will force your legs to push the band outward against the band’s resistance is a great way to ensure knees slight flaring outwards and not inwards.
SQUATS: you must ‘sit back’ as if you are sitting in a chair instead of bending your knees over and past your toes.
LUNGES: maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement (no bending forward or looking down), maintain the knee aligned with your foot, and knee should not go past your toes.
STEP UPS are a great, functional exercise that can be body weight or weighted, ensure that the hip-knee-ankle alignment is intact, complete both phases in a controlled motion
HEAVY EXERCISES: (leg press, machine heel raises, and leg press calf raises) one should avoid locking knees as the excessive weight from the machines can cause strain to soft tissue in the knee joint. Particularly for women or individuals who slightly hyperextend the knee, it is important to avoid full knee extension as the ACL and PCL are prone to severe injury. The solution when performing such exercises is to maintain knees slightly flexed at the top of the concentric contraction (or lift).
The proper foot position when squatting is best found by a high jump up straight in the air. The foot placement to prepare for the jump is the ideal spacing between your feet when squatting. Keep your toes slightly outward to further promote knee alignment and less strain.
Don’t forget to stretch before and after your workout. This is the best way to warm up and cool down your muscles, improve flexibility of your joints, and reduce the risk of injury!
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