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Knee & thigh exercises
The human knee is a marvel of engineering, enabling us to walk and run in an upright position, dance, play football, even ski down mountains. But if you want your knees to continue performing all these tasks, you have to look after them.
The knee is also one of the most often injured areas of the body. This is due to a combination of two things:
- The forces it has to withstand - both direct (weight) and also the variety of lateral, twisting movements.
- The structure - unlike other joints which have a ball and socket (e.g. hip, shoulder) this is a joint that is held together entirely by soft tissue.
What all this means is that the better you look after this area of the body, the more likely it is to stay healthy.
Looking after it means regular exercise to keep the joint strong and flexible. The best exercises for this area are as follows:
- Cardio - Movements which allow good range of motion without undue pounding are best - cycling is excellent, as is the use of cross trainers.
- Resistance - There are a variety of leg exercises which will build up the muscles around the joint. The stronger the muscles, the more stable the joint. Good options include squats, leg presses, lunges, leg curls and leg extensions.
The better you look after your joints, the less risk of injury. It's an investment worth making.
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