How to Build Leg Muscle with Bad Knees

If you have bad knees, it can often be hard for you to exercise, leaving your exercising goals left untouched. Bad knees can result from a torn ACL (Anterior Crucial Ligament) or having arthritis. The knee pain could be from a bad fall where the knee cap was bruised badly. Wherever the pain came from can cause a person to not even want to try an exercise regimen. However, there are things that you can do to help build up your leg muscles with a bad knee. Find out how you can make this possible.

Exercises To Build Up Leg Muscle With Bad Knees

The following are all exercises that can be performed to strengthen your legs, even if you have bad knees.

1. Glute Bridges

Glute bridges are a great exercise to do to not only open up your hips but also strengthen the hamstrings, the glutes, and your core.

Lay down on your back with your feet hip-distance apart. The feet should be flat on the floor with your knees parallel.
As you contract the glute muscles and your core, lift your hips off the ground. Press through the heels and stop when your pelvic bone is lined up with your knees.
Squeeze your glutes and pause for a second. Then slowly lower back down to the starting position.

Complete this exercise by doing 8 to 10 repetitions for 2 or 3 sets.

2. Seated Leg Extensions

Seated leg extensions are great for persons that are not steady on their feet. This exercise will help to strengthen the quadriceps.

Sit in a chair with your back flat against the chair.
Slowly lift one leg to extend it out in front of you. Your leg should be straight but not locked. Keep it parallel to the ground with the toes pointing up and the ankle flexed towards the knee.
Slowly lower back down to the ground and repeat.

This exercise should be performed by doing 8 to 10 repetitions on each leg with 2 or 3 sets.

3. Donkey Kick

While this exercise has an odd name, it is great for strengthening your glutes and hamstrings.

Get down on the floor on all fours. Your hands should be under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
Lift your left foot off the floor as you flex it. Kick it straight out, pretending you are going to put a sole on the ceiling. The knee should remain bent.
Use the glutes to lift the leg up, then lower back down to the position like your sole is not the ceiling. If you feel the tension on the back, you are lifting your leg too high.

Complete 8 to 12 repetitions on the left side, then repeat on the right. Do 2 or 3 sets.

4. Mini Band Side Steps

Mini band side steps will help to get your quads, outer thighs, hamstrings, and the glutes to build up muscle.

Begin by placing the band around both ankles. The torso should be erect with the knees slightly bent.
Take a giant step to the left. The band should stretch to its full elasticity.
Step with your right foot to join the left foot. Repeat to the left again. Do as many repetitions as you can to go across the room if allowed. Repeat going in the opposite direction.

You can do as many of these as you wish in terms of repetitions and sets depending on how large your room is.

5. Heel Raise

The heel raise is great for getting your calves in shape.

Sit in a chair with both feet flat on the floor.
Keep the hands on the knees and lift your heels slowly off the floor. Press down on your knees while you are doing this.
Try to lift as high as you can.
Pause, then squeeze the calf muscle.
Lower the heels back to the floor.

Complete this exercise by doing 8 to 10 repetitions, performing 2 or 3 sets.

Tips For Bad Knees

Here are some tips that can help your bad knees when you are trying to build your muscle strength up.

Forgo heavy weight lifting. If you have bad knees, now is not the time to decide you want to excel in lifting heavy weights. This will only put undue pressure onto your knees. You can still build up your muscles with weights that are not heavy.
If you are in pain doing a move, stop right away. There are some moves that could cause you pain by moving it in a certain way or a specific direction. If this happens, discontinue doing the exercise immediately.
Contract muscles during the exercise. This will help to make your legs even stronger.
Stick to low impact exercises. Jumping and kicking are not a good idea if your knees bother you with pain. Instead, pick exercises such as swimming, which are excellent for those with knee pain.
When choosing an exercise program for strengthening your legs with bad knees, always consult with your doctor beforehand.
Be careful in choosing the exercises that are done for your legs. If you want to build leg muscles, you have to realize that you will not be able to do all the exercises that everyone else at the gym may be doing. You will have to work up to doing some exercises which will not only help your legs get stronger, but it will also prevent further damage to your knees.

Wrap Up

Building leg muscles with bad knees do not have to be frustrating. By following our tips listed above, and performing some of the exercises listed you can gradually build up strength in your knees to help them with getting stronger. All of these exercises can be done in the privacy of your own home. They can also be done during a lunch break at work, while traveling, or even at the gym. Within time your knees will hopefully be in less pain and you will begin to build up leg muscle in the rest of your legs.