I used to practice taekwondo during my high school days. However, due to years of sparring & injuries, my knees were in very bad condition. I hit the breaking point when I started college.
I couldn’t bend my knees or climb stairs without pain. I thought, maybe with weight lifting I could recover my knee health, so I started lifting weights.
However, my effort pushed me downhill. The knee pain was only getting worse.
This is when I discovered the KneeOverToesGuy youtube channel.
Using the information he posted, I recovered 90% of my knee function within a month.
My mother and sister also had knee problems, I shared the information with them, and they recovered too. Yes, my whole family, except my father used to have knee problems (That’s the reason why I thought it was genetic).
All the exercises mentioned in this article are from Ben Patrick, and I have successfully used them to treat knee pain. I hope you can also benefit from these exercises.
Here are 5 exercises you can perform to treat knee pain:
1. ATG Split Squat
ATG Split Squat is a variation of the squat, primarily works the VMO muscle (vastus medialis oblique) and thickens up the tendons and ligaments like the patella.
This exercise primarily targets vastus medialis oblique muscle.
If you are looking for one exercise you can perform daily to keep your knees healthy, then this is it. By performing this exercise, you will be able to maintain 90% knee function, pain-free, well beyond your 60s.
Moreover, if you perform this exercise consistently, within a week you will feel a difference in your knee health and function.
However, this doesn’t mean, you should skip the rest of the exercises. Other exercises will help you achieve a higher level of fitness.
If you have knee pain, a knee injury restricting your movement, or your lower body is weak in general, try performing ATG Split Squat for a month. You will be surprised by the results.
2. Tibialis Raise
Most often, the tibialis anterior is neglected in lower leg training as it doesn’t specifically build calves or result in any improvement in muscle definition, however, this muscle holds the key to healthy knees.
Since this exercise specifically targets the tibialis anterior and the muscles around the knee joints, By performing this exercise consistently, you will be able to avoid shin splits, improve balance and coordination, strengthen the muscles around the knee joint, and significantly reduces the amount of force going through your knee joints.
Therefore, reducing knee pain and improving knee health.
3. Poliquin Step up
The primary cause of knee pain is an imbalance in the quadriceps muscles.
Vastus lateralis being too strong and VMO being too weak. This imbalance pulls the kneecap out of line, which results in pain and injuries.
However, you can train VMO (vastus medialis oblique) using ATG split squat and Poliquin Step-up, as both are VMO-centric exercises.
Keep one thing in mind, perform this exercise at a level where you don’t feel pain (This exercise has a step-down version). Perform the version you feel comfortable with and build strength from there on.
4. Elephant Walk
Elephant walk is a bodyweight hamstring exercise. Using this exercise, you can strengthen your hamstring as it places an extreme amount of tension and stress directly on the hamstrings.
This exercise is not necessary for improving knee health, however, performing it will improve flexibility and reduce lower back pain.
5. Backward Walking
This is the easiest exercise on this list.
By performing this exercise, you will improve your knee health, improve the range of motion in your knees, build quadriceps strength, hamstring flexibility, vastus medialis oblique, etc.
All you need to do is walk backward for 10-15 minutes daily.
Beginner Workout Routine
- ATG Split Squat: 3 sets of 5 reps (Elevated if necessary)
- Tibialis Raise: 3 sets of 10 reps
- Poliquin Step up: 3 sets of 10 reps
- Elephant Walk: 3 sets of 10 reps
- Walking Backward: 10 minute
Advanced Workout Routine
- ATG Split Squat: 5 sets of 5 reps (Use weight if necessary)
- Tibialis Raise: 4 sets of 15 reps
- Poliquin Step up: 4 sets of 15 reps (Use weight if necessary)
- Elephant Walk: 4 sets of 15 reps
- Walking Backward: 10 minute
Conclusion
Most of these exercises are simple and take only a couple of minutes to perform, however, by performing them, you can improve your knee health.
Moreover, if you perform these exercises daily within a week, you will feel the difference, and in a month, chances are you will recover 50-60% of knee function. It’s that simple.
When I didn’t know about these exercises, I believed a bad knee is something I had to live with for the rest of my life since I didn’t have any option other than surgery.
However, within a month, my life changed completely.
First time in years of pain, I could run & exercise without knee pain or worrying about injuring my knees, and I loved it.
It felt so good and satisfying to finally train without any care.
If you have knee pain, start with these five exercises, check for more on the kneeovertoesguy youtube channel and then witness a miracle.
Keep in mind, this isn’t a done-and-forgotten kinda deal. Once you manage to recover your knee function, you need to exercise weekly to keep your knee health from deteriorating.
You will go back to having bad knees if you stop exercising.
P.S Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this article on 5 Exercises to Relieve Knee Pain, feel free to share it. Moreover, leave a question down below in the comment section if you have any.
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Rudra
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