Help with leg exercises

bounty_hunter

Hi guys

I'd like a bit of help please if possible. I'm looking to increase strength and build muscle in my legs (all over) and need some advice on what exercises I should be doing. The issue here is that I have problems with my knees and therefore can't do anything such as squats or lunges that put pressure on the knees as it's very painful. I'm not looking to lose weight or size, I just feel that my legs lack tone in general and want to do something about it. Could anybody suggest any exercises I could do to target individual areas of my legs without doing any damage to my knees, or is this even going to be possible? Hope I'm making sense here, I'm clueless when it comes to technical terms.
Any advice appreciated, thanks very much.

GhostInTheRuins

Hi there

I'm no fitness expert or anything like that but I've a problem similar to yours. I have really weak/painfull knees and legs (like you said, I can't do squats or anything like that) and I needed to build up some muscle on my legs too, especially on my thighs.

I got a few physio exercises to do, which I'll try to explain.

1. Lie on your back. Slowly raise one of your legs as high as feels comfortable and hold it mid-air for a few seconds and then slowly lower it down. Repeat for both legs for as long as you can as often as you can.

2. Sitting up straight on a chair/bed with your legs hanging over the side, Slowly bring your foot up so that your leg is out straight, hold it mid air for a few seconds and slowly lower it. repeat as often as you can

3. Same as the above two, lie on one side, legs out strait, slowly raise the top leg, hold it and slowly bring it back down, switch over to your other side and repeat as above.

There were a couple more but I can't think of them right now.

What also helped me a lot is just a run of the mill exercise bike. After I built up a bit of strength I'd use an exercise bike for as much as I could take. When I was starting first it was with barely any traction for only a few minutes, but eventually I built it up quite a bit, and am much better, and much more able to get about now (Still not there yet!)

Anyway, like I said, I'm no expert, they're just some exercises I was given by doctors/physios, I'm sure there are people on this forum that can give you much better advice than me. Good luck

bounty_hunter

Thanks a million, I'll try those today! Just a question, how much resistance should you feel when doing those exercises, should they be difficult to do at first (as in how to know I'm doing them right)? And how many reps?
Thanks again.

GhostInTheRuins

bounty_hunter wrote: »

Thanks a million, I'll try those today! Just a question, how much resistance should you feel when doing those exercises, should they be difficult to do at first (as in how to know I'm doing them right)? And how many reps?
Thanks again.

No problem . When I started doing them I found them very difficult, especially 1 & 3. After going up-down 5 or 6 times I found it really hard to keep my leg mid air for more than 4 or 5 seconds before it became quite painfull, so then I'd switch to the other leg untill it felt the same, then rest for a while and start again. Eventually I could do 25-30 of them without needing to stop. (I hope that makes sense!)

bounty_hunter

Makes perfect sense, thank you!

EileenG

I suggest you go to a physio or sports doctor and get a set of exercises to follow.

Generally, squats and lunges done with correct form will strength leg and knee muscles, not damage them. If your knees won't support you while you bend your legs, then it doesn't matter how strong your muscles are, you are still a wreck.

I've spent a fair bit of my life damaging my knees skiing, and I swear by good physio and squats. Oh, and cycling is brilliant as well.

bounty_hunter

EileenG, I have tried physiotherapy to improve the condition of my knees and found that it gave me such bad nighttime cramps that I had to stop. The actual problem is that my kneecaps are loose and I have been told that the only way to try and improve this is to build up the muscles that holds them in place, however like I've said the associated cramps were excruciating and totally prevented me from getting a decent night of sleep. Does this sound normal to you? My physiotherapist said that this was just a side effect of the sudden increase in exercise on that area.

At the moment though I'm not looking to improve the problem with my knees, I just want to work on the rest of my legs. I have also previously heard what you mentioned there about the lunges etc. strengthening the knees over time, but the problem is actually doing them in the first place, it hurts to bend. I know I should try and attend some more physio to work on my knees, but in the meantime I don't want to have to stop all other exercises.

tribulus

Tbh i don't see how you're going to build much strength in your legs when knee flexion is so painful, those exercises will get very easy, very fast.

EileenG

Do your exercises in the morning, so you'll have the whole day to get over the pain and cramping. You have to do them, or put up with a lifetime of ineffective legs.

One exercise I did a lot was where I sat with my leg out straight, and tightened the muscles all round my knee, as if I was trying to pull my kneecap back into the joint. Not fun, but it was effective. I still do it if I ever get twinges.

Why not try breaking your physio exercises up into segments, with the longest one early in the day, and then do a few more whenever you get a few minutes. If necessary, take a painkiller so you can do it. But they have to be done. I used to sweat buckets from the pain and the effort, even though I wasn't (visibly) moving a muscle.

Start with lots of stair climbing, then move onto step-ups, to get functional strenght back into your legs. You can do lunges or squats standing in a doorway, and hold onto the door frame for balance to make sure you keep proper form.

The physio after an injury is really tough and painful, but if you don't do it, you'll have a chonic weakness that will limit you for the rest of your life.

bounty_hunter

tribulus wrote: »

Tbh i don't see how you're going to build much strength in your legs when knee flexion is so painful, those exercises will get very easy, very fast.

I was afraid of that What does anyone suggest I should do then? Go back for more physio and try and find a way round the cramps?

HammerHeadGym

What about swimming? Swim like buggery for a few months until you can squat comfortably without the pain, then squat like buggery.

EileenG

You can't swim if you have lax tendons or ligaments, way too easy to tear them more.

Cycling is excellent, you can work the mucles hard without stressing the knee joint. Walking is often not good, there's a surprizing amount of knee rotation in a normal step. I had to spend three months wearing a massive knee brace like robocop for walking, but I could cycle without it.

ali.c

EileenG wrote: »

Cycling is excellent, you can work the mucles hard without stressing the knee joint.

Just on this though, if you are actually cycling (as opposed to using an excercise bike) and you have knee problems you need to make sure the saddle on your bike is set appropriately. If it is too long a stretch to the pedal you can end up. If your unsure then call into a bike shop and ask them to help you with it.

My left kneecaps slips from time to time. Its a pain in the hole alright but tbh i really think physio and rehab excercises are the way forward.

I cant really think of any isolation excercises and tbh i would be vary of undertaking any weight bearing activities without taking to a physio. Because IMO just because something is not sore doesnt mean there is not a knock on effect, i have found that i use my ankle to compensate for my knee doing certain excercises and i didnt realise it till i woke up the next day with my ankle all swollen.

lizzyvera

Sprinting! With good runners on grass or a sprung floor or good surface it shouldn't harm your knees. And a bit of cycling. I have hulk legs because of it.

People who ski also have strong legs so if that's your goal there's an idea for a holiday!