Exercises for Stronger Hips and Knees

Do you do specific exercises for your hips and knees? Do you work your hips through their entire range of motion and engage the abductor and adductor muscles? If not, consider adding these hip- and knee-strengthening exercises to your workouts. Strong muscles support healthy joints and help reduce pain and prevent injury.

Anatomy of the Hips

The hip joint is a ball and socket joint that works best when it has mobility as well as strength. The hip is a complicated joint and needs to be exercised in a variety of directions, including rotation, in order to increase overall stability.

The abductors and adductors are critical for providing integrity of the hip joint and creating a strong, balanced link between the lower body and the torso. They also need to be exercised through an entire range of motion.

If you work these muscles only in one direction (forward and back) by walking, running, or using common cardio machines, then you are not building structural integrity of the hip or the entire lower body.

Anatomy of the Knees

Strengthening and balancing the muscles that surround the knee can take the pressure off the joint and decrease the amount of total weight absorbed by the ligaments, meniscus, and cartilage in the knee.

The muscles that surround the knee, along with the quads and hamstrings, play an important role in allowing the patella (kneecap) to track properly as the knee joint bends. If the abductor and adductor muscles are not strong, flexible, and balanced, knee pain such as patellofemoral syndrome, also known as "runner's knee," and other injuries are more likely to occur.

Pain Reduction

Proper alignment is key to alleviating and even preventing pain. The soft tissues of the body (muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc.) help maintain the alignment of the bones during movement.

If the bones aren't properly aligned when they move through a range of motion, there can be a great deal of friction, a lack of stability, decreased mobility, and compromised function. This can set up an athlete or exerciser for a number of injuries.

Keep in mind that muscles work in pairs: extensors and flexors. It's important to maintain the balance of strength in these pairs to prevent joint pain and injury.

Injury Prevention

When it comes to preventing injury, using compound or "functional" exercises that incorporate a variety of muscles—including the core—and simulate real-life movements are generally considered the ideal way for athletes to train. Such movements include exercises like squats, lunges, and lateral movements.

Exercises that isolate a specific muscle (such as a leg extension or biceps curl) do have a place in athletic training. They are often used to help isolate and rehab a muscle after an injury or to recover after surgery.

Exercises for Stronger Hips and Knees

If you are starting from zero or recovering from an injury, you can begin to build strength and stability in the hip and knee joints by going back to basics and using simple exercises.

In addition, consider these exercises for athletes of all levels to help keep the hips and knees properly aligned, strong, flexible—and more capable of withstanding the rigors of sports and even daily life. Depending on your level of fitness, you can try any combination of these moves for a well-rounded strength training routine.

Beginner Exercises

• Clam exercise: Strengthens glute medius
• Bridge exercise: Strengthens hamstrings and glutes
• Plank exercise: Improves overall core biomechanics

Intermediate Exercises

• Side plank: Strengthens hip abductors, improves alignment
• Lateral mini band walking: Strengthens glute medius, stabilizes pelvis and knee
• Single-leg bridge: Builds stability
• Lunge with a twist: Improves core stability
• Weighted step-up: Improves strength and power without excessive stress on the knees or hips
• Squat: Strengthens entire lower body

Advanced Exercises

• Walking lunge: Improves strength and balance; perform with or without weights
• Lateral plyometric jump: Improve hip mobility and strength
• One-leg squat and reach: Builds strength and stability in lower body and core
• Overhead lunge: Adds core stability to a basic lunge
• Plyometric exercise: Builds explosive strength and helps reduce the risk of knee ligament injuries

For all exercises, proper form is important for safety and effectiveness. Start slow and gentle until you master the form, then gradually challenge yourself.