12

Strengthening Other Leg Muscles (Read 1491 times)


Go Pre!

    My PT says I need to strengthen the muscles in the back and inside of my knees. Any recommendations? Dave


    #2867

      Squats, deadlifts, lunges. Cures most ills.

      Run to Win
      25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)


      Go Pre!

        I have been doing lunges lately and I feel their benefit. Can you expand on the squats and deadlifts as far as how much weight, how many reps? thanks B Smile dave
        va


          Here is a page which has some inside knee exercises... Scroll down to: Q: I'm troubled by pain on the inside of my knees when I train and feel that the problem is related to weakness of my vastus medialis muscles. Can you recommend some functional strengthening exercises for the insides of my knees? A: Here are the inside-knee exercises I would recommend (they actually strengthen the whole leg while emphasizing strong work for the muscles running along the inside of the knee):...
          Trent


          Good Bad & The Monkey


          Go Pre!

            Run hills.
            I think hills were the beginnings of my troubles. Most of my runs include at least 1 major hill as I live elevated in relation to my favorite routes.
            Trent


            Good Bad & The Monkey

              I think hills were the beginnings of my troubles. Most of my runs include at least 1 major hill as I live elevated in relation to my favorite routes.
              Rather than run a single big hill, it is best always to run on rolling terrain. A single big hill is like running a big long run with no base miles.


              Go Pre!

                Here is a page which has some inside knee exercises... Scroll down to: Q: I'm troubled by pain on the inside of my knees when I train and feel that the problem is related to weakness of my vastus medialis muscles. Can you recommend some functional strengthening exercises for the insides of my knees? A: Here are the inside-knee exercises I would recommend (they actually strengthen the whole leg while emphasizing strong work for the muscles running along the inside of the knee):...
                Stephen, can you paste those exercises here. It say I need to subscribe to view them. cheers Dave


                Go Pre!

                  Rather than run a single big hill, it is best always to run on rolling terrain. A single big hill is like running a big long run with no base miles.
                  I agree Trent. The hill I mention spans 1K, I normally do it halfway and cut across for a rest and then do the remaining half. I generally do 400m repeats once a week. I would definitely have no problem doing more, I like hills.
                  va


                    Stephen, can you paste those exercises here. It say I need to subscribe to view them. cheers Dave
                    hmmm, I can't get to it any more, they must have closed a hole in their site...I am not a subscriber either...
                    va


                      Got it, it's in the google cache...


                      #2867

                        I have been doing lunges lately and I feel their benefit. Can you expand on the squats and deadlifts as far as how much weight, how many reps?
                        If you haven't done them before, then go with body weight or just the bar. When I was in college, I used to pretty light weights and a lot of reps - 85 to 100 pounds max. A couple of years ago I read the New Rules of Lifting, and did one of the programs from that book before running one of my marathons (I finished the program about 2 weeks before the race.) Instead of going lower weight and higher rep as I got closer to the race, the program had me increasing the weight and lowering the reps. I wound up squatting about 240 pounds and deadlifting about 200 pounds for a minimum of 8 reps per set. At the time I weighed about 135 pounds, maybe 140 pounds. It was easy to set PRs when I hadn't really lifted heavy before. For squats: Keep your back straight (not bowed) and pretend that you are sitting down in a chair. Push your ass backwards (your head will come forward) while keeping your back straight, and then once it has moved back you then start to bend your knees. Your knees will bend on the first part, but a lot of people start bending their knees right away so that if you dropped a string from their knees to the ground, the string would land in front of the toes. You want to try to keep your knees above your ankles at all times. A great way to practice that is put a chair or box behind you and practice the movement. I showed a friend of mine how to do squats once, and he insisted that he did not sit down by pushing his ass back first but that he bent at the knees. I had him watch himself in a mirror when he sat down on a bench and he amazed himself. He was able to do the lift properly after that. For deadlifts, you may want to use a couple of platforms if you start with just the bar. If you have weight plates on, then you can place it straight onto the floor. The idea with deadlifts is that you keep your back flat and that you lift with your legs (just like they teach you in just about any safety course you might take if your job ever involves lifting.) Start with the bar in front of your toes, bend down at the knees, grab the bar, and literally drag the bar up your shins and your thighs until you are standing up. You may want to wear sweatpants. You can bruise your legs pretty easily. You don't have to actually touch your legs when you are lifting, but if you aren't familiar with the lift it is the easiest way to keep the proper form without using your lower back to do the lift, which means that it is safer despite the bruises. You'll want to thrust your hips forward a little near the top of the raise. Reverse the process to put the bar back on the ground. Before you start your next set, the bar should be completely on the ground. A good variation of this is to do a deadlift shrug. You won't be able to use as much weight, and you'll need to be careful on the shrug part (unless you are a woman) - if you keep catching yourself then try changing the width of your grip. It can make a big difference. If you aren't familiar with deadlifts, I wouldn't bother adding the shrugs right away. Most of the time when I head to the gym, I will start with just the bar as my warmup set and then just put a couple of plates on for the second set. These exercises tend to be my first ones so I ease into them.

                        Run to Win
                        25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)


                        Go Pre!

                          Thanks folks! ~


                          Oh Mighty Wing

                            for squats it really is all about the ass thrust... you might feel stupid (especially if watching yourself from the side view in a mirror), but that just means you are probably doing it right!
                            TrailSurfer


                            Husband and father of 4

                              For strengthening supporting and auxiliary muscules in the legs and hips I've found one legged half squats helpful. Stand on one leg... balance... half squat... balance with bent knee...come up and repeat. Do one leg at a time to near fatigue. Hold on to something until you have your balance. Balancing on one leg when you would be standing around anyway is great too.
                              Find the fun.
                              12