After two decades of running, my knees finally started to bother me after I began upping my mileage to train for half-marathons. My PT gave me some exercises and told me to cut down on my running, but come on! I couldn't stop running! I needed it for my mental health. But when the pain was so bad that even walking down stairs hurt, I was forced to stop and I took up rowing instead [1]. But I still had occasional knee pain. I stumbled on this 10-minute workout for stronger knees from NASM-certified personal trainer, Jibby of Studio Jibby [2], and was shocked that after two weeks of doing it three times a week (which Jibby suggests), my knees truly started feeling better.
The first half of this workout is more of a stretching session, which targets the muscles surrounding the knee including the quads, hamstrings, and hip flexors. I loved the relaxing quad stretch and the effective kneeling hip flexor stretch — they felt so good! Then the second half of the workout includes exercises that strengthen those muscles. I especially felt like the quad squeeze, the single leg glute bridge, and the reverse nordics were most effective in helping with my knee pain. I also loved the attention to strengthening my shins using the wall. If you suffer from knee pain, from running, weight lifting, or whatever, this only takes 10 minutes, so it's worth a try!
