knee strengthening

[qdiddy69]

hey guys, im looking for a good strengthening routine in which the main goal is to strengthen the tendon and ligaments in the knee. Ive never had any major knee injuries and i squat heavy pretty often but ive always noticed that my knees are my weak link, i have a family history of arthritis in the knees.

I am just started using heavy partials to try to strengthen the knees but an outline for a routine would help me in my mission. If any of you guys who are pretty experienced with heavy partials and or other knee strengthening workouts could plan out a pretty basic routine for me it would help alot.

O, and in case some1 asks some history about me. Ive been squating heavy for about 2 or 3 years and i squat about 1-2 a week currently

Thanks in advance,

EDIT... just to clear things up i do know that partial range squats are BAD for the knees, their are many groups that argue for and against it, those that argue for it say that you should do it only occasionally to strengthen your tendons and ligaments and that they are a dangerous workout tool. If your against partials please just offer on alternative knee strengthening routine/exercise

[Marc27Default]

I would do full range squats, i.e. as far down as you can go while maintaining good form (what others call ATG)

Doing heavy partials would have the opposite effect of promoting strong healthy knees in my opinion.

[qdiddy69]

I would do full range squats, i.e. as far down as you can go while maintaining good form (what others call ATG)

Doing heavy partials would have the opposite effect of promoting strong healthy knees in my opinion.

yeah you are right, as far as my experience full range squats are the best for keeping the knees healthy. But this is how i have been lifting and it doesn't fix the problem that my hips are alot stronger then my knees. I would assume that heavy partials would strengthen the knees in the long run, while in turn making them less healthy in the short run

[Gongor28]

False.

Pick up (or torrent) a copy of "Starting Strength", it explains everything you are wondering about in detail. It also answers why partials are bad as opposed to the full squat being good.

[Stu Pidasso]

Get a band I got some from jump stretch.com a few years ago. The bands I got are like big rubber bands not the surgical tubing type. Next loop the band around the standard of a squat rack about knee height. Pull it until it makes a half hitch type knot. Now step inside the loop the band should be going around behind your knee. Bend at the waist and put hands on squat rack. Now move away from the rack keeping hands on the standard that the band is around. Bend knee slightly the band should be taught. Then straighten leg out the band should provide tension that makes it a bit difficult to straighten the knee. This will strengthen the vastus major, and bicep femoris at their insertion points near the knee. This mimicks some of the same muscles used in a leg extension without widening the knee joint during the radial movement of the joint. I can make a video and post it if you need me too. I have a lot of miles on my body and I do these before leg workouts because I am torn the hell up pretty bad.

[qdiddy69]

False.

Pick up (or torrent) a copy of "Starting Strength", it explains everything you are wondering about in detail. It also answers why partials are bad as opposed to the full squat being good.

just downloaded starting strength 1st and 2nd edition, didn't know the torrent for these books were still alive thanks mate...
just read the squat portion of the first edition, it does state what you said. but its only explaining the correct form of the squat, which we all know is to parallel. It states why doing partial reps creates an imbalance and adds stress to the knees compare to the parallel squat, but it doesn't talk about the use of assistance excercises to strengthen an imbalance that is already present. Most advocates of the partial rep squat (this is all from what i have read on forums) state that partial reps are very stressful and shouldn't be overused; its more of an assistance excercise to strengthen the tendons and ligaments.

Get a band I got some from jump stretch.com a few years ago. The bands I got are like big rubber bands not the surgical tubing type. Next loop the band around the standard of a squat rack about knee height. Pull it until it makes a half hitch type knot. Now step inside the loop the band should be going around behind your knee. Bend at the waist and put hands on squat rack. Now move away from the rack keeping hands on the standard that the band is around. Bend knee slightly the band should be taught. Then straighten leg out the band should provide tension that makes it a bit difficult to straighten the knee. This will strengthen the vastus major, and bicep femoris at their insertion points near the knee. This mimicks some of the same muscles used in a leg extension without widening the knee joint during the radial movement of the joint. I can make a video and post it if you need me too. I have a lot of miles on my body and I do these before leg workouts because I am torn the hell up pretty bad.

i think i understand what your saying, but a video would help, thanks

[clorox_me]

doing squats and any weightlifting will strengthen the tendons and ligaments.

