One of the best ways to prevent knee injuries or knee pain is to strengthen them. If you’ve ever had a knee injury then you know exactly why it’s so important to prevent any mishaps. A good way to do that is to find the best exercise machine to strengthen your knees.
Bullet-proofing your knees:
The best thing to do to bullet-proof your knees is to find the best exercise machines to strengthen your knees first. However, this does not mean that it’s the only way. There are a lot of things you can do to which can work in conjunction with strengthening your knees.
Losing weight:
One of the most important factors in knee strength is not the type of tension you put on them during training, but rather how much tension you put your knees on during the rest of the day. If you carry a lot of excess body fat, your knees will have to work at all times to stabilize your weight which in itself can cause some knee problems. Therefore, losing bodyweight can greatly reduce the volume of load that is put on your knees which can allow them to heal a lot faster.
Good form:
One of the best things you can do for your knees is to learn and practice good techniques in exercises that involve knee flexion and extension. A good rule of thumb is that your knee should always track your foot direction. Meaning that if you’re doing squats with your feet pointed out, then your knees should also travel outward. Moreover, make sure that you never fully lock your knees during heavy exercises such as the leg press of the pendulum squat to prevent pain and injury.
Healthy diet:
A part of what makes your knee stronger and more resilient in your diet. This is because a healthy diet can promote better recovery in your joints. A diet that causes inflammation is going to bring a lot of pain and discomfort and it will not allow for proper healing and strengthening of the knee joint.
Proper rest:
Rest is always important when it comes to training. However, it is a lot more important when it comes to the health of your joints. While your muscles can feel normal a day or two after a workout, your tendons and ligaments take much longer to heal which means that it’s not a good idea to go all out all the time.
Top Three and Worst Exercise Machines to Strengthen Your Knees:
Best:
The elliptical machine:
On a list that shows how to strengthen your knees, it can seem odd that the elliptical would be first. The reason why it’s so effective is that it’s extremely forgiving on your knees. If you put a lot of stress on your knees, then too much will cause injury and you will cause fatigue build-up. This is exactly it’s a good idea to include the elliptical since it’s more forgiving, allows you to go for more time during cardio, and does not put a lot of stress on your knees.
The pendulum squat:
The regular traditional squat offers very little knee strengthening factors. This is because the movement should be done vertically from point A to point B in a straight line with a barbell on your back. However, the pendulum squat helps you go through a curved motion path which lets your knees travel much further without aggravating any issues.
Leg press machine:
One of the best machines for overall leg development as well as knee strength is the leg press machine which allows your leg to push through in a vertical pathway. This is ideal because it recruits a lot more muscle fibers.
The GR8FLEX machine:
This is hands down one of the best pieces of equipment for your knees and leg health. It’s a total body exercise machine that work every single muscle in your body. It is especially effective for targeting your legs and strengthening the knees. The leg press or the hack squat variation on the GR8FLEX machine is optimal for developing strong sturdy knees.
Worst:
Leg extension machine:
This machine isolates the quad muscle by fixing your femur in one place and forcing the lower part of the leg to extend. However, it’s not ideal for knee health since it can put a lot of stress on the descent. Moreover, this machine has been made for the average individual with average proportions. You might have longers femur and shorter tibia or vise versa.
Treadmill:
Although the treadmill absorbs a lot of the impact from running, it’s still not a viable option for knee strength. There is simply too much force being exerted on the knee at one time. Every time you run and land, your knee takes a lot of force and has to absorb it.
Jumping lunges:
This exercise is often done in the smith machine with weights. The movement is done by jumping in the air and switching legs to lunge in place. This is a terrible exercise for your knees and it can cause injuries since there is a lot of force being put on the knee joint at one time.