Building Knee Strength Helps Prevent Injury

Not only does building knee strength help prevent injury, but it can also help your performance. Joel Harper, author of MIND YOUR BODY: 4 Weeks to a Leaner, Healthier Life, is a supporter of knee exercises, especially those performed with knees floating in the air to work them from every angle.

"If you feel any tightness or discomfort in your knees, it most likely comes from muscle imbalance," Harper says. "Make sure you get rid of the tension by stretching and massaging before putting stress on your knees."

Harper has developed a knee exercise routine to strengthen the joints in a safe way. To get the best results, aim to perform each movement at a high intensity for two minutes.

1. Knee Bounces

Purpose: Strengthens your knees with an emphasis on the quads.

Get Ready: Begin on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips. 

Go: With soft elbows, lift your knees one inch off the ground and bounce your knees one inch, up and down, for one minute in the air. Then, sway your knees from side to side, one inch, for one minute. To make this move more challenging, hop your feet up and off the mat one inch each time your knees come up.

2. Shin Bend

Purpose: Stretches your ankles, feet, shins and quads.

Get Ready: Sit on your heels with your knees together and the top of your feet on the floor. Bring your thumbs—pointed toward each other—to your arches for balance.

Go: Pull in your stomach, hunch your shoulders forward, and gently lift your knees off the ground so you're balancing on the tops of your feet. Hold for ten seconds and slowly come down. Place your knees six inches apart and repeat for 10 seconds.

Next, bring your knees back together with your toes apart, and lift them for 10 seconds. Repeat the stretch position that felt the tightest. Only do this stretch if it feels comfortable on your knees.

With time and practice, you'll become more open, and you may not feel this stretch at all. If you feel it, that's your cue to do it each time you finish running.

3. Ankle Sways

Purpose: Strengthens and tones every angle of the front of the thighs and lower abs.

Get Ready: Stand with feet together. Place your left hand on your stomach and your right hand on your lower back. Balancing on your left leg, lift your right knee up as high as you can, aiming to ultimately get your right knee in line with your hips.

Go: While balancing and keeping your right knee stationary, sway your ankle from left to right as far as you can in each direction 25 times. Repeat on the opposite side.

Perform a total of two sets. To increase the intensity, on the second set, perform 50 on each side.

4. Hammock

Purpose: Stretches the hips to open them up and reduce tension on your knees.

Get Ready: Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the mat two feet away from your tailbone. Rest your hands behind you with your palms down and fingertips pointing to the back of the room. Place the heels of your hands about a foot back from your butt.

Go: Keeping the soles of your feet flat on the mat, cross your right leg over your left, resting your right ankle just above your left knee. Sit up straight and focus on pressing your lower back toward your right calf.

If you want to go deeper, press your right knee away from your torso. Hold for 15 seconds and switch sides. Repeat two times on each side.

Keep your arms slightly bent throughout the stretch. If one of your hips is tighter than the other, come back and do the tighter side again. Over time, both sides should be balanced.