[qdiddy69]

doing squats and any weightlifting will strengthen the tendons and ligaments.

let me rephrase my statement then, partial range squats cause a higher stimulus to strengthening the ligaments and tendons of the knee then full range.

keeping in mind of course, the added stress it applies to the knees, CN and endocrine systems

[jcameron28]

by hips stronger than knees do you mean you have weak quads? If so program in some heavy front squats. If you are concerned about injuries to your knees down the line do the rectus femoris stretch with your knee up on a bench after workouts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_hQSJVIN3c and just foam roll to keep healthy. I'm not sure what youre exactly addressing though

[qdiddy69]

by hips stronger than knees do you mean you have weak quads? If so program in some heavy front squats. If you are concerned about injuries to your knees down the line do the rectus femoris stretch with your knee up on a bench after workouts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_hQSJVIN3c and just foam roll to keep healthy. I'm not sure what youre exactly addressing though

thank you, thats actually my most popular stretch lol. And also no my quads are probably stronger then my hamstrings, which is the weird thing ( i have always squated to parallel before my recent interest in partials) its just that whenever i do too much volume or too high of an intensity, my knees tend to tell me to slow down while the rest of my body can take more. I suspect to just have genetically weaker knees, but i might also have a problem with generating hip drive

[Hellcraft]

Get a band I got some from jump stretch.com a few years ago. The bands I got are like big rubber bands not the surgical tubing type. Next loop the band around the standard of a squat rack about knee height. Pull it until it makes a half hitch type knot. Now step inside the loop the band should be going around behind your knee. Bend at the waist and put hands on squat rack. Now move away from the rack keeping hands on the standard that the band is around. Bend knee slightly the band should be taught. Then straighten leg out the band should provide tension that makes it a bit difficult to straighten the knee. This will strengthen the vastus major, and bicep femoris at their insertion points near the knee. This mimicks some of the same muscles used in a leg extension without widening the knee joint during the radial movement of the joint. I can make a video and post it if you need me too. I have a lot of miles on my body and I do these before leg workouts because I am torn the hell up pretty bad.

vid please

[jl9999]

Get a band I got some from jump stretch.com a few years ago. The bands I got are like big rubber bands not the surgical tubing type. Next loop the band around the standard of a squat rack about knee height. Pull it until it makes a half hitch type knot. Now step inside the loop the band should be going around behind your knee. Bend at the waist and put hands on squat rack. Now move away from the rack keeping hands on the standard that the band is around. Bend knee slightly the band should be taught. Then straighten leg out the band should provide tension that makes it a bit difficult to straighten the knee. This will strengthen the vastus major, and bicep femoris at their insertion points near the knee. This mimicks some of the same muscles used in a leg extension without widening the knee joint during the radial movement of the joint. I can make a video and post it if you need me too. I have a lot of miles on my body and I do these before leg workouts because I am torn the hell up pretty bad.

This is a great exercise, I do them 3 times a week. They are called "terminal knee extensions". Here is a link from elitefts.com, or do a search on youtube. some people call them "TKE's" for short.

http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.a...=33895&tid=115

[viperjax]

yeah you are right, as far as my experience full range squats are the best for keeping the knees healthy. But this is how i have been lifting and it doesn't fix the problem that my hips are alot stronger then my knees. I would assume that heavy partials would strengthen the knees in the long run, while in turn making them less healthy in the short run

more knowledgeable people are telling you that full squats are not only better for your knees.. but heavy partials are worse for your knees.

there isn't a positive correlation between shear force on your knee and health benefit, you know.

[nekkidbear]

more knowledgeable people are telling you that full squats are not only better for your knees.. but heavy partials are worse for your knees.

there isn't a positive correlation between shear force on your knee and health benefit, you know.

Yes.... he doesn't seem to get it.

[johnsonb90436]

Yes.... he doesn't seem to get it.

it's nothing new

[qdiddy69]

god you powerlifting thread guys are so defensive; I knew some of you guys would take my posts the wrong way. Partly because my profile picture is from my high school days that make me look like a db and i never changed it and partly because I was sort of condoning what seems like voodoo to most power lifters

Bottom line is i asked for a routine to strengthen my knees and the only one who really gave me anything was stu and cameron which has helped, i just tried stu's advice and it feels great.

As for it looking like im ignoring the advice on partials i wasn't. I'm just stating that starting strength doesn't offer any knowledge on whether occasional partials can offer added stimuli or not to the knees. note that i commented that the information i gave on partials was obtained through forum chat, which was my way of saying that it could or could not be reliable. i was just trying further elaborating on the theory so that i could be given better advice. Sorry for being misguiding, and for sounding unapreciative of the advice.I aprreciate all the input guys. Like i said i have no experience with partials so i am relatively unknowledgable on them

Its just hard to decifer the information you guys are giving me when you say things like full squats are healthier and partials are unhealthier, that was never a question. Theirs a book by pete cisco, that talks about the advantages of partials its called power factor. Although Pete advises on using them to strengthen tendons and ligaments he places equal emphasize on how dangerous they are. Sort of a double edged sword

[johnsonb90436]

partials = bad for knees

partial squats put the knees in a bad postion to drive the weight up which is why they are bad in the knees.

full squats fully engage both quad and ham which is better on the knees

all you need to know.

full squat
/thread

[qdiddy69]

ok, ill just leave it at that lol

[viperjax]

ok, ill just leave it at that lol

don't forget to rep him. and everyone else who told you essentially the same thing.

[qdiddy69]

don't forget to rep him. and everyone else who told you essentially the same thing.

yes mom

[Drew23]

TKEs after you squat.