Keys to a strong, pain free knee – With Coach Lach

A lot of people come to us and say, “I can’t squat because my knees hurt” when in reality, your knees hurt because you can’t squat. 

The average person very rarely uses the full range of motion in their knee – how often do you squat down and completely close the angle in your knee joint? I’m talking hamstrings on calf muscle.. Usually, it’s not enough.

Going through the full ROM (range of motion) is critical to stabilise the knee joint at every angle of its range.  One of our favourite movements to build strength and stability for those not ready to full squat is the split squat.  This done correctly uses the entire ROM of the knee and helps to develop the the Vastus Medialis, Rectus Femoris and Vastus Lateralis quadricep muscles evenly between both legs.  This paired with a Lying Unilateral (aka one leg) Lying Leg Curl, which works the hamstring muscles, help to keep the two muscles groups that extend and flex the knee joint correctly balanced.

The last key factor I want to cover is mobility.  Being too tight somewhere in your bodies muscular chain can cause knee pain, which is why it’s important we have optimal flexibility in muscles such as the calf, hamstrings, quads and glute to ensure everything can function correctly.

Keeping all this is mind, lets make it basic. Let us make it basic.  For a healthy knee you need strength and balance.  You also need mobility through the whole muscular chain linked to your knee.