Exercises for Stronger Hips and Knees

Build hip and knee stability with a few basic exercises

Felix Hug/The Image Bank/Getty Images

By Elizabeth Quinn

Updated July 04, 2015

Do you do specific exercises for your hips and knees? Do you work your hip through the entire range of motion and engage theabductors and adductor muscles? If not, maybe you should.

The abductors and adductors are critical for providing integrity of the hip joint and create a strong, balanced link between the lower body and the torso. They also need to be exercised through an entire range of motion.

If you work these muscles only in one direction (forward and back) by walking, running or using common cardio machines then you are not building structural integrity of the hip, or the entire lower body.

These muscles, along with the quads and hamstrings, play an important role in allowing the patella (kneecap) to track properly as the knee joint bends. If the abductor and adductor muscles are not strong, flexible, and balanced, knee painsuch as patellofemoral syndrome, and injury is more likely.

Strong Muscles Support Joints

Strengthening and balancing the muscles that surround the knee can take the pressure off the joint and decrease the amount of total weight absorbed by the ligaments, meniscus and cartilage in the knee. Because the knee is a hinge joint and only moves in one direction, it's important to maintain both strength and stability.

The hip joint, on the other hand, is a ball and socket joint that works best when it has mobility as well as strength.

The hip is a much more complicated joint, and needs to be exercised in a variety of directions, including rotation, in order to increase overall stability. If the muscles that support the hip joint (quadriceps, hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings, and even thecore muscles) are strong and allow appropriate mobility, the amount of pressure and wear and tear on the hip joint, as well as the knee joint, decreases.

Proper Alignment Reduces Pain

The soft tissues of the body (muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc.) help maintain proper alignment of the bones during movement. If bones aren't properly aligned when they move through a range of motion, there can be a great deal of friction, a lack of stability, decreased mobility and compromised function. This can set an athlete up for a variety of injuries.

The best way to maintain biomechanicalintegrity during movement is with the proper balance of strength and flexibility around the joint. Muscles work in pairs (extensors and flexors) and maintaining the proper balance of strength in these muscle pairs can go a long way to prevent joint pain and injury.

Begin with a Functional Warm Up

Consider using the core workout as a warm up before strength training. This routine activates the core stabilizers as it warms up the larger muscles to prepare for more powerful strength training exercises. Also see:

• Glute Activation Routine
• Why Warm Up?

Exercises for Strong Hips and Knees

This list offers some great exercises that athletes from all sports can incorporate into their training routines to help keep the hips and knees properly aligned, strong, flexible and able to withstand the rigors of sports.

Beginner Exercises

1. Clam Exercise
   A basic glute medius strengthening move.
2. Bridge Exercise
   A hamstring and glute strengthener.
3. Plank Exercise
   This basic strengthening exercise can improve overall core biomechanics.

Intermediate Exercises

1. Side Plank
   This basic hip abductor strengthening exercise can improve alignment.
2. Lateral Mini Band Walking
   This simple exercise can improve thestrength of the glute medius, which helps pelvis and knee stability.
3. Single Leg Bridge
   A bit more advanced way to build stability.
4. Lunge with a Twist
   Adding a twist to the lunge improves core stability.
5. Weighted Step Ups
   This simple and effective exercise improves strength and power without excessive stress on the knees or hips.
6. Squat
   The basic full squat is the overall best lower body strengthening exercise. Just be sure to do it correctly.

Advanced Exercises

1. Walking Lunge
   Walking lunges, with or without weights, can improve strength and balance.
2. Lateral Plyometric Jumps
   Side-to-side moves to improve hip mobility and strength.
3. Weighted Adductor | Weighted AbductorExercises
   Deceptively difficult exercises for athletes.
4. One-Leg Squat and Reach
   This exercise builds strength and stability in both the lower body and core.
5. Overhead Lunge
   Increase the difficulty of the lunge and add core stability by holding weight overhead.
6. Plyometrics
   Plyometrics build explosive strength and help reduce the rick of knee ligament injuries when performed correctly.

Real Life Exercises for Hips and Knees

When it comes to preventing injury, usingcompound or "functional" exercises that use a variety of muscles and simulate real life movements are generally considered the ideal way for athletes to train. Such movements include exercises like squats, lunges and lateral movements. Exercises that isolate a specific muscle (such as a leg extension or biceps curl) do have a place in athletic training, but are often reserved to help isolate and rehab a muscle after an injury or to recover after a surgery. (Read More: Compound vs. Isolation Exercises)

Basic Knee and Hip Exercises

If you are starting from zero or getting over an injury, you can begin to build strength and stability in the hip and knee joints by going back to basics and using these simple exercise routines.

