Lower body muscles that are important to everyone... How to strengthen them even when experiencing knee pain?

Oh... I guess I should do this much.

I'm worried because my lower body strength is weak.

This could happen while working at the monitor in the office!

1. Raise your heels in place!

Stand on one foot!

3. Chair Squat!

My mother also does squats even though she has knee problems.

I should let you know about this~

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Heel raises... Effective for developing the calves, the "second heart"
Practicing standing on one leg improves inter-muscle coordination.

ⓒPixabay

There is a body part that almost all exercise experts emphasize as needing to be strengthened. That is the lower body. If the lower body muscles are weak, it can lead to knee pain and, in the long term, increase the risk of diabetes and various adult diseases.

The problem arises when beginners experience mild pain or discomfort in their knees. While they want to do lower body exercises for health reasons, there is a concern that knee pain might worsen. What lower body exercises can be done without overexertion even when experiencing knee pain?

▲ Standing on the spot and raising the heels

The calves are one of the large muscles often called the "second heart." Well-developed calf muscles provide many benefits, including fall prevention, relief of knee pain, and overcoming orthostatic hypotension.

Raising the heels in place is a representative bodyweight exercise that develops the calf muscles. Since there is no bending of the knees, anyone who can perform the movement without pain while keeping the knees straight can do it. However, when lifting and lowering the heels, the movement should be performed slowly to minimize the strain on the knees or the plantar fascia of the foot.

Standing on one foot

This exercise is effective not only for strengthening the lower body muscles but also for improving coordination among core and lower body muscles. It is also suitable for people with knee pain because it does not involve bending and straightening the knees like heel raises. Since you only need to alternate holding for about 10 to 20 seconds per leg, the workout duration is relatively short.

However, for beginners, it is often difficult to maintain balance while standing on one foot. In such cases, holding onto a wall or chair with your hand until your posture adapts can help prevent accidents.

▲ Chair Squat

It is a method of performing a squat while sitting on a chair. During the squat, the chair supports the body's weight, minimizing the load on the knees while strengthening the quadriceps. It is an effective way for beginners who find bodyweight squats difficult to learn the movement.