For someone dealing with unresolved or lingering knee pain, a leg day workout [1] packed with high-impact moves, squats, and lunges can be, well, a little scary. That's because, according to Dr. Leada Malek [2], PT, DPT, CSCS, SCS, these exercises often cause discomfort for those with knee issues.
"Because the majority of workouts include these compound movements, it's hard to find a series that can easily be done if your knees do have ongoing pain, especially if you aren't familiar with the workout or what triggers your symptoms," Dr. Malek added.
That's why it's key if you have bad knees to visit a physical therapist who can help diagnose the issue — and therefore give you guidance on what leg exercises are safe to do and those to avoid.
As long as you get it cleared by your doctor or PT, consider giving this leg workout created by Dr. Malek a try. It features exercises that work muscles — like the glutes, quads, and hamstrings, for example — that stabilize and strengthen the knee.
Before jumping into the workout, though, you'll need to warm up. "Foam rolling is a great option for a warmup without overly stretching muscles that surround achy joints like the knees," Dr. Malek said. "This can increase some blood flow to the muscles and improve flexibility and joint range of motion before jumping into a workout. Aim to target the quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves. These muscles all have an influence on the knee joint and can contribute to issues if they feel tight or are inflexible."
Dr. Malek recommended aiming for 1-to-2 sets of 45 seconds on each muscle group.
During the workout, take rests as needed and stop if you experience any pain. Be sure to give yourself time to cool down after, too.
Glute Bridges
"The glutes play a major role in helping stabilize the knee but also contribute to core stability," Dr. Malek said. "Strengthening them often leads to less knee pain and better control at the hip and knee when doing activities, specifically those that require balance."
- Lie on your back with knees bent.
- Tuck the tailbone and lift the hips by pushing with the feet and squeezing the glutes. Be sure to lift with the hips and not the back.
- Perform 3 sets of 10 reps, with 30 seconds rest in between.
Advanced Option: Single Leg Glute Bridge
If you're looking for an advanced version of the glute bridge above, try this move instead. "It's great for those who have a weaker side but have progressed passed the double leg bridge," Dr. Malek said.
- Tuck the tailbone and push with the heel while keeping the other leg in the air.
- Maintain a level pelvis, but emphasize using the pushing glute.
- Perform 3 sets of 8 reps, with 30 seconds rest in-between each set.
- Repeat on the other leg. However, if you want to just strengthen the knee that experiences pain, consider opting for doing that side only.
Sidelying Hip Abduction
"This glute exercise targets one of the most important balance muscles, the gluteus medius,"Dr. Malek said. "While all the glutes are involved, this one is a favorite for contributing to hip strength, which will then improve knee stability. It's also a nice way to target the glute without actually standing and adding pressure through the painful knee.
- Lie on your side with the bottom knee bent.
- Straighten the top leg tightly with the quad, and bring it slightly behind your torso.
- Using the glute, raise and lower from hip height while leading with the heel.
- Perform 3 sets of 10 reps, with 30 seconds rest in-between.
- Repeat on the other leg. However, if you want to just strengthen the knee that experiences pain, consider opting for doing that side only.
Prone Hip Extension
On top of more glute activation, Dr. Malek said this move encourages clean hip extension, "emphasizing glute strength and some hamstring assistance."
- Lie on your stomach and tuck your tailbone.
- Use the glute to lift a straightened leg and slowly lower.
- Be careful not to arch the back in order to lift.
- Perform 3 sets of 12, with 30 seconds rest in-between.
- Repeat on the other leg. However, if you want to just strengthen the knee that experiences pain, consider opting for doing that side only.
Standing Hamstring Curls
Dr. Malek explained that standing hamstring curls helps to isolate the hamstring activation — an important factor for knee strength and stability.
- Stand with thighs parallel.
- Slightly tuck the tailbone and squeeze the glute, then bend the knee.
- Return to tap the ground and lift.
- Perform 3 sets of 8, with 30 seconds rest in-between.
- Repeat on the other leg. However, if you want to just strengthen the knee that experiences pain, consider opting for doing that side only.
Half-Squats
"Squats are an extremely functional exercise and should always be included when tolerable," Dr. Malek said. "A half-squat is generally an easier option for those with knee pain and allows for quad and glute strengthening."
- Stand with feet hip-width apart.
- Keep a tall spine and drop into a half-squat using the quads.
- Come back up by squeezing the quads and glutes.
- Perform 3 sets of 8 reps, with 30 seconds rest in-between.
Half-squat to Calf Raise
"This sequence happens with jumping, except you're not leaving the ground with this exercise," Dr. Malek explained. "It's a great option for those who can't jump but want to achieve that full extension through the leg. You can speed this up for a 30 second burst of cardio in the workout, too.
- Repeat the same set-up as a regular half-squat.
- Then upon coming up, come up onto toes by squeezing the glutes and calves.
- Perform 3 sets of 12, with 30 seconds rest in-between.
Double Leg Calf Raises
Dr. Malek said it's important to keep the gastrocnemius — one of the major muscles that crosses the knee joint — strong and flexible, as it's one of the major push-off muscles.
- Stand tall and keep the knees straight.
- Lift from the heels by squeezing the calves.
- Be sure not to go too high that you end up just being on the toes. Maintain control, and lower.
- Perform 3 sets of 12 reps, with 30 seconds rest in-between.
Supermans
"This exercise recruits the entire posterior chain, or the muscles along the back of the body," Dr. Malek said. "It's a great option for including core control and glute strength for the hips."
- Lie on your stomach with arms up by the ears and gently tuck your tailbone.
- Squeeze the glutes to lift the legs and draw your shoulder blades back to raise the arms.
- Aim to lift your ribs, but maintain your gaze at the ground. Avoid arching the back too much.
- Perform 3 sets of 8 reps, with 30 seconds rest in-between.
Wall Sit
- Find a wall and assume an invisible chair position.
- Keep the ankles under the knees and knees at/or slightly above 90 degrees to tolerance.
- Stay tall in the spine and use the quads to hold yourself up.
- Perform 3 sets of 20 seconds, with 30 seconds rest in-between.
Cooldown
After you've finished the workout, cool down by performing the moves below, for 30 seconds each. Repeat the circuit two times, switching legs the second time through.
Standing Quad Stretch
- Stand with thighs parallel, bring one foot and hold it in a bent knee position.
- Don't let your back arch, you should feel the stretch in front of the quad. If you're unable to get in this position, try resting the back foot on a chair instead.
Wall Calf Stretch
- Place feet in a staggered stance with both heels on the floor and all toes pointed forward.
- Lean in to a stretch for the back calf.
Supine Hamstring Stretch
- Lie on your back and bring one knee and hold it towards your chest.
- open the knee until you feel a stretch behind the thigh and hold.
Piriformis Stretch
- Lie on your back and bring one knee towards your chest.
- Bring your ankle and knee towards your midline for a glute stretch.
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