Our knees have to handle a lot of stress, and if you’re exercising vigorously or doing weight training, you’re asking a lot out of them. If you already have knee problems, the situation can be a bit tricky at times and it is very easy to reinjure yourself if you do not take appropriate cautions. The heavier you are, the more your knees are at risk, so it is very important to make sure that you are doing your exercises the proper way to avoid injury. Here are some tips to help you safeguard your knees during your next workout.

1. Align your knees with your feet.

   Whenever you are doing any type of exercise that requires bending, it is vital to make sure that your knees are even with your feet. If you were to draw a straight line up from your feet, your knees should be in the way. For example, this is very important if you are doing squats or lunges. If you are too far forward or too far back, you’re going to be placing too much stress on those joints. Line up your knees each time you start an exercise and take the time to make sure they are properly aligned in between repetitions.

2. Good shoes are essential.

   One of the best ways to avoid injuring your knees is to wear proper shoes. Don’t try to exercise in street shoes, and avoid shoes that offer little to no support, such as Chuck Taylors. Spend the money on a good solid pair of athletic shoes that will provide you with enough cushion for your joints. It’s worth the extra money.

3. Work on your pelvic and thigh muscles.

   Most of the time, our knees are picking up the slack for the rest of our legs. It is important to build up your thigh and pelvic muscles during your workouts to shift that balance back to where it should be. This can help reduce your knee’s workload and you should notice the difference right away.

4. Always warm up.

   It takes a few extra minutes, but your knees will thank you. Always take the time to properly stretch and warm up your legs before starting any type of exercising. This will greatly reduce your risk for injury and your whole workout will go a lot smoother.

5. Never overdo or attempt exercises that are not appropriate for your body.

   Sure, we’d all love to be able to bench press a great deal of weight or go running for five miles. But the fact of the matter is, not everyone can do that. Never strain your knees with exercises that are just not attainable. If you already have bad knees, look for low impact workouts, such as swimming or yoga where you will not be stressing those knees. Stay away from stairmasters or stationary bikes if you already have a knee problem. If necessary, wear a brace to help you accomplish your exercises without injury.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-07-17 05:04:10. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Related Posts

• 4 Tips to Prevent Ankle Injuries During Exercise Our ankles are actually pretty fragile little joints and you may not realize just how fragile until you sprain one. Nobody likes walking around on crutches, but there are a few ways that you can make sure that your ankles stay strong and that you avoid this common injury. Let's......
• Exercise Anywhere You Go The best way to benefit from weight loss and exercise is to make it simple. When you make small, regular changes, they will actually add up to much more serious weight loss improvement than what you would achieve by making too many changes at once. There are a wide variety......
• How to Reduce the Risk of Back Injuries During Exercise If you’re just getting started on an exercise program, or even if you are an old pro, your back is at risk for injury every time you go out there. We can’t really do much without our backs and it is very important to protect it while you are exercising.......
• 4 Foods to Lower Your Blood Pressure High blood pressure is a problem that affects millions of Americans every year. Many of us are struggling with numbers that are too high and we cannot seem to get them down. Before trying any of the advice mentioned here it is vital to speak with your doctor. You may......
• Is Your Exercise Routine Giving You A Headache? If you are finding that you develop consistent headaches or migraines, the answer may be in your workout, or more importantly, how you are working out. It is actually quite common to get a headache a few hours after exercising. This is due to the fact that sudden stress on......

Related Websites

• Christmas and Exercise Don't Mix First off, Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate it. I know I do. We opened presents this morning and I am the lucky recipient of an autographed Chad Pennington, New York Jets football jersey. Here's to hoping he remains on the Jets next year. The only time I can......
• Put Your Knees and Hips Into Your Swing While we all know that our knees and hips can have a disastrous effect on our swing when used improperly, they can actually help you hit a better drive when you use them the right way. Let's focus on each one and work on some exercises that will help you......
• Save Time, Money and Space in Over 80 Ways If you're looking for handy gadgets, tools and various items that can save you time, money or space (or all three!) this list of more than 80 top products is just what you need. Everyone's got saving money on their minds these days. Some of us are always looking to......
• Yoga Revisisted Yoga – I used to ignore it. I thought it wasn’t worth my time. I preferred exercises that were of higher intensity and burned a lot of fat and calories. To me, yoga didn’t meet these requirements. Yoga revisited – Last month I checked out a yoga DVD just for......
• Skiing/Snowboarding as Exercise /caption]If you have ever visited a gym you may have noticed that there are exercise machines that will mimic many of the activities that people do because they love them. The logical explanation for this is that many sports including snowboarding, hiking and skiing are excellent ways to exercise the......

Online Stores

• Shoes Running Exercise Fitness
• Men Shoes Running Exercise Fitness

If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.

Time the change your life? No longer content to live a sedentary lifestyle and revel in couch potatoism? Click here to download the 31 page the 100% FREE eBook "How to Lose Weight and Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle."

Categories:

exercise, gym, injury, moderation

Tags:

athletic shoes, chuck taylors, doing squats, extra money, good shoes, joints, knee problems, knees, lunges, pelvic muscles, proper shoes, repetitions, slack, straight line, street shoes, thigh muscles, weight training, workload, workout, workouts