How to Strengthen Knees for Squats

After the age of 40, simple tasks start getting harder, such as getting off the floor, bending down, or crouching, and if not addressed, going through everyday life is extremely uncomfortable and painful.

When it comes to lower body exercise, basic movements such as squats or lunges are a nightmare for women over 40 with knee pain.

There are several causes of knee pain but for a woman over 40, the biggest contributors are the natural loss of muscle mass as we age, and a decline in the hormone estrogen (perimenopause and menopause), which impacts the joints. If you’re overweight, you may also experience knee pain because extra weight places more pressure on the knees and joints.

And as the saying goes, “If you don’t use it, you lose it,” and this is so true when it comes to knees. Instead of avoiding any exercise that engages your knees, you must put them to work to strengthen them, but this must be done safely.

To strengthen your knees and start enjoying leg exercises, you have to strengthen your muscles that support the knee joint.

5 Exercises To Strengthen Your Knees

These are the 5 exercises I used to do 3 times a week to strengthen my knees when I got back into exercising at the age of 44. My knees used to hurt every time I did a lower body workout, but by the second week, the discomfort disappeared as the muscles around my legs grew stronger.

Perform these knee-strengthening exercises at home at least 2-3 times a week, and you will definitely see a huge improvement in mobility and joint support.

1. Standing leg extensions

This move will strengthen the quad muscles above your knees.

The exercise

1. Stand straight with feet hip width apart.
2. Pull your belly button to your spine to engage your core.
3. Lift your foot off the floor and bend your knee until it forms a 90 degree angle.
4. Slowly kick out your leg until it’s fully extended. (Hold on to a chair or wall for extra support).
5. Bring the leg back and repeat 10-12 times before switching legs.

2. Standing calf raises

Calf raises can be done with or without dumbbells. They strengthen calf muscles which provide support to the knees and ankles.

The exercise

1. Stand straight with feet hip width apart and feet planted on the floor.
2. Slowly lift your heels off the floor until you are standing on the balls of your feet.
3. Pause at the top for 3-5 seconds, then slowly lower your heels to the starting position. Repeat 12-15 times.

3. Tibialis raises

This move strengthens the muscles under the knees and the ankles. Strong shins means strong knees.

The exercise

1. Stand with your back leaning against the wall.
2. Extend your legs out about two steps from the wall.
3. Slowly lift your toes off the floor while keeping your heels firmly planted.
4. Pause for a few seconds and slowly bring toes back down.
5. Repeat 12-15 times.

4. Single leg glute bridges

As the name suggests, glute bridges work to strengthen the glute muscles.

The exercise

1. Lie flat on your back with knees bent, thighs about hip width apart.
2. Slowly lift one leg off the floor while squeezing the glute of the leg that is still on the floor.
3. If you feel the squeeze more in your hamstrings that then glutes, move the feet closer to your butt.
4. Slowly lower the leg and repeat 10-12 times before switching legs.

5. Wall sits slides

This exercise helps build and strengthen the quads.

The exercise

1. Stand with your back against the wall.
2. Feet hip width apart and about two feet away from the wall.
3. Slowly slide your back down the wall until your knees form a 90 degree angle.
4. Slowly slide back up and repeat 8-12 times.

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