• Basic Knee Exercises
• Basic Hip Exercises

The 6 Best Butt Exercises for Athletes

Strengthen your glutes and add power to your sports performance

The butt muscles, specifically the gluteus maximus, medius and minimus, are some of the most important muscles for generating speed and power during many athletic movements. The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the body as well as one of the most powerful, and it plays a major role in running and jumping. For an athlete, a strong backside is essential for preventing injuries, maximizing acceleration and power, and improving overall sports performance.

Many people today, including both athletes and non-athletes, have poorly functioning glutes due to the excessive amount of time we all spend sitting. Extended periods of time spent in a seated position can harm your health in a variety of ways, including weakened, inactive glutes, tight hamstrings and tight hip flexors. During exercise, poorly functioning glutes can cause the hamstrings and the lower back muscles to become overused and more prone to injury. To avoid such pitfalls, it's helpful to actively engage and strengthen the butt muscles so they can do what they're meant to do.

Athletes in almost every sport can benefit from actively engaging and strengthening the glutes. But before diving into glute strengthening exercises, it's helpful to do a few glute activation exercises to essentially "wake up the glutes" and get your backside firing properly. Once activated, the glutes can more easily respond to a variety of targeted strengthening exercises, including the following.

Best Butt Exercises For Athletes

1

 Walking Lunges

 Dumbbell Walking Lunge. photo (C) Assembly / Getty Images

The walking lunge is another great glute strengthener that can be done with or without added weight. Once you have practiced the basic movement pattern, performing the walking lunge while holding holding dumbbells not only builds glute strength, but it also engages the quads, hamstrings, and core stabilizers while it improves hip flexibility.

Read more about how to do the Walking Lunge safely. More »

2

 Weighted Step Ups

 Weighted step up. image courtesy of Procegrabber

The weighted step up is a straight-forward exercise for targeting the glutes while minimizing the stress on the knee joint. By starting with a lower bench and little to no weight, you can slowly build up glute strength and power. By working each leg individually, you can avoid favoring one side as might happen during the full squat movement. As the step up becomes easier and you have more control of the movement, simply add height to the step and add weight.

You can use dumbbells, a barbell, or a weighted vest to increase the resistance of this exercise. The key to a good step up is to maintain control, and keep your knee tracking forward rather than caving inward.

Read more about the benefits and modifications to the Weight Step Up Exercise More »

3

 Single Leg Bridge Exercise

 Single Leg Bridge Exercise. Photo (c) Hamish Blair / Getty Images

Another excellent butt exercise that isolates each side while providing glute activation is the single leg bridge. If you are just getting started, you may want to use the standard bridge exercise until you build enough strength and stability to do a single leg bridge without compromising your form. You can tell if you aren't quite ready for the single leg bridge if you see your hips sinking to one side during the movement.

Read more about how to do the Single Leg Bridge Exercise safely. More »

4

 Hip Extension on Exercise Ball

 Hip Extension on Exercise Ball. (c) Carol Schiff/Getty Images

Doing a hip extension on exercise ball is deceptively challenging. It looks simple and straight-forward, but the stability required to master this move take a bit of practice. Performed properly, it targets glutes, hips and hamstrings while engaging a variety of smaller stabilizers through the hips, back and core. To decrease the difficulty when you first begin, roll forward farther to support more of the hips and pelvis. As you improve, you can increase the difficulty by rolling back a bit to increase the leg extension.

5

 Full Squats

 Barbell Squat Exercise. (c) Cameron Spencer/Getty Image

The full squat is the king of all power exercises. You can begin with no weight or a very small amount of weight in order to learn the correct movement patterns. Over time you can slowly add more resistance to the movement. The squat not only builds powerful glutes, but done properly it will improve hip and ankle mobility, often lacking in athletes.

Read more about how to safely do the Full Squat. More »

6

 Single Leg Squats

 One Leg Squat and Reach. Photo � E Quinn

Practicing a single leg squat, with or without the additional reach, is a good way to activate the glutes as you improve yourbalance and proprioception. By focusing on a smooth, controlled and steady motion throughout the movement, you will engage a variety of muscles from head to toe, while also increasing ankle strength and flexibility.