Case in point: your knees. Yes, they're joints, not musclesbut there are muscles supporting them which you can work to help to promote healthy function. "The muscles of the thigh act on the knee by either bending or extending the leg," says trainer Charlee Atkins, C.S.C.S. That mean that your quads and hamstrings are largely responsible for that movement, and that you'll want to work on strengthening those muscles when you train for stronger knees.
Atkins designed this four move series of exercises specifically to do just that. Each movement has a different focus; you'll target your hamstrings and quads, and work to develop stability in your hips. You'll need a yoga mat for your back, a short platform, and a chair or bench to do the workouts. If you're more advanced, grab a weight for the chair get-up.
Perform each exercise for either 45 seconds or 8 to 12 reps
- Feet-Elevated Hip Raise (hamstrings focus)
- Right Side-Lying Clamshell (hip stabilizer)
- Left Side-Lying Clamshell (hip stabilizer)
- Chair Get-Up (quad focus)
- Hamstring Walk-Out
Take on the whole series on a lower body training day as a circuit, or implement the exercises in your training split.
Want to learn more moves from Atkins? Check out our series full of her workout tips, Try Her Move . You can also take on her new 30 day challenge in our streaming All Out Studio app , check out her Le Sweat workout app , and follow her on Instagram to find out when she's hosting live workouts from her living room .