10 Lower Body Exercises for People with Knee Pain

Knee injuries present a challenge for leg training, as many effective exercises like squats and lunges can aggravate pain. Finding alternative exercises is crucial for maintaining lower body strength while protecting the knees.

Yes, but the good news is there are still many options you have to train lower body without getting the knees involved.

I know from experience and from working with clients over the past twelve years that it’s actually helpful to incorporate exercises that not only strengthen the surrounding muscles like the quads, hamstrings, and glutes but also work to stabilize the knee joint as well.

It's important to consult with your doctor or physical therapist before starting an exercise routine- especially when you have pain. Make sure you speak to your doctor before starting a new workout routine.

When you get the clearance from your doctors, you might want to consider some of these exercises to help strengthen the surrounding muscles around the knee and improve stability so you can still work on building muscle in your lower body while keeping your pain at bay!

1.BB RDL

2. SL RDL

3. Banded glute bridge

4. Hip thrusts

5. SL elevated glute bridge

6. Monster walks

7. Clamshells

8. SB roll-ins

9. KB swings

Check out an example here.

10. Hyper-extensions

If you aren’t sure about your form, ask a trainer or a professional for help. Remember you can always add weight to the exercise so it might make more sense to start with body weight and progress from there. Try 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps each. Remember, form over